FAQ and Research

How does it work?

The million dollar question!  

In Eastern terms, Chinese Medicine works by diagnosing and treating imbalance and stagnation within the body.  There are meridians that facilitate the flow of Qi (chee) and blood throughout the body; where there is stagnation there is pain and disease.  Through acupuncture, herbs, and lifestyle choices, imbalances within the body are corrected and health is restored.  

Western Medicine has multiple theories on how acupuncture works.  Chinese Medicine is extremely patient specific.  You can have 10 people with the same Western Medicine diagnosis yet in Chinese Medicine they will have 10 different diagnoses.  This makes it very difficult to set up controlled double blind studies.  However, via observation of functional MRIs it is known that acupuncture stimulates the release of specific neurotransmitters that can affect the body’s immune system and activate specific receptors that inhibit pain stimuli transmission.  While there are other theories as well, the most current theory and focus is on the primo vascular system.  This is a system discovered in the 1960s by a Korean surgeon, Bong Han Kim, and only recently being rediscovered as an explanation for how acupuncture works.  

What does it treat?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

  • Pain

  • Headache

  • Migraine

  • TMJ

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Inflammation

  • Immune Health

  • Gastrointestinal Conditions

  • Skin Conditions

  • Acne

  • Cancer Support

  • Autoimmune Conditions

  • Sprains & Strains

  • Infections

  • Respiratory Disorders

  • Neuralgia

  • Post-stroke Care

  • Bell's Palsy

  • Insomnia

  • Allergic Rhinitis

  • Asthma

  • IBS

  • Colitis

  • Kidney Stones

  • Chronic Prostatitis

  • Urinary Tract Infections

  • Menstrual Cramps

  • PMS

  • Cardiovascular Conditions

  • Depression

  • Stress

  • Addiction

  • Anxiety

  • Tinnitus

  • Vertigo

What do acupuncture needles feel like?

Acupuncture needles are filamentous single use, disposable needles.  Some people feel nothing at all when needles are inserted.  Others feel a tiny prick when inserted and then nothing while others still will feel a heaviness or ache, an electrical sensation or tingling, or they will feel a sensation in a completely different area from where the needle was inserted.  Some experience deep relaxation or emotional releases.  Many people fall asleep once the needles are in.  

How often do I need to go?

This depends on the patient and what is being treated.  When a condition is acute, more frequent treatment might be necessary.  However, once a patient moves to a maintenance or preventative stage, they could come on a monthly basis or as needed.  Regardless of the condition or patient, if some amount of improvement is not seen within the first 3 sessions I will refer you to another practitioner or modality.  

Do I have to get acupuncture?

Not at all!  If you have any anxiety surrounding acupuncture needles but would still like treatment there are options.  You can get acupressure, moxa, cupping, gua sha, and reiki.

Articles

There are links to a handful of articles below, however, there are many resources out there.  Please, do your own research and give it a try!  

Primo vascular system as a new morphofunctional integrated system

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23040098/

Western Medicine Versus Eastern Medicine: Do Both Have a Common Root, Scientific Background, and Worldwide Recognition?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31221936/

The Cellular Architecture of the Primo Vascular System

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35770569/

ACUPUNCTURE: REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF REPORTS ON CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS

https://iama.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/acupuncture_WHO_full_report.pdf