When you come for your first treatment at Traditional Healing Acupuncture, you will meet with me and this is what will happen.  

I will meet with you to make a confidential assessment of your individual health problem(s). First, I will ask you to fill out a preliminary health history form and then ask you to talk with me about your health concerns and goals. I may need to ask some additional questions to be sure I understand your situation thoroughly, and then I will conduct a physical exam. Based on all that information, I will recommend acupuncture, one of its related treatments, and/or a visit to another health care professional.  I invite all patients to bring a friend or family member into the treatment room with them whenever they wish.  Each time I see patients I ask them to explain to me their thoughts and feelings about their progress, and then I adjust the treatment accordingly.

I use acupuncture to stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities by inserting very fine, single-use sterile needles into places on the body that are associated with specific health problems.  Most people feel little or no pain as the needles (usually 12-20) are inserted.  I insert the needles with the patient lying on a padded table.  After I have inserted the needles, the patient relaxes on the table for 25 to 35 minutes.  Often patients are surprised to find that they have fallen asleep during the relaxation time and are pleased to learn that their sleep promotes their healing.  Individual treatments usually last slightly over about an hour.  Patients usually need more than one treatment, but rarely more than 10 treatments.

The related treatments that I am most likely to provide include acupressure, tui na, moxibustion, and cupping.  For acupressure I apply pressure with my hands to many of the same points where I would insert needles during acupuncture.  In tui na, I use my hands to sooth painful muscles and joints with gentle circular motions.  For moxibustion I burn a fragrant herb to warm regions of the body to stimulate healing blood flow to painful areas.  Cupping requires creating a vacuum inside a cup that is placed on the skin. The vacuum produces a pull on the skin; the vacuum opens the pores of the skin and moves blood and fluids within the body's tissues.

I often combine two types of treatment.  For example, I might use moxibustion in conjunction with tui na to warm the muscles so they are more receptive to healing.   I hope that this brief description gives you a sense of treatments available at Traditional Healing Acupuncture. If you have other questions, I will be happy to address them.