Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT DOES AN ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT CONSIST OF?

When you come in for your first visit, you will sit with a practitioner and discuss the issue of your concern. The Acupuncturist will ask you a series of questions about your medical history, take your pulse and quickly observe your tongue. You will then be asked to lay down upon a treatment table or in a chair. The acupuncturist will then insert very fine needles into specific points along the body that have been shown to have a therapeutic or restorative property. The acupuncturist will then ask that you remain motionless for 30 minutes to 45 minutes. For some patients, laying still is the most difficult portion of the entire treatment because they find it difficult to remain still and clear their minds. Most patients find they relax when the needles are inserted and will easily fall asleep.

HOW LONG WILL THE TREATMENT TAKE?

Your first visit will last 1 1/2 hours, and subsequent visits will be about 1 hour long. For most conditions, a series of several treatments is required in order for you to achieve maximum benefit, manage a condition and resolve lingering problems. After an initial evaluation, we will provide you with a treatment plan that will explain the frequency and duration of treatment. A normal series of treatments is from 6 to 12.

DO THE NEEDLES HURT?

No. When most people think of needles, they think of getting a shot or drawing blood with a hypodermic needle. A hypodermic needle has a hole at the tip that causes discomfort and pain when inserted into the skin. An acupuncture needle does not have a hole at the tip. The needles used in acupuncture are very thin and could be considered more like a pin than a needle. Acupuncture needles are so finely crafted that we could fit three or four acupuncture needles in the tip of a hypodermic needle. The majority of patients do not notice the insertion of needles. Most of the fear of needles is removed at the very first treatment. The acupuncturist will insert the first needle. The patient will say, ‘That’s it? That was nothing.”

Some acupuncture treatments specifically elicit a physical response including heaviness or lightness, tingling or electrical sensation around or radiating up / down from the area of needle insertion. In addition, women who are menstruating often note a greater sensation to the needles.

HOW MANY OFFICE VISITS WILL I NEED AND WHY?

Acupuncture is a patient medicine. Although results will typically be noticed after the first visit, the resolution of a chronic issue often requires time and commitment. A general rule of all medicine, both eastern and western, is: Things that come on quickly, leave quickly and things that come on slowly, leave slowly. If you have an acute issue that has just manifested, you can expect a fairly rapid resolution, sometimes in as little as one treatment. If you have an issue that has been unresolved for many years, acupuncture is not a miracle medicine and you must not expect a miracle cure. However, acupuncture can provide you with relief very rapidly, typically upon the first treatment. At Family Health Acupuncture PLLC, we will provide you with an expected course of treatment and number of visits. We have a reputation for being very accurate about the expected number of visits and very honest with our prognosis for your recovery.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

There are two answers to this question: the eastern and the western explanation.

Chinese Medicine views all life to possess a vital energy called qi. Qi flows through specific pathways along the entire body called meridians and also flows through the interior of the body to allow for healthy organ function. An obstruction of the flow of qi dynamic will disrupt normal physiological activities of the body, and if free flow cannot be restored, illness will ensue. Stimulation of acupuncture points along the meridians can help open and restore the flow of qi, resolving dysfunction and easing pain.

The western explanation has been less complete. Breakthrough studies at the University of Vermont, Massachusetts General Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospial using functional MRI’s and comparable brain imaging during an acupuncture treatment have revealed that different acupuncture points stimulate different areas of the brain to prompt the body to heal itself. A Wall Street Journal Article from 2010 offers an understandable overview of these studies, click here to read.

Are the needles clean?

Yes. All needles that are used are sterile and for single-use. They are opened during your treatment and disposed of immediately after use.