Absolutely!  Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (also known as Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM)  is practiced on nearly every continent and has safely and successfully treated everything from pain to digestive disorders, stress and sleep conditions to autoimmune disease and common colds. Traditional Chinese Medicine is a professional medicine that has ‘standards of care’, a medical treatment guideline that specifies appropriate treatment based on scientific evidence and collaboration between the top professionals in the field.Unlike western medicine that treats disease, often with pharmaceuticals or invasive procedures, acupuncture treats patterns or the root of the disease. The major benefit in receiving acupuncture verses taking pharmaceuticals or surgery is that there are little to no negative side effects from acupuncture, only improvement in health.  Pharmaceuticals are very strong and sometimes absolutely necessary, but when ingested your body can become imbalanced. Your body is an extremely complex and intelligent system that always seeks balance, acupuncture helps facilitate this.

Acupuncture treatments have a more subtle and cumulative effect.  Treatments will often be more frequent in the beginning in order to build up momentum in the body in order for the healing process to start.  Once this momentum is built up and your condition improves you may come in less often.  The frequency of treatments is also based on the condition being treated, how long you have had this condition and how compliant you are with your treatment plan. Acupuncture sessions last approximately 45-60 minutes.  Your first appointment will take 90 minutes.  Generally, for chronic conditions you will need 10-12 treatments and for an acute condition around 4-6 treatments. You will often notice changes in your overall health, sleep, digestion and stress within 1-2 treatments.  Patients have also experienced significant improvement with just one treatment; every individual is unique and responds differently.

No, but you do feel it. Unlike hypodermic needles, acupuncture needles are solid and hair-thin, not designed to cut the skin making it painless.  While each person experiences acupuncture differently, most people feel only minimal sensation as the needles are inserted. Some people report a tingling, warming, heavy or achy sensation. After the needles are inserted, most patients feel very relaxed and often fall asleep.