Can Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Help Me with My Health Problems? Traditional Chinese Medicine (including Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and other modalities) is a complete system of medicine that can treat a great many health issues, addressing all aspects of the individual: body, mind and spirit. See our Conditions Treated page for list of commonly treated conditions. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is also used as part of a healthy lifestyle for disease prevention and wellness maintenance, even if you are not currently manifesting strong symptoms.
What Should I Expect When I Visit? Because each individual is unique and details are important, we collect a complete health history on the initial visit, gathering information regarding the primary complaint as well as more general health issues. Some diagnostic methods are the same that you may see in a Western physician’s office, such as orthopedic exams. Others, such as pulse and tongue diagnosis, are not. When a diagnosis is reached, the patient is made comfortable and needles are gently inserted and sometimes manipulated. The needling combinations are chosen based on the particular patient’s presentation. Patients are left to relax for twenty to forty minutes before the needles are removed. Other therapies, such as massage or moxa therapy (herbal heat therapy) may also be utilized. Depending on patient needs, we may prescribe Chinese herbal medicines, usually in pill or powder form. We may also make diet or lifestyle suggestions relevant to your situation.
Will the Acupuncture Needles Hurt? Patients may or may not feel the needles being inserted. It if they do, the sensation is usually described as a slight pinching. While inserted, you may feel a “heaviness” or a “pulling,” and this feeling may remain while the patient is being treated or may fade rapidly. Because the needles are so thin and are not hollow, patients do not feel the pain associated with shots or blood testing, for example.
Are the Acupuncture Needles Sterile? Yes. All needles are pre-packaged, sterilized and used only once, after which they are properly disposed of as medical waste. Dr. Graham is Clean Needle Technique certified, which means she has extra training in safety procedures for her patients.
How Long Will Each Acupuncture Treatment Take? The initial comprehensive visit can take around two hours. We want to take the time to get to know you and your overall health situation. Subsequent treatments are usually completed in about an hour. If herbal medicinals are recommended, you may be able to take them home with you when you leave after a short wait, or come back later to pick them up.
How Does Acupuncture Work? Acupuncture is a natural, ancient, balancing treatment that encourages and guides the body’s own ability to regulate and heal itself. Science is rapidly catching up in its understanding of how Acupuncture works. So far it has been firmly established that Acupuncture activates different biochemical regulating systems of the body, such as the endogenous endorphin (pain killer) system. Acupuncture has also been shown to naturally promote healing by reducing inflammation, improving circulation, regulating the immune system and affecting the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Although a positive attitude may promote efficacy (as with the known placebo effect associated with Western pharmaceuticals), Acupuncture can work for those skeptics among us, and for infants, children and animals that had no previous acupuncture experience.
Will I Feel Better Immediately after Acupuncture, or Will I Have to Wait a While to See Results? This will vary from patient to patient. Generally, patients who respond positively to Acupuncture tend to fall into three categories: those who feel relief from their current symptoms during and immediately after the treatment; those who feel relief later that same day or the next day; and those who feel relief a few days later. The effects of Acupuncture are cumulative. That is, in the beginning, the changes you feel after an Acupuncture treatment will probably fade after a few days. With consistent treatments, the changes you experience should begin to stabilize and remain stable for progressively longer periods of time.
How Many Acupuncture Treatments Will I Need? Because each individual is unique, treatment requirements vary and will depend on your body’s healing abilities and the nature of your health problems. Normally after your first visit, we will work with you to formulate a treatment plan for you and will periodically re-evaluate your progress to adjust your plan. Many people get regular weekly Acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatments as part of a healthy lifestyle incorporating wellness and prevention. In fact, Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is ideally used regularly to maintain health and restore overall balance before small problems become bigger. Acute disease may often be resolved within a few consecutive visits over two or three weeks, while chronic health problems may require a longer course of treatment and tend to show gradual improvement over time. Discounts for packages of treatments are available for certain conditions to encourage your continuing treatment for best results.
Can I be Treated with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine if I Am On Medications or Take Supplements? Absolutely. Many of our patients are also taking medications and/or supplements for various health issues. Please be sure to inform us of any medications or supplements you are taking. You may find that as you experience the healing of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, your need for or dosage of certain of your medications falls away.
Are Chinese Herbal Medicinals Safe? Yes. Chinese herbal medicinals are very safe when recommended by a trained and certified Chinese Herbalist such as Dr. Graham. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia includes hundreds of medicinals, some of which may be familiar to you or are common items in the Western diet, but many that will not be. For example, one of the most commonly used Chinese medicinals is licorice root (Gan Cao). Over the centuries, practitioners have compiled detailed information about these medicinals and have placed great emphasis on safety and protection of the patient, on whom they have practiced for thousands of years. Allergic type reactions are rare, and will cause no lasting damage if treatment is stopped as soon as symptoms appear. We use medicinals only from reputable companies that meet U.S. FDA standards for applicable testing such as heavy metal content and other industry standards. If you are on medications or are taking supplements, it is important to tell us about them so we can make sure there are no contraindications with our Chinese medicinals.
Ready to See What Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Can Do For You?
Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.