New Patient Treatment
In your first treatment you will receive a thorough TCM diagnosis that will continue throughout your treatment program. Typically, you will be treated face up & down and the needles are inserted into strategic points for 20- 40 minutes on each side of the body. The use of e-stim, hot stones, cupping, essential oils, & tui na massage. Chinese Herbal formulas can also be prescribed. – $150
Returning Patient Treatment
This treatment for returning patients will be administered either face up or down and the needles are inserted into strategic points for 20 to 40 minutes. Depending on the condition being treated, you may also receive cupping, e-stim, gua sha or tui na massage as needed. Chinese Herbal formulas can also be prescribed. – $100
Cupping: The suction and negative pressure created by cupping helps loosen muscles, encourages blood flow, relaxes the nervous system, reduces cellulite, improves flow of energy, and is also an excellent way to decrease high blood pressure. Cupping is an ancient modality revered in many eastern cultures and is a wonderful, unique experience.
Gua Sha: Gua Sha is a Chinese medicine therapy that involves gentle but consistent pressure to “scrape” the skin, by use of a stone tool, which increases blood flow. The benefits of Gua Sha include reduction of inflammation, treatment of chronic pain, and reduction of joint pain.
E-STIM: We apply a very light electrical stimulation to the needles, like a TENs machine. This is a great additional therapy for muscle aches, tightness, and pain. It feels like a very gentle tapping. We will recommend it if we think it will benefit you or ask us if you want to try it.
Tui NA: Tui na is a hands-on body treatment. The practitioner may brush, knead, roll, press, and rub the areas between each of the joints and get the energy moving in the meridians and the muscles. Techniques may be gentle or quite firm.
Kinesiology Taping – add on $20: Kinesio taping was designed to work in sync with the natural healing process to the body, while also providing stability and rehabilitative support. Originally developed in the ’70s by Japanese Chiropractor Dr. Kenzo Kase, Kinesiology taping is used by therapists with the intention of improving mobility, relieving pain, while also improving the healing process in soft tissues.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is part of the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM practitioners use the human body’s more than 2,000 acupoints, connected by energy pathways (Meridians), to stimulate or improve the flow of energy (Qi) throughout the body. This system of energy throughout the body is responsible for overall health and wellbeing. Disruption, blockage, or decreased energy flow can cause dis-ease in the body. By stimulating these points through the use of tiny needles, flow of Qi can be improved, thereby improving your health.
What to Expect
For those new to acupuncture, the sensation, or the arrival of Qi known as Da Qi, is quite foreign. The notable sensations of beneficial Qi movement may include a localized tingling or numbness, sensation of heaviness or aching at the site of needle insertion, a feeling of distention or pressure, warmth, soreness, even “ants crawling on the skin.” These are all indications that the Qi has been activated and the body’s natural healing response has been called upon. A licensed acupuncturist is trained in various techniques to perform painless needling and to manipulate the needle to augment the Qi response.
As acupuncture is a standalone medical system based on universal holistic truths, we really get to know you. With that, expect to be asked thoroughly about your chief complaint (or the reason for your visit). Also, there may be questions about other dimensions of your life. Digestion, sleep, mood, and more are all factors that relate to your chief complaint as we are whole organisms. The questions may seem unrelated but everything about you relates to every other thing about you.
A licensed acupuncturist has all manner of diagnostic measures in their toolbox to fully evaluate your constitution and condition. You may be asked to expose your tongue as if to say “Ahh.” You may have your pulse felt at the wrist. You may have your nails and ears examined. You may have your meridians palpated along your limbs or your abdomen massaged for tender points
Please arrive a few minutes early so you’re not rushing into your treatment. You will be prompted to fill out a health intake form online and will be emailed the form when you call in for an appointment. Please fill out this form Before arrival. Kids under 16 will need a guardian to sign their intake form giving consent.
We recommend wearing loose fitting shorts & tee-shirt during your acupuncture session or if you would like to receive cupping and/or gua sha along with acupuncture, undressing like you would for a massage therapy session is best. The needles used for acupuncture are teeny tiny! Often times you can’t feel them inserted. Bryant will guide you through his process and let you know exactly where he’s placing the needles and why. (if you want to know) Acupuncture should be a calming and pleasant process so speak up if you’re ever uncomfortable! Otherwise, just breathe, relax, and let your body melt into the table.
How to Get the Most of Your Visit
- Avoid brushing your tongue the day of your visit. Please continue brushing your teeth though
- Eat a light meal about 2 hours before the appointment. Not a full belly and not ravenously hungry.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Avoid tight fitting or bulky apparel.
- Have an open mind. Acupuncture is clinically documented, and research validated to NOT be a placebo effect. That said, much of acupuncture and TCM is new and novel to most.
- Allow yourself to be treated. The more we know about your condition the better prepared we are to treat you effectively, feel free to share. If you feel the need to sleep, please do. If you feel the need to cry, please do. You will be in a safe space to experience your treatment in full.