Acupuncture is an alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of needles in the body. It is used to encourage natural healing, reduce/relieve pain, improve mood, and to promote general health.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, acupuncture is based on the flow and balance of Qi, Blood, and the Yin-Yang systems. Qi is the energy life force of the body, whereas Blood is the liquid life force of the body. When both are flowing properly, they nourish the body and promote health. When these different Yin-Yang systems are in harmony, the body is healthy, but when there is disharmony, illness arises. Acupuncture is a procedure that aims to correct imbalances in the flow of Qi and Blood and Yin and Yang by stimulation of specific acupuncture points.

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

Acupuncture can help individuals with the following:

• Pain in any part of the body!

• Abnormal Sweating

• Acid Regurgitation

• Addictions

• Allergies

• Amenorrhea

• Anxiety

• Arthritis

• Atrophy Syndrome

• Autoimmune Diseases

• Bell’s Palsy

• Breathing Conditions

• Carpal Tunnel

• Cervical Disk Herniation

• Chest Tightness

• Circulation

• Common Cold

• Constipation

• Cough

• Depression

• Diarrhea

• Dysphagia & Gagging Syndrome

• Edema

• Fertility

• Fever

• Fibromyalgia

• Focus

• Frozen Shoulder

• Headache

• Heavy Menstrual Cycles

• Hiccups

• High Blood Pressure

• Hot Flashes

• Hypertonicity Disorders

• IBS

• Immunity

• Impotence

• Inflammation

• Injuries

• Insomnia

• IT Band Pain

• Labor Support

• Lumbar Disk Herniation

• Menstrual Cramping

• Migraine

• Morning Sickness

• Muscle Tension

• Nasal Congestion

• Nausea

• Neuropathy

• Palpitations

• Piriformis Syndrome

• Plantar Fasciitis

• PMS

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

• Post-Concussive Syndrome

• Pregnancy

• Raynaud’s Phenomenon & Disease

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Sciatica

• Skin Conditions

• Sprain and Strain

• Stroke Rehabilitation

• Syncope

• Tendonitis

• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

• Tight Hip Flexors

• Tinnitus

• Trigeminal Neuralgia

• Ulnar Tunnel

• Upset Stomach

• Urinary Incontinence

• Vertigo

• Wheezing

…just to name a few

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

We offer Dry Needling for pain related conditions in our Acupuncture Treatments sessions. For pain related conditions, we like to do a combination of local points (Dry Needling) with some Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture theory acupuncture points to help treat the body as a whole.

Acupuncture can be Dry Needling but Dry Needling can not be Acupuncture.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture use different theory and local acupuncture points on the body to help treat the body as a whole. For example, some theory acupuncture points in the feet are great when treating headaches and migraines because of their grounding effect. Whereas in Dry Needling they only use local trigger points in the muscles. They both use the same type of needles but treat different things. Acupuncture can treat MANY different conditions (see the last post for the list) and Dry Needling is only good for local pain. Another big difference is the amount of education. Most health care providers can get a Dry Needling Certification in a weekend (some may vary), whereas, a Licensed Acupuncturist is a Masters Level education with 3-4 years of school with thousands of hours of training.

There is definitely a benefit to Dry Needling! Acupuncturists even do Dry Needling (we just call them Ashi points or local points). It is really helpful with pain. It is very important to know your provider's education and history when it comes to Dry Needling. Things can go wrong with needling especially in the upper back where the lungs are or around nerves and arteries. PLEASE look into an acupuncturist for their advanced education in needling if you are nervous about this.

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

From professional athletes to homemakers, engineers to electricians, children to seniors, acupuncture care has been able to help improve overall health and wellness. Some individuals find that regular visits to their acupuncturist help keep them in peak condition for day to day activities.

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

During your appointment, I will complete a relevant history and physical examination in order to determine which Eastern Medicine diagnosis is relevant to your condition. From that intake, I will use certain acupuncture point combination that best fits. There are over 360 acupuncture points to pick from on the human body. With my advanced schooling in Chinese Medicine, I have been trained on which ones to use and in which combination.

Treatments vary in the number of needles and the amount of time depending on the condition and are determined by the acupuncturist. The amount of time with the needles can vary between 1 to 30 minutes. More needles are not necessarily “better” nor is more time. It all depends on the person and the condition being treated. The needles used are pre-sterilized and individually wrapped and are immediately disposed of after one use. They vary in size but in general are VERY small.

In some cases, I may choose to use electrical acupuncture attached to the acupuncture needles. This is used to increase stimulation to the needles and help with pain relieve. Because of the increase in stimulation, this is usually not done of the first visit and is explained to the patient before use.

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

There can be a wide variety of responses after an acupuncture treatment depending on what condition is being treated. After, it is important to drink a lot of water and stay hydrated. Acupuncture is an inflammatory response to promote healing in the body and hydration helps with that healing and “flushing” out any toxins released from that inflammatory response. It is also important not to “overdo it” after a treatment. Because of the inflammatory response, the body is trying to heal so by taxing the body more, it will have a harder time recovering. Acupuncture is also very relaxing, so you may feel fatigued and unable to perform certain activities such as working out. However, everybody has a different recovery, so it depends on the person. When it comes to responses to treatment, 3 things can happen.

- You stay the same

- You feel better

- You feel worse

Now, don’t be too scared about the last one because it all depends on the condition we are treating. Most of the time, people end up feeling better at least a little bit if not a lot. Depending on the condition and how long the patient has had it, it may take a few visits to start feeling some difference. The longer someone has had a condition, the longer it may take to treat it. When it comes to getting worse, that goes back to that inflammatory response. If we “poke the bear”, it may get mad at us for a day but then it should calm down. The same goes for this treatment. A lot of times I have seen this when it comes to treating knees. The knee gets all this extra blood flow to the area after treatment it doesn’t know what to do so it goes into guard mode and stiffens. It is important that if that happens, continue to move it and eventually it will calm down and feel better.

After an acupuncture treatment, if you are having any questions about how you are feeling and if it is “normal”, please do not hesitate to call. We would be happy to answer any questions you have.

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

It is best to wear clothing that is comfortable and allows the practitioner to be able to access your arms up to your elbows, legs up to your knees, and sometimes your abdomen or back. Patients typically wear shorts or pants that can be rolled up, t-shirts, or tank tops. If we are working on a specific area such as back pain, extra sheets or gown/shorts will be provided if necessary.

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

Acupuncture coverage is VERY limited. Sanford, BCBSND, Medicare, and Medicaid do not cover acupuncture (that we know of). We found out of state BCBS and Federal BCBS cover some acupuncture. However, every plan is very different and we are learning everyday who does cover acupuncture and not. It is important to call your insurance company BEFORE your appointment to check on coverage because every plan is different. Sometimes the clinic can not access your benefits so it is important for you to call on your behalf.

Interested in trying acupuncture for yourself?

The insertion of acupuncture needles causes a release of endorphins (the ‘feel good’ hormones), serotonin, norepinephrine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid which results in a decrease in pain. It also increases blood flow in the body which aids in the reparative healing process by causing ‘micro-trauma’ or inflammatory response in the area. Acupuncture restores proper nerve to brain communication and balances the nervous system.

When it comes to the Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, the body consists of 4 very important ideas/substances (there are more but these are the “more important”).

- Qi

- Blood

- Yin

- Yang

Thousands of years ago when the Chinese where using this medicine, they did not know about endorphins, serotonin, norepinephrine, and different hormones. All they knew was there was “Blood” because they saw it when people had a cut and some sort of energy force in the body in which they called Qi. Qi is the energy life force of the body, whereas Blood is the liquid life force of the body. It was important for the body to have enough Qi and Blood to flow and nourish the body to promote health. When there is not enough Qi or Blood, or they are not flowing properly is when illness arises.

Yin and Yang are not really a substance but rather an idea. Yin and Yang represent balance. You may have seen them represented as the black and white circle. When Yin and Yang are balanced, they are in what the Western world calls “Homeostasis”. Not too hot but not too cold, not too soft but not too hard, not too light but not too dark. Perfect balance. Well, having that perfect balance is very difficult to achieve. When these different Yin-Yang systems are in harmony, the body is healthy, but when there is disharmony, illness arises. Acupuncture can help correct imbalances in the flow of Qi and Blood and Yin and Yang by stimulation of specific acupuncture points.