What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is the therapeutic technique of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that has been in use for over many millennia. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting thin needles into the body at specific points to regulate the life-energy, referred to as “Qi,” that flows within the energy streams called “meridians.”

How Does Acupuncture Work?

To gain an understanding of Acupuncture, it's important to first understand that all ailments are clinical manifestations of blockage in the meridians or imbalance within the body. Or both. It's also important to note that the human body is always making an effort to restore itself, but the aforementioned blockages and imbalances hinder or prevent recovery. Acupuncture is applied according to Traditional Chinese Medicine's (TCM) medical paradigms to unblock Qi flow and regulate the balance of Yin and Yang, thus allowing the body to recover over time.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

Acupuncture is amongst the safest interventions available in modern medicine. This is because Licensed Acupuncturists follow the mandatory safety guidelines of the Clean Needle Technique (CNT) to protect the health of patients. Prior to needle insertion, the treatment sites are swabbed with alcohol for proper sterilization and a new set of disposable needles in a sealed package is used for each patient. This means that needles are never reused, so the risk of cross-infection from acupuncture is essentially nonexistent. Unintended side effects of acupuncture treatment include minor bruising or bleeding at the site of needle insertion -- potentially uncomfortable, but otherwise negligible and temporary.

What to Expect Before, During & After Treatment

For optimal results, all treatments begin with a consultation. On your first visit, your past medical history, surgical history, lifestyle, diet, and other provided information will be reviewed by your Licensed Acupuncturist. Physical exams may also be conducted as necessary for relevant ailments. Traditional diagnostic methods involving the assessment of the patient's tongue and pulse will also be utilized. With this information, your Licensed Acupuncturist will establish a TCM diagnosis and formulate a treatment utilizing relevant treatment principles. This primarily involves acupuncture, but can also include herbal medicine, cupping, tui-na massage, and diet-lifestyle recommendations.

During treatment with Acupuncture, the Licensed Acupuncturist will perform needling using the aforementioned CNT protocol for patient safety. Acupuncture is generally a relaxing procedure with minimal pain, but it is possible to experience local tingling, itching, heaviness, numbness, or soreness. These sensations are desirable signs of Qi flow in response to the needling. If the sensations are too intense, you can ask your Acupuncturist to reduce the intensity of the related needle(s).

After each treatment, you will ideally feel positive changes, but it is also possible to experience soreness or some discomfort that slowly fades after treatment. Some discomfort is within expectations and is part of the healing process, a result of obstruction in the meridians being broken up to restore free flow of Qi and Xue.

Follow-up treatments are scheduled to track patient progress and to ensure continuous improvement. In general, patients with moderate symptoms are recommended to receive 1-2 treatments per week. Patients with severe or intense symptoms are recommended to receive 2-3 treatments per week. Mild symptoms may only require treatment 1x a week, or even 1x a month. As a rule of thumb: the longer a problem has festered for, the longer it will take to treat. The opposite also holds true, so getting treatment as soon as possible is to your benefit.