On the first visit, we’ll go through and discuss your medical history as well as other areas of your life (sleep, digestion, emotions and relationships). Our goal is to get a full picture of you so we can make treatments as tailored and beneficial for you as possible.

After the initial intake, which typically lasts 45 minutes to one hour, we will look at your tongue and take your pulse.

Since different organ systems are reflected on the tongue and pulse in Chinese medicine, these are additional diagnostic tools that give insight into affected areas and the nature of what’s going on.

The last 30 minutes of your appointment will consist of an initial acupuncture treatment.

You will lay on a massage table covered by a sheet. Very thin, fine, sterilized needles are used. You will barely feel the needles go in.

It’s common to feel sensations while the needles are in (warmth, heaviness, movement, tingling) as this is a sign of Qi activating and moving—pain is not one of them. There shouldn’t be pain during your acupuncture treatment. If so, small adjustments are usually enough to alleviate it.

The number of needles used and the needle’s locations on the body will vary depending on what condition you’ve come in for. Once all the needles are inserted, they’re typically left in for 20-30 minutes. After that time, the needles are removed and then we’ll discuss the number and frequency of treatments that would work best for you.

Follow-up treatments last one hour.

TCM Acupuncture takes all aspects of an individual and their environment into account.

It takes huge consideration into the mind-body connection and how they can directly influence each other. An important aspect of Chinese medicine is the concept of Qi.

Along with other fluids in the body, such as blood and water. Chinese medicine views the body as also having an invisible substance called Qi.

Qi can be generally described as a vital energy force in the body. It runs along specific pathways (called channels or meridians) that go all over the body and correlate to different organs.

Qi helps the body perform important life functions such as circulation (moving/warming), immunity (protecting), storing (holding), and separating/absorbing nutrients (transforming & transporting).

When Qi, blood, body fluids, and organ systems are performing all of their functions optimally, the body is in balance.

However, if there’s a disruption (such as falling or stress), this can cause disharmony and energy to become stagnated.

Similar to a nutritional view, some substances and systems may be used more (become deficient), while others overact (become excessive).

It’s our job as acupuncturists to recognize what substances/ systems are being affected (based on your symptoms), find the root of where it began and then select and give points that help bring your body back in balance.

We can also recognize what could potentially be an issue down the road. For example, menopause will have an effect on the body, so we can alleviate symptoms associated with menopause by nourishing specific organ systems before menopause starts. Therefore, acupuncture works really well as a preventative measure of your health as well.