Your Initial Consultation and Treatment

Prior to your initial exam, you will fill out a Health Questionnaire form to describe your past medical history. During the initial exam, I will take a full health history—questions are asked regarding symptoms, health, and lifestyle. In addition, I will check your pulse on both wrists, examine the color and coating of your tongue, and palpate the “hara” (that is, perform an abdominal diagnosis). These observations provide information that I use to make a comprehensive diagnosis. After the interview and diagnostic exams, you will receive an acupuncture treatment. I will place fine, sterile needles at specific acupoints on the body (or I will perform a type of non-needle acupuncture). This activates the body’s qi and promotes natural healing by enhancing your recuperative power, immunity, and physical and emotional health.

I often finish my treatments with tui na (Chinese-style massage). In addition, I will offer specific dietary suggestions, as well as recommend a qi gong pose for you to practice on your own.

Subsequent Treatments

After your initial consultation and treatment, there will be follow-up treatments. These subsequent treatments can range from once a week for five weeks (or until resolution of the condition) to once a month for preventative care, depending on your health goals and our progress toward them.

You and your state of health are unique, and I will use a personalized combination of the five modalities of Chinese medicine, with primary emphasis on acupuncture and herbal therapy, to respond to your needs. Below is a more detailed explanation of the five modalities, as well as the services I provide.

Acupuncture is a powerful system of treating illness that has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Acupuncture is the placement of very fine, thin, sterile needles at specific points on the body that over time have been shown to be effective in treating health problems. These points have been mapped by the Chinese over a period of two thousand years.

Acupuncture works by influencing the flow of your body’s qi (pronounced “chee”). qi , commonly defined as “vital energy,” flows along specific pathways in the body called “channels.” The body contains 14 channels, and each is associated with a particular physiological system (for example, digestion) and internal organ (for example, the stomach).

Your health is influenced by the quality, quantity, and balance of your qi. For example, when your qi is abundant and of good quality, you are healthy and strong and not likely to become ill. When you are weak, sick, or in pain, your qi is likely blocked, or insufficient, and is unable to effectively nourish the channels and organs. This is when illness and pain occurs.

There is a famous saying in Chinese medicine, with the translation as follows: “When the circulation of qi is blocked, pain arises; when the passage is open, pain disappears.” During your acupuncture treatment, the needles work to bring qi to places where there is not enough, to move it where it is stagnant, and to reduce unhealthy qualities. Modern science has been able to measure the electrical charge at these points, thereby corroborating the routes of the channels as mapped by ancient health practitioners.

Acupuncture Needles vs. Hypodermic Needles

Acupuncture bears no resemblance to the feeling of receiving an injection from a hypodermic needle. The sources of pain from an injection are the large diameter hollow needle and the fluids being forced into the tissue by pressure. An acupuncture needle is very fine and flexible, about the diameter of a human hair. Roughly 40 acupuncture needles can fit into one 18-gauge hypodermic needle.

Sensation During an Acupuncture Treatment

When receiving an acupuncture treatment, you might experience a sense of heaviness or stimulation in the area of insertion. Depending on the insertion method used, you might feel a couple of taps or a small pricking sensation. Most patients find treatments very relaxing and many fall asleep during treatment.

I use single-use, sterile, disposable needles. Below are examples of acupuncture techniques
I may use in clinic:

• Chinese acupuncture technique: this includes auricular acupuncture and scalp acupuncture
  
• Japanese Meridian Therapy: Shudo Denmai and Manaka methods
  
• Non-needle acupuncture methods: For those of you who are wary of needles, I offer non-needle acupuncture treatments (moxibustion, which is a form of heat therapy, and/or cupping).
  

Chinese herbal medicine is a comprehensive form of medicine that effectively addresses many medical conditions. It has a long clinical history, a balancing effect on the body, and is usually gentler than pharmaceutical drugs.

Chinese herbal medicine uses over 5,000 plant, mineral, and animal substances, although we refer to all these substances as “herbs” for convenience’s sake. Herbs are classified by their main therapeutic properties. For example, herbs that tonify qi are classified as “Qi Tonics,” herbs that regulate blood are called “Regulate Blood” herbs, and so on.

The effects of each individual herb are well understood, and Chinese medicine has developed a unique system of combining herbs into special formulas designed for particular medical uses. Herbal formulas create a synergistic energy, in which the actions of an individual herb are increased by its combination with other herbs.

Preparing Herbs

The traditional method of preparing herbs is to cook the raw herbs in water to form a decoction or tea. I commonly prescribe herbs in granular, powder form, which quickly dissolves in warm water, making the preparation of the herbal tea much easier. Patients usually drink one cup two to three times per day. Although the taste might be unusual to some, most people adjust quickly to the flavor and some even crave their herbs.

Comments About Prescribed Herbs

• Raw cooked herbs will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• Do not add sweeteners to the herbs as this will change the herbs’ properties.
• Take the herbs after food.       
• Stop taking the herbs if you develop a cold or flu.
• Do not take any other medicines within one hour of taking the herbs.
• Stop the herbs if you have any unusual reactions or digestive upsets.

The Power of Ginger

Some herbs are also powerful taken alone, such as ginger. Rhizoma zingiberis officinalis has spicy properties, effectively warms the abdomen, and, most important, effectively resolves symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

If you are experiencing symptoms of nausea, due to a Cold pattern, try the following tea, which is
easy to prepare:

In my clinic I have a full herbal pharmacy. I most commonly dispense herbs in granular (powdered) form as well as tablet form. They are prescribed for you to use during the week until your next visit.

Tui na is translated as “to push-grasp” It is a form of therapeutic massage using fingers, hands, and elbows on acupuncture points rather than needles. Tui na is an effective way of invigorating qi flow and reducing stagnation. I often use this technique, especially for patients who are sensitive to needles.

I find my acupuncture treatments are quite effective in combination with Chinese massage. I often complete my acupuncture treatments with tui na.

One way we generate qi in the body is by eating. (We also generate qi by sleeping and breathing.) Foods, just like herbs, have an impact on your body’s qi—sometimes good and sometimes bad. Some foods make your qi flow lightly and easily; other foods make your qi slow or stagnant. You might have noticed that you feel one way after eating a hamburger and ice cream and another after a vegetable stir fry dish, for instance.

Chinese medicine pays attention to the energetic attributes of foods. If there are not enough nutrients in the foods you eat, your body is not getting enough qi and your blood is not being appropriately nourished. Also, if the temperature of foods is too cold, it can directly affect your digestion. For example, if a person eats too many raw, cold foods, digestion can become “stagnant” (bloated feeling, loose stools, nausea). If a person eats too many hot, spicy foods, the body will become depleted of appropriate fluids that aid in the digestive process. Therefore, keep in mind that the quality of the food you eat is as important as the energetic attributes of the food.

The Importance of Eating Warm Foods

Chinese dietary theory believes that cooked, warm food is important for your digestion. It is true that some nutrients are lost during the cooking process. However, because warm food promotes effective digestion, an overall net gain in nutrients is achieved. And eating thoroughly cooked food rather than raw food requires less energy of the body for digestion.

Suggestions for Aiding Your Digestion

• Chew your food: practice counting 30 chews per bite, and then you can increase to 40 chews.
• Eat warm, cooked meals.
• Eat foods that are locally grown. Food grown in the local community contains the Qi of the local environment, and local Qi is best-suited for those living in the local environment
• Make sure you are relaxed and in a relaxed environment when eating.
• Eat your larger meals during the day. Do not eat large meals in the evening.
• Do not overeat. Stop when you are full.
• Do not drink a lot of cold fluids during your meal—this will slow your digestion.
• A regular and firm bowel movement shortly after awakening indicates that your digestive system is functioning well.

Dietary suggestions are an important component of your treatments. I will make recommendations based on your pattern presentation (the details of your current state of health).

Qi can be defined as your “vital energy,” and gong as “work.” Qi gong, is a form of gentle physical exercise. It has been practiced in China for centuries as a way to cultivate qi and relax the nervous system and muscular system simultaneously. This clears the body’s channels, renewing circulation of the body’s natural energy. When your body’s qi is strong and circulating well, you are less likely to become ill, and if you do become ill, the symptoms are not likely to last very long. Qi gong can be easily practiced for ten minutes each morning and is an effective part of health maintenance and prevention.

After your acupuncture treatment, I often recommend qi gong poses for you to practice during the week. I also offer various stretches, especially for those patients experiencing pain as their main complaint.