Acupuncture

The first treatment we’ll begin with a discussion of the primary reason that brought you in, followed by a comprehensive health history.

Because we are treating the whole person, not just the symptom, a comprehensive intake evaluation is necessary. Your entire case is taken into consideration to best determine what is causing your ailment, which then acupuncture points are selected to best tailor to you.

Most often you will experience a deep state of relaxation and may even fall asleep.

Acupuncture needles are hairlike thin and are not designed to be painful. Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others and may have different sensations but nothing should be painful.

The goal is for you to be able to fully relax and sink into that parasympathetic state- where the healing happens. ✨ So all in all, this is painless enough to let you doze off, leaving you feeling pretty wonderful by the time you get up.☁️ 

Comfortable, loose clothing should be worn that can be pulled above the knees and elbows. Make sure to have a little something in your stomach before treatment. Acupuncture can cause a lot of movement in your system and when done on an empty stomach there may be dizziness or feelings of light-headedness.

Typically, sessions are scheduled for an hour but may vary depending on your treatment. After some checking in and chatting you will be left in the treatment room for about 30 minutes to take a snooze and let the needles do their work. It is not uncommon to fall asleep during your treatment!

If you are in an acute situation, such as you hurt your shoulder for the first time, usually only a few sessions are needed to get you back to feeling pretty good.

If you are in chronic pain possibly having years of previous tears or injuries, you can expect several months worth of regular treatment.

Pain usually brings people to acupuncture. However after realizing the incredible benefits it has to the mind and body it can be looked at as a self care regimen or weekly wellness check in!

Acupuncture is a holistic form of medicine that treats the individual, not symptoms. Working with the nervous system we assist the body in tapping into its Parasympathetic “Rest and Digest” vs its Sympathetic “Fight or Flight” mode in order to allow the body to activate its own extraordinary healing capacities.

So in a way, we really do treat everything. That being said, there are certain ailments that have a better response rate than others.

According to the WHO, acupuncture can treat:

Low back pain, neck pain, sciatica, tennis elbow, knee pain, periarthritis of the shoulder, sprains, facial pain, TMJ, headache, dental pain, acute and chronic gastritis, rheumatoid arthritis, induction of labor, breech birth presentation, morning sickness, nausea and vomiting, postoperative pain, stroke, essential hypertension, primary hypotension, renal colic, radiation/chemo reactions, allergic rhinitis, hay fever, depression, acute bacillary dysentery, primary dysmenorrhea, acute epigastralgia, and peptic ulcer.

NJ Licensed Acupuncturists (L.Ac.) are required to undertake a course of study involving 4,050 hours of classroom instruction, supervised clinical experience, and out of classroom or out of clinic study assignments. This equates to four years of full time study in addition to a bachelor's degree. The NCCAOM (National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) is the national organization that requires national board exams and a bare minimum of 1,365 hours before a practitioner can become licensed. In addition to acupuncture and needle therapy, Chinese medicine school includes herbs, biomedicine, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and clinical experience.