Acupuncture is a complete system of medicine based on principles that have been used in the Orient for the last 4,000 years. It works with the natural energies inherent within all living things to promote the body's ability to heal itself.

Science can trace the development of a baby from the union of a sperm and egg, but it cannot explain exactly how the miracle of life begins. Science can study what happens when bones mend or wounds heal, but it cannot explain why this happens. Acupuncture works with the life force behind these processes.

The Life Force (or Qi) is the vital energy that created the body originally and continues to keep it alive and functioning properly. As such, it has the perfect knowledge to repair the body should any damage or disease occur.

Disease manifests and is not cured when the Qi becomes weakened to such an extent that it can no longer heal. This weakness is revealed as an imbalance in the energy currents (or meridians), the pathways through which the Qi passes. The ancient masters traced these meridians and located points along them at which life energy communicates with the surface of the body.

Modern science has been able to measure the electrical charge at these points, thus corroborating the locations mapped by the ancients.The system used to determine the quality and mobility of life energy in each person was developed by the ancients and is still used today in Oriental medical diagnosis. It involves palpation of the six pulses of the wrist. By means of pulse diagnosis, the practitioner knows which channels of life energy are weak or too strong and can monitor the effects of treatment.

Acupuncture is one of many options in attaining health. Upon consultation, your practitioner will take a careful history to determine your physiological and psychological symptoms. Based upon that information, acupuncture or other methods- herbology, nutrition, moxibustion, or hand treatments may be recommended.

Acupuncture needles are very fine and flexible, about the diameter of a thick hair. Insertions by a skilled practitioner usually will be completely painless. In most cases, needles are inserted just below the surface of the skin. There are certain techniques used in Oriental medicine, which can be painful, because it is painful to mobilize energy, which has been stagnating. Acupuncture bears no resemblance to the feeling of getting an injection. Acupuncture needles are used to attract or disperse energy along the meridians.

There are certain acupuncture points that have been used to treat these problems, but the same point will not work for all people. A correct diagnosis by an experienced practitioner is the surest way to work with these conditions.

When the life energy in the body is balanced and flowing smoothly, people often lose their desire to smoke and overeat, as these cravings are often symptoms of the imbalances that existed before the treatment.

The duration of the disease, the underlying deterioration, and the constitution of each patient must be taken into account when determining the number of treatments necessary.

Most chronic conditions require a minimum of 10 treatments to alleviate symptoms and balance energy so that symptoms are not likely to recur. Increasingly, people are recognizing acupuncture as preventative and therefore could benefit from just a few sessions.

What illness may be treated by acupuncture? Any health problem, disease, or condition. In some cases, where the Qi has deteriorated too far to effect a cure, the disease can still be arrested, and the pain alleviated, so the patient can lead a reasonably normal life.

Although there are techniques in Oriental medicine for healing all conditions, some problems can be addressed more quickly by Western medicine. In such cases, your acupuncturist will recommend that you contact a physician. Although some conditions can be alleviated very rapidly by acupuncture, others have taken years to establish and can only be relieved with steady, slow progress. As in any form of healing, the patient must be fully determined to get well and to change the habits or attitudes which have been undermining his or her health.

Acupuncture is an educational process in which the patient becomes more sensitive to his or her body and more aware of how to maintain physical and mental well-being, for example, diet.

Some of the most dramatic news about acupuncture in the West regards its ability to relieve chronic and acute pain. The nervous system relays pain signals due to physical trauma, but pain is also a signal from the body that energy is not flowing smoothly due to stress, improper diet, emotional strain, etc.

When the current of life energy is balanced through acupuncture, the nerves, muscles, bones, blood vessels, and organs are revitalized, and the condition which created the pain sensation is relieved.

I maintain a 24 hour cancellation policy. Treatment times, especially at particular days/time slots, are in high demand. No-shows prevent other people from being able to get treatments. Patients who miss appointments and do not provide 24 hour notice of cancellation will be charged for the full cost of the visit.