Needles and NO needles!

Acupressure

Acupressure is based on one of the most ancient principles of healing — that simply touching a specific point on the body will release stress and improve health in the body.  In an acupressure session, I apply firm pressure directly to these "points" on your body, which relieves your muscle tension and improves your circulation.  This simple and powerful technique has been shown to be very effective in treating headaches, backaches, and even insomnia.

Moxibustion

Moxibustion is a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to facilitate healing with heat and has been used throughout Asia for thousands of years.  The purpose of moxibustion, as with most forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of Qi (energy), and enhance your overall vitality and health.

Among other benefits, a landmark study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998 found that 75.4% of women suffering from breech presentations before childbirth had fetuses that rotated to the normal position after receiving moxibustion at an acupuncture point on the bladder meridian.

Electroacupuncture

Electroacupuncture is a highly effective holistic treatment for pain, nausea, and chronic ailments.  In practice, it is actually similar to traditional acupuncture.  Using the exact same system of Chinese Medicine, I insert very thin and sterile needles into specific points along the meridians of your body.  I then attach the needles to a device that delivers gentle electrical pulses between two points.  This helps restore the healthy flow of Qi (energy) through your body, removing any blockages and clearing out stagnant areas, thus creating a stronger and clearer experience of health and well-being.

Pulse Diagnosis

One of the most common questions that patients ask about Chinese Medicine is: "Why does my practitioner check my pulse?"   Pulse diagnosis is actually one of the most complex and important diagnostic techniques we use in Chinese Medicine.  Through feeling and evaluating your pulse, I obtain an accurate diagnosis of your overall constitution, Qi (energy) flow, and internal organ health, among other things.  I then formulate a diagnosis with all of this information to create a highly effective and individualized treatment plan for your specific needs.

Chinese Herbology

Chinese herbal medicine is a 2,000 year old tradition using naturally occurring substances — including herbs — to enhance one's health and vitality.  The foundation of this approach is to support the body's natural self-healing mechanisms and abilities.

Since each patient has different needs, herb prescriptions are carefully selected and combined to achieve optimal results for your unique situation.  Food therapy, hydration, nutrition, and herbal medicine suggestions are provided as part of your natural healing regime.

Medical Qi Gong

Medical Qi Gong is an ancient Chinese Medical practice that combines slow movements, conscious breathing, and focused mental attention to strengthen and enhance the flow of Qi (energy) throughout your body.  Rather than addressing your symptoms (as Western medicine tends to do), Medical Qi Gong addresses your ailment at its very source by healing your entire being — mentally, emotionally and physically.

Gua Sha

Gua Sha is a highly effective treatment for chronic pain conditions, stress, fatigue, and a host of other ailments.

First, Gua Sha oil is applied to a specific meridian (energy pathway) on your body.  Then a smooth round-edged object (such as a jade spoon) is used to apply short brisk strokes to that area.  This creates red patches of skin (called "Sha"), detoxifying your blood and restoring the healthy flow if Qi (energy) to the area.  There is no pain involved, and the Sha will fade in 2 to 3 days.  The sense of health and vitality you experience from it will last much longer.

Cupping

Cupping has been a part of Chinese Medicine for over 2,500 years.  It relieves aches and pains, improves circulation, and also helps with respiratory and digestive issues.  Like acupuncture, meridians and specific points on your body are stimulated by cups placed and suctioned to draw your skin up into the cups.  It doesn't hurt — it simply draws fresh blood to that area of your body, which facilitates the cleansing and strengthening of your Qi (energy).  The end result is a greater overall sense of health and well-being.

Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a Japanese form of massage therapy or reflexology.  The word Shiatsu comes from two Japanese words — "shi" (finger) and "atsu" (pressure).  In addition to the direct stimulation of pressure points along the energy pathways of your body, gentle stretching techniques are applied to encourage the flow of Chi (energy) throughout the body.  Shiatsu is a meditative healing art that honors the body, mind and spirit.  Reflexology refers to these same techniques when applied to the scalp, ear, hands and feet.

Tui Na

Tui Na is an ancient form of bodywork that is based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  A variety of finger pressures and palm strokes are used along the meridians (energy pathways) to both relax your muscles and also stimulate the flow of energy throughout your body.  By treating both the physical (musculature) and energetic (Qi) levels of your body at the same time, I can achieve results far beyond what you’d receive from a conventional massage therapy session.  A variation for your children is taught in our Baby Lotus Infant Massage Class.

Baby Lotus Infant Massage Class

Baby Lotus is a massage class designed for parents and infants.  Many studies reveal that loving, touching, and nurturing contact between infant and a caregiver has a positive impact on development.  Researched evidence shows the benefits of positive contact are an integral part of child’s early life and social development.  Massage is one of the most pleasant, easiest methods of providing this early positive contact.

Baby Lotus is a class based on traditional Chinese Medicine principles that help to promote a child’s health, nurture the bond between parent and baby, and provide parents a new tool used to optimize their growth and development. Massaging your baby can have many powerful benefits:

• Helps reduce colic, congestion, and teething pain
• Aids in the digestion, waste elimination, and balances respiration
• Lessons fussiness, stimulates relaxation
• Aids in growth and development of the nervous system
• Helps the baby feel loved and much much more…

Children under 9 years of age usually don’t get treated with needles, they receive earseeds and acupressure massage when they visit the acupuncturist.  Children respond better to acupressure, instead of needles, on the same points than those used on adults.  This class is designed for infants and parents with children ages up to nine years old.

Buddha Belly Weight Loss Class

Combining acupuncture, nutritional education and personalized coaching to conduct lifestyle evaluations and determine what habit changes are needed is the focus of this program.  
Acupuncture’s main side effect is that it promotes circulation, thus at every level it facilitates elimination and detoxification.  In addition, ear points are used to correct imbalances in digestion, sugar addiction, or sleep disturbances like stress.  

The nutritional education and coaching was originally developed in France for Olympic athletes to lose unwanted fat and maintain their successes in between competition.  This is a hands on, set your own pace, goal oriented class developed by doctors, scientists and athletes to identify the whys and begin new healthier habits.  

I have also used this program to help my diabetes patients with their sugar control.  Bariatric and Cardiology patients benefit from the habit changing aspect they don’t get from their MD or surgeons.  Using my program, I have helped my patients lose over 10,000 pounds of fat since 2016.  And they kept it off!

LONG COVID Symptoms

Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as post-COVID conditions (PCC) or long COVID.  Acupuncture cannot treat Covid, but can help with some post-COVID conditions most commonly reported such as:

• Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life
• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (also known as “post-exertional malaise”)
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Cough
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)
• Headache
• Sleep problems
• Depression or anxiety
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain
• Joint or muscle pain
• Rash
• Changes in menstrual cycles

If you or someone you know experiences Long Covid symptoms, consider acupuncture as a tool to improve your energy, sleep, and ability for your body to heal itself naturally.  For more information, check out CDC.gov.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/