East Asian or Chinese Medicine has evolved from a folk medicine into an evidence-based holistic health care modality. Our approach for men and women combines gentle acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, gua sha, cupping, moxibustion, herbal medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle guidance. When you schedule an appointment and complete our health intake, we will discuss your goals and review any lab tests or diagnostic imaging you have. Your wrist pulses and tongue will be observed, then you will have acupuncture. You will rest with needles in for about 30-45 minutes. We will also ask you if you are interested in taking herbal or nutritional supplements to further support you, and if lab testing could be helpful. Our practice has a huge focus in women’s health, and within that we address acute and chronic pain, your mental and physical response to stress, quality of sleep, menstrual cycles, fertility, pregnancy, hormone regulation, digestion, peri-menopause, and more. For men we help with tension, pain, injury, digestion, headaches, sleep, bladder and prostate issues, and more.

Proven Effective and practiced for over 5,000 years, Eastern medicine has an important place in modern health care. According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 51% of medical doctors understand the efficacy and value of acupuncture, and refer their patients to acupuncture more than any other alternative care. In the past 60 years, many scientific studies have explored how it works and why; see Modern Research for some examples.

scientific research on how acupuncture works:

Neurotransmitter Theory: Acupuncture affects higher brain areas, stimulating the secretion of beta-endorphins and enkephalins in the brain and spinal cord. The release of neurotransmitters influences the immune system and the non-nociceptive system. 

Note: Nociceptive pain is the body’s natural defense against harmful surfaces or actions. On the other hand, there is neuropathic pain. This pain is the result of damage to the nervous system and is often chronic. Unlike nociceptive pain, neuropathic pain does not need to develop in response to any outside stimulus.

Autonomic Nervous System Theory: Acupuncture stimulates the release of norepinephrine, acetylcholine and several types of opioids, affecting changes in their turnover rate, normalizing the autonomic nervous system, and reducing pain. 

Vascular-Interstitial Theory: Acupuncture effects the electrical system of the body by creating or enhancing closed-circuit transport in tissues. This facilitates healing by allowing the transfer of material and electrical energy between normal and injured tissues.

Blood Chemistry Theory: Acupuncture affects the blood concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids, suggesting that acupuncture can both raise and diminish peripheral blood components, thereby regulating the body toward homeostasis. 

Gate Control Theory: Acupuncture activates non-nociceptive receptors that inhibit the transmission of nociceptive signals in the dorsal horn, “gating out” painful stimuli.

Frequently asked questions:

How Many Sessions Do I Need? 

Acupuncture and herbal medicine are holistic treatments that improve the imbalances in our body, mind, and emotions. To create deep and lasting change, a series of cumulative sessions are essential. For problems you have had for years, or for injuries that need time to heal, 8-16 sessions are typical. At the end of the series we will re-evaluate your progress and recommend return visits as needed to sustain your health and well-being. 

These sessions may also be used to address acute needs, such as colds, coughs, UTI’s, flus, arthritis flare-ups, encouraging labor, allergic reactions, migraines, injuries, nausea in pregnancy, or to support you during challenges in your life. Many long term clients come in once a month or once per season for tune-ups. During our sessions you will have the opportunity to discuss your current concerns, to ask questions, and to receive deeply relaxing and gentle acupuncture.

What Can I Expect?

Our first visit will be 90 minutes, and follow up visits are 50-60 minutes. When you schedule your first appointment, please fill out our online health questionnaire. We use that to guide us through our first and subsequent meetings. You will have acupuncture with each session, along with optional cupping or gua sha, moxa or Estim.

We also offer consultation, herbal formula recommendation, gua sha and/or cupping sessions for those who have pain or injury but don’t want needles. It’s our opinion that needles, gua sha/cupping, and herbs work best for most things, but for those who are terrified of needles, you can still benefit from the rest of our services.