Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat most if not all of the myriad problems that can befall a person. That’s because the point (pardon the pun) of acupuncture is to improve the overall functioning of the human body.

The theories behind acupuncture are complex, but they boil down to this: Everything going on in your body affects and is affected by everything else.

This "everything", the sum total of your body’s functionality, is known as your Qi. Whenever your Qi gets blocked (as it does when you injure your shoulder, for example) or deficient (as happens in a chronic illness, or even when you just haven’t had enough sleep) or disordered (stress is very good at disordering Qi), it can’t flow as it’s supposed to, and you end up in pain, or exhausted, or suffering some other kind of unpleasant symptoms. It’s the acupuncturist’s job to get your Qi flowing again.

Modern researchers have been busy documenting the measurable effects of acupuncture, and they have found it to increase blood flow, decrease inflammation and pain, and modulate hormone levels and brain activity. The World Health Organization has listed more than 40 conditions for which acupuncture may be indicated.

Acupuncture needles are very fine and flexible; while you may feel a tiny pinch during insertion, it’s nothing like getting an injection. For many first-time acupuncture patients, their response to the first needle is, "that was it?"
Occasionally there is a mild stinging or burning upon insertion that usually goes away within a few seconds. If it doesn’t, let us know! We can remove the needle so that the sensation doesn’t interfere with your being able to relax during treatment.

Other sensations associated with acupuncture include a dull ache, tingling, heaviness, or warmth radiating from the site, or sometimes a brief “twang” from muscles located under an acupoint. Most people find acupuncture to be a comfortable and profoundly relaxing experience.

Acupuncture is a process. Every once in a while acupuncture will act like a “miracle cure”, and a person will have all of their symptoms disappear after only one treatment – but that is a rare event. Acupuncture works by stimulating the body's own self-healing mechanisms; it is gentle and safe and usually gradual.

Acupuncture works best when you come in often enough and long enough. For most people, somewhere between five and fifteen treatments is usually adequate. Many acute conditions may only require one or two treatments, while some degenerative or chronic conditions may require more. The nature, severity, and history of each individual’s complaint will determine the number of treatments necessary. Please ask if you have any questions about your course of treatment!

In traditional Chinese medical theory, there is literal truth to the saying that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Choosing foods according to one’s constitution and condition can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, minimize digestive discomfort, increase energy, and even help with conception. During each nutritional counseling session, we will discuss your health challenges and goals, go over your current diet, and identify what dietary changes can help bring you into better balance. We recommend bringing a food diary of at least a week’s food intake with you for your first nutritional consultation unless you have or have had an eating disorder.

Based on the traditional acupuncture technique known as plum blossom needling, which benefits the skin by dispersing Qi and Blood stagnation, invigorating and smoothing the flow of Qi, and clearing excess heat, microneedling and nano needling make use of a technologically advanced microneedling pen which penetrates the skin at up to 15,000 rpm to promote a noticeably improved complexion.

The biggest difference between nano needling and microneedling is the depth penetrated by the needling. Nano needling uses a tip with 80 silicon pyramidal pins with a diameter smaller than a strand of hair to puncture the first layer of the skin, while microneedling uses larger and longer (but still tiny, hence “micro”) needles to penetrate into the deep dermis.

Like microneedling, nano needling promotes the skin's absorption of the active ingredients of serums and skin treatments directly into the top layers of the epidermis. This results in increased collagen and elastin production, which combats fine lines, skin laxity, and a dull complexion. Unlike microneedling, nano needling does not require any numbing cream and will painlessly smooth the skin’s texture to leave your skin glowing while triggering cellular turnover. There is no downtime with nano needling and you won’t experience any lingering redness or swelling.

Microneedling is a more intense treatment, recommended for deeper acne scars and lines, hair regrowth, stretch marks, and hyperpigmentation, as the deeper micro-injuries associated with microneedling trigger a more drastic repair response. We use a numbing cream to minimize discomfort, but because of the deeper penetration, you can expect some skin redness swelling, and/or flaking for up to a week after treatment as the skin heals.