FAQs

Does Acupuncture hurt?

The technique of acupuncture elicits a variety of sensations, which have been described as a dull ache, a fish-hook pull, warmth, tingling, shooting sensations, heaviness, relaxation, and relief.

What should I wear to my Acupuncture session?

You can wear comfortable clothing that allows easy movement. We are skilled in draping and will cover you with towels to ensure your comfort and warmth.

Do you just insert the needles and leave the room?

No. I may incorporate many techniques into your session, which may include moxibustion (warming the channels with moxa), aromatherapy (applying essential oils with massage), bodywork (massage) techniques, and the needling itself. Then I am observing the response from your body and constantly adjusting. In some case we do retain the needles for a longer period of time, but then I am present in the room meditating on the very channel we just activated.

What happens during an appointment?

During your first consultation, we spend a fair amount of time talking at the beginning. We will talk about what brought you to seek acupuncture. I will listen to your pulse at the wrist and take a photo of your tongue. Once we have determined where to work, we will move to the treatment table and address your concerns through the acupuncture process.

What is a remote treatment?

Acupuncture involves activating specific channels in the body. This activation can also be done remotely by your physician.

What does a remote treatment look like?

Similar to an in-person appointment, we will discuss your concerns. I will remotely examine your tongue and pulse. You’ll need a comfortable place to lie down, and I’ll activate the appropriate channels remotely. The treatment can last up to 40 minutes while you lie comfortably.

What is Classical Acupuncture?

The oldest Chinese Medicine textbook, the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, dates as far back as the 3rd century BCE. Just as Prometheus gave humanity fire and told us how to use it, the Yellow Emperor bestowed the channels of acupuncture for use on humanity. Acupuncture back then was used to treat everything. Though in the Song Dynasty (13th century), the Imperial Academy initiated a shift where herbalism was deemed superior.

It is at this point that we see the migration of acupuncture into Singapore, Japan, and Vietnam. Acupuncture continued to be used, but only the channels that pertained to the autonomic nervous system remained. The channels that access the entirety of the body-mind-spirit were no longer practiced.

Acupuncture experienced a significant revival in the 1950s when Mao Zedong had it integrated with Western medicine, calling it Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and became famous in the West when Nixon’s press secretary had an appendectomy performed in Beijing under acupuncture anesthesia in 1972. Today modern Acupuncture is described as reducing inflammation, releasing neuropeptides, and changing the polarization of specific nerve pathways.

Classical Acupuncture lives on, though, and would say that even if we have a cold or serious illness, we are all human, we are innately perfect, and we need to uncover that, since the body is incapable of making the wrong choice. It cares about the expansive, unlimited flowering of your destiny and making your mark in the world.