Chinese medicine goes back over 3,000 years.

Chinese medicine uses tiny needles to active the bodies innate healing abilities. In Chinese medicine we call this accessing and activating qi (pronounced “chee” – most closely translated into Western thought as “vital energy”). Research in western medicine has shown that the insertion of acupuncture needles stimulates the release of hormones and other neurochemicals causing multisystem healing effects to occur, thus helping nurture the body back to health.

Acupuncture needles are solid, not hollow like needles used by doctors. They are small and hair-thin and can literally be bent with your pinky.

Only sterile, disposable needles are used so there is no risk of infection. We use a needle once, then dispose of it.

US FDA Regulation of Acupuncture Needles

In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed the experimental status tag on acupuncture needles.The FDA reclassified acupuncture needles, regulating them as it does medical devices such as surgical scalpels and hypodermic syringes. Acupuncture needles must now be manufactured according to single-use standards of sterility.

People experience the needling sensation differently. There are different styles of needling. Acupuncture needles are rarely described as painful, and can be quickly adjusted if the patient feel’s any discomfort. If any unpleasant sensation is experienced during insertion, it is often compared to a mosquito bite and disappears very quickly. Once the needles are inserted, they may be manipulated to obtain a mild “Qi” sensation. This is how an acupuncturist engages the energy and biochemical responses in your body in order to balance it. Often people describe their sensations as warming, heavy, numb or tingling. I take great care to make my patients very comfortable so that they can relax while the needles are in place. The more you can relax during an acupuncture treatment, the better the results. Many people even fall asleep during treatment.

Following treatment it is common to feel a tremendous sense of relaxation and calm.

No. Acupuncture works whether or not you think it will. Acupuncture is even used successfully on animals and children. They do not understand or believe in the process yet they get better anyway. Of course a positive attitude helps with any type of therapy but it is not necessary to believe in acupuncture (or to feel it working) for it to work.

Since positive expectations and belief in a particular therapy help to increase therapeutic results, I encourage you to raise any concerns or doubts you may have about acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I’d like to help you to better understand acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine so that you may have the most positive healing experience possible. You are invited to contact me today, and I will personally respond to any questions or comments promptly.

In general, I tell my patients they should start to feel the benefits from acupuncture in 2-3 treatments. If the problem is acute, sometimes improvement is felt after 1 treatment, and may only need 3-5 treatments to resolve. If the problem is chronic and long term, it may take many treatments to help resolve.

Typically I treat patients once a week. If the condition is acute and painful, I may want to do treatments 2-3 times per week for the first couple of weeks. The benefits of acupuncture treatments tend to hold longer as you receive treatments, so what typically happens is that my patients start to need to see me less and less, so after a while they come periodically for maintenance.

No medicine can cure all ailments but acupuncture does have a high rate of success. If you do not feel any benefit after 6-12 treatments, then acupuncture may not work for you.

Just wear loose fitting clothes that can be easily rolled up above your elbows and knees.

Some insurances do and I do accept insurance. You can either call your insurance company yourself to see if they cover acupuncture or my office will be happy to do that for you.