Our Clinic

1. How does acupuncture work?
2. What happens on my first visit?
3. What disease information should I provide?
4. How many sessions of treatment do I need?
5. Does acupuncture hurt?
6. What are the unique aspects of your clinic?
7. How dose your TCM treatment work?
8. How can such a small amount of herbal powder be effective?
9. What conditions can be treated by your TCM powder treatment?

 Acupuncture is a form of therapy that involves the insertion of needles into specific points on the body, known as acupuncture points or acupoints, to achieve therapeutic effects. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory (TCM), the human body has 14 meridians that circulate vital energy, or qi, and connect the visceral organs with the extremities. By stimulating acupoints along these meridians, the circulation of qi can be regulated, affecting the organs and body regions and treating diseases.

While the exact mechanisms and effects of acupuncture are not yet fully understood, modern biomedical research has shown that it has broad and significant effects on regulating inflammation, endogenous opioid release, immune function, and the activities and functions of various organs and systems. When used correctly, acupuncture can bring more benefits than just pain control.

 During your first visit, you will have a diagnostic consultation. We will gather your disease history mainly based on Chinese medicien perspective and perform  examinations (e.g. pulse diagnosis, toungue diagnosis, and body balance) to make a diagnosis based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. If it is determine that acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine could benefit your condition, we will proceed with the first treatment.

To make it easier for treatment, we suggest wearing loose clothing that allows convenient access to body parts, such as the legs, thighs and back. As acupuncture treatment relies on regulating your own energy for healing, it is helpful to avoid being starved, exhausted, or in a bad mood before, during, or after your treatment session.

 Describing your disease history and current symptoms and conditions is crucial for diagnosing your illness. In the Chinese medicine system, exactly how you feel are important for diagnosis. For instance, whether you are experiencing coldness, warmth, fatigue or exhaustion, thirst, sweating, hunger, as well as details about your appetite, urination, and bowel movements. You can envision there are different sensors at various locations of your body (e.g., detecting cold, warmth, pain, thirst, etc.), which can sensitively and reliably reflect normal or abnormal conditions of your body. Therefore, what and how you feel play a crucial role in the diagnosis of acupuncture.

While some patients like to share the names of diseases in modern medicine and the results of lab tests, these details are helpful but not essential. The Chinese medicine system places emphasis on the dynamic functional state of the human body, and its diagnostic and treatment approaches differ from those of modern medicine. 

The number of acupuncture treatment sessions required is determined by several factors, with disease condition being a major one. For instance, mild, acute, or functional disorders may require only a few treatment sessions (such as acute back pain or sprains, which usually only require one or a couple of treatments). On the other hand, severe, chronic, and structural diseases usually require more treatment sessions. Additionally, since individuals respond differently to acupuncture treatment, the patient's health condition and response also play a significant role in determining the number of sessions required. Finally, the skill and experience of an acupuncturist is also a critical factor that can affect the treatment's effectiveness. In our clinic, we try our best to achieve the quickest treatment effect possible. 

 According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, diseases are caused by (1) an insufficiency of energy or nutrients being generated in the body and organs (such as qi, fluid, yin, or yang deficiency), (2) an excess amount of energy or nutrients (such as excess heat or fluid) or accumulation of pathogenic factors (such as abnormal accumulation of qi and blood) in a body part or organ, or (3) a combination of both. Pulse diagnosis (and other TCM diagnosis methods) provides a means to determine the dynamic functional state of internal viscera to guide treatment. By using herbs to correct these abnormalities, we can treat diseases and restore a normal body balance.

Regarding one type of our TCM treatment, after a patient undergoes a careful evaluation of their disease condition (particularly through pulse diagnosis), they will be asked to drink a small amount of herbal powder (only 1-2 grams) mixed in water or place it underneath their tongue for 5-10 minutes. The patient will then be re-evaluated (primarily through pulse diagnosis) to determine the treatment's effectiveness (we can usually observe almost immediate effects of the herbs!). Some patients may experience symptom improvement quickly. This free process also provides an opportunity for the patients to test if this therapy is suitable for them. Based on the re-evaluation, a herbal powder for use for a few days to 1-2 weeks will be prescribed, and the patients typically take it twice daily.

In addition, we also have herbal pills available, depending on patient conditions and needs 

In contrast to conventional TCM, we use smaller doses of herbal powder (~10x to up to 200x smaller) to achieve comparable or superior results. This is due to several factors: (1) precise diagnosis through pulse diagnosis is essential, allowing for the precise targeting of disease abnormalities and the restoration of body balance; (2) the use of high-quality herbal powder via the sublingual route allows for rapid absorption and effectiveness. Most significantly, this method has been used on hundreds and thousands of patients in China with positive outcomes, including challenging cases such as stroke, hypertension, and women's health. 

 Depending on diagnosis, the treatment can benefit many different health conditions: 

1. It can effectively treat chronic conditions, such as insomnia, constipation, gastritis, back pain, menopause, and autoimmune diseases. Combining herbal medicine with acupuncture is particularly effective for deficient-type diseases, such as post-chemotherapy or post-radiotherapy cancer with qi and fluid deficiency, as it quickly replenishes what is lacking to restore balance and control symptoms.

2. People without severe symptoms or diagnoses can benefit greatly from TCM treatment. Those with suboptimal health, such as tiredness, lack of energy, feeling cold, or poor appetite, can have their body state normalized in a relatively short time. More importantly, TCM can prevent the development of more severe symptoms or diseases, helping to maintain optimal health.