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Q- How long will it take to "fix" me? Chinese medicine heals naturally by balancing your qi, blood and body fluids. Stuck qi, deficient qi, blood stasis and water metabolism imbalances all contribute to pain and disease. If you come in with a mild to moderate acute condition - usually trauma and pain, we should see improvements within 4-8 treatments. If you come in with a chronic condition (over 3 months), either an internal illness or chronic musculoskeletal pain, generally 6-20 treatments. 6-20 because the underlying conditions may be of a pretty extreme deficiency and if we don't continue treatments after the superficial symptoms disappear, a relapse is certain. If you come in with aging problems, well, you can feel better, most assuredly. I have a patient who is 9 weeks pregnant at this writing, after 7 acupuncture and herbal medicine treatments, and the md's said she was in menopause due to annovulation. I have a patient who has stage 4 non-hodgkins lymphoma, and is doing better on herbs and acupressure. The important part here is, to be aware of your actual place on the continuim and love life. What we look for is progress and a gradual lessening of your symptoms. The effects of treatments are cumulative, meaning that the relief should become more long lasting and consistent the longer you are treated. If you've had a problem for years, 10-30 treatments may be needed; in some cases more, some less. It also matters how you exercise, what you eat, how emotionally balanced you are, and the level of physical and/or mental stressors you experience on a daily basis. The more treatments per week you receive, the faster your healing should occur. In China, the economics of delivering health care is vastly different. It is common for people to be seen 5 days per week initially. Once a week takes longer to see results. Some conditions are not curable, but can be managed through regular treatments. Other conditions can be completely eliminated in short order. So - The answer to the question "How long will it take to fix me?" is - it depends. Chinese medicine works about 70-80% of the time. Consistent treatments are essential to be able to evaulate the chances of success. Q- What is a treatment like? An Acupuncture treatment is done lying on a massage table, usually clothed. The treatment can last from 20-45 mintues. Q- Do the needles hurt? The majority of the time, no. However, there are sensations that we need to get from the insertions; good sensations are: a tingling or activity in the needled area, a "jolt", an electrical sensation, a slight pressure; these sensations last only a second, then a calm comes over you. What never should be felt is a burning or painful feeling. This means the needle is too close to a vessel - either a vein, artery or nerve. The needle should be adjusted so there is no discomfort. Q - What forms of payment do you accept? I accept cash, check, VISA or Mastercard. Most Insurances accepted (New - Kaiser members receive a 25% discount on acupunture!) Please Call the office for details. |
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