During this session we will review of your current health concerns, diagnosis and treatment plan, acupuncture, and other modalities such as cupping, electric stimulation, tui na, gua sha (massage techniques), and nutritional counseling included as needed. The prices of herbs are not included. Approximately 90 Minutes*

Your first treatment will involve a comprehensive review of your current health concerns. We also will review your digestion, sleep, stress level and all components that may be contributing to your current state of health. After we have a good understanding of what is causing your concern and how acupuncture can help you gain more balance, we will begin the treatment. Our treatments addresses both your physical stresses and energetic imbalances.

There are rare moments when one treatment is enough to return you body to balance. Usually it takes a series of treatments to resolve lifelong habits of stress and poor body posture. If your problem is acute and painful it is best to come in twice a week for a few weeks then weekly for a few more weeks to resolve the pain of your condition. Many patients come in regularly every month as a preventative measure to catch imbalances before they become disease. Allow about an hour for these sessions.*

*Depending on complexity or severity of the case some treatments may go over the scheduled treatment time, please let us know in advance if you need to be done by a certain time.

Patients with insurance are encouraged to call our office to discuss the type of benefits your insurance offers. The types of insurance we accept are: American Specialty Health, Sharp, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and more. We also accept Worker’s Compensation and Auto Accident Insurance. Unfortunately we do not accept Medical. Some Medicare Secondary Plans have acupuncture coverage, please give us a call to verify.

We offer a student discount to those currently attending school, active military discount, and a senior discount for those 65 years and older.

Cancellation of your appointment without sufficient notice creates a loss situation for all of us. You aren’t getting the health support that you need, other patients are prevented from scheduling that treatment time, and the clinic loses the financial support that sustains it. Therefore, we do uphold a cancellation policy of $30 for no shows or those who cancel within 24 hours of their scheduled appointment

A: Very basically, acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles, (sometimes in conjunction with electrical stimulus), into certain acupuncture points, in order to improve the physiological functioning of your body. It is one of the healing modalities used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

A: Prior to their first treatment, many people do not believe that acupuncture can be painless. Different sensations such as warmth or pressure may be felt, but the energetic sensation differs from pain. People often comment that the feeling is unfamiliar but pleasant and relaxing. Acupuncture needles are very fine, about the size of a thick hair. They are solid and nothing is injected through them. Over the centuries, refined needle insertion techniques have been developed which enable the skilled acupuncturist to place a needle with little or no sensation.

A: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an integrated system, which has been used for thousands of years to treat injury and illness. Acupuncture is a key component in the TCM approach to healing disease and disorders of the body. In the TCM system of medicine, the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle.

TCM likens the human body to a highly complex electrical circuit. Like any electrical circuit it must be kept in good working order if it is to function effectively, and if the circuit breaks down the result is illness. Among the major assumptions in TCM are that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a “balanced state” and that disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi (pronounced “chee”, meaning vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. Treatment involves needling at different points along the meridians where there is too much or too little energy to restore balance to the body.

Currently, there is not one western scientific theory that collaboratively explains all of the physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of Acupuncture. This is because Acupuncture has a variety of therapeutic effects on the body thus the action must vary depending on the type of pathology. However it is proposed that acupuncture primarily produces its effects through regulating the nervous system. Regulation of the nervous system aids the activity of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body. In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones. This explains why people are so relaxed and feel so good after receiving treatment.

A: We use sterile single use, disposable, silicon free acupuncture needles. The needles are safe. The procedures are safe and relaxing. Patients ask me “Is it normal to feel euphoric after a treatment?” Yes, it is!

A: Acupuncture was/is the primary medicine in China so it treats the common ailments we all suffer from. Here is a brief list of symptoms: Headaches, Body Aches, Respiratory Diseases, Menstrual discomforts, Arthritis, Allergies, Digestive Diseases.

A: The initial visit is about 90 minutes long. An initial acupuncture visit includes consultation and treatment. Follow up sessions last about 60 minutes.

A: Cupping is another type of traditional treatment that is used by many different cultures. This is a method of stimulating Acupuncture points by applying suction through a glass jar, in which a partial vacuum has been created. Cupping is used for low backache, sprains, soft tissue injuries, and helps to relieve fluid from your lungs. It pulls the fluids and cell metabolites that are stuck in your spasmed muscles to the surface of your skin so they can be reabsorbed and fresh blood can come into heal your muscles. This was recently demonstrated in the remake of the Karate Kid movie.

A: Yes, acupuncture treats for both weight loss and depression. Oriental Medicine tries to get to the root cause of disease rather than “chasing” the symptoms. Often with weight loss and depression there is one root cause – usually its an imbalance between glucose absorption and the stress hormone cortisol. Acupuncture treatments balance both of these hormones. We also have herbs and supplements to help with these conditions. I hope this answers your question – please feel free to call the clinic if you need any more assistance.

A: In a word, Pain. Pain is explained very simply in Traditional Chinese Medicine, pain is created by either too little or too much energy in an area. As practitioners, we look for the causes of this so we can treat it directly. When there is too much energy in an area it usually means that there is a block in the flow of qi or blood in the area causing a buildup. This block could be from a trauma, from an overused muscle or muscle spasm, from a disc or scar tissue interrupting the flow. When there is pain from not enough energy in the area we look to diet, sleep, over working without proper support, and/or emotional stress to resolve the internal cause of weakness. All the modalities we use; acupuncture, herbs, cupping massage are aimed to correct these blockages and restore balance.

A: Sometimes acupuncture is not enough to make lasting changes in your energetic imbalances it is at this point we start adding Chinese Herbal Formulas and Nutritional supplements. Gayle is extensively trained in Traditional Chinese Herbal medicine as well as in Functional Medicine Supplementation. They are easy to take remedies that improve sleep, mood, hormone imbalances, allergies, cold and coughs.

A: Physical Medicine is a big part of our treatments. This includes isolating and determining which muscles are in spasm and which ones are weak. These muscle imbalances influence your posture, the way you walk and sit, even digest and absorb food. We treat them with acupuncture as well as focused therapeutic massage, cupping and gwa sha (scraping), and mild traction. Gayle makes a special martial arts liniment to reduce swelling and inflammation.

Energy Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine evolved from early Taoist beliefs. From their point of view, they see that humanity derives its life force from the dynamic exchange of energy between heaven and earth, nature and spirit. They view illness and disease as an imbalance in this exchange. Yin and Yang are the basics and from this exchange come the 5 elements, earth, water, wood, fire, air as the fundamental composition of all life. There are many modalities of energy medicine in addition to acupuncture,Tai Qi, Qi Gong, Reiki, Elemental Energy healing, even yoga, and regular exercise. A simple intent for our treatments is that we encourage the energy within your body to seek its own nature by releasing the tension created from day to day work. Overthinking, constantly rushing, eating fast food, sitting all day in front of a computer, all create blocks to your natural flow of qi (life force) that eventually lead to disease. Through the sharing of Advanced forms of Reiki and other Elemental energy flows your own energy gains support and nourishment to find its own course and resume its natural flow creating greater health.

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