How Does Acupuncture Work?

Medical acupuncture is acupuncture which is supervised by a medical doctor.  Medical doctors are licensed as physicians and certified to perform and supervise other acupuncturists after a course of training.  This gives several advantages in that you will receive a medical evaluation and medical diagnosis as well as a Traditional Oriental Medicine diagnosis. In addition, a medical doctor can use other modalities and/or medications to help the process of healing.

Acupuncture is an essential part of traditional Oriental Medicine, which works with the natural vital energy inherent within all living things, to promote the body’s ability to heal itself. This energy is called Qi (pronounced chee). The Chinese discovered, 3000 years ago, that this energy flows in specific pathways called meridians.  Each pathway is associated with a particular physiological system and internal organ. Disease is considered to arise due to a deficiency or imbalance of energy in the meridians and their associated physiological systems.

Acupuncture points are specific locations along the meridians.  Each point has a predictable effect on the vital energy passing through it. Modern science has been able to measure the electrical charge at these points, verifying a lowered electrical resistance at these points, which have been mapped by the ancients. 

Is Acupuncture Safe? 

In the hands of our comprehensively trained, licensed acupuncturists, your safety is assured. The needles used are sterile and disposed of after every treatment.

Is Acupuncture Painful?

Acupuncture bears no resemblance to the feeling of receiving an injection, since it used a large diameter, hollow needle and pain is felt from the pressure of the medication being injected by pressure.  Acupuncture needles are very fine, about the diameter of a human hair.  In most cases, insertion of the needle by a skilled practitioner can be performed without discomfort.  You may feel a sensation of heaviness or electricity in the area of insertion and this ensures a good result.

In most cases the treatments are very relaxing and many people fall asleep during the treatment.