Acupuncture is commonly used for:

Acute strains/spasms and sprains - an acute injury is often a sprain or strain. Sprains involve the ligaments and strains involve muscles or tendons. Besides pain, the typical inflammatory response may include swelling of the injured area, redness, purple skin discoloration, or reduced range of motion of the joint. Prolonged inflammation can cause scar tissue formation and may prevent you from re-gaining proper joint mobility. Spasms are extreme tightening of the muscles…ouch!

Chronic pain/pain management – All too often, a patient accepts his/her level of immobility and function. This causes depression. You can improve the quality of your life through acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture relieves and often eliminates many aches and pains.

Strengthening and restoring the body from injuries: Are you using Tylenol or Advil daily for pain? – Not good in the long run! Most pain-relief and anti-inflammatory medications provide excellent short-term pain-relief by blocking the production of pain-causing substances. They reduce pain by increasing circulation and decreasing your body’s sensitivity to it. However, this process decreases the blood supply to the muscles and joints, creating other muscular, ligament, and joint problems in the long term, preventing true recovery. Tight muscles with poor circulation are fatigued easily and are more prone to injury. Long term stress on the body is a problem that causes more degeneration, and it is harsh on your liver and kidneys. Acupuncture and natural herbal formulas get to the bottom of the problem, and are safer for you.

Arthritis/joint conditions – interfere with daily activities. Arthritis is an auto-immune disease, but often occurs with chronic or repetitive injuries. Due to the pain and stiffness, you may have trouble exercising, getting out of bed, writing, sewing, buttoning clothes, dressing, walking, or climbing stairs. Often some days are better than others, and the severity of symptoms can change from day to day. Sometimes living with the loss of function and movement is more difficult than the pain of arthritis. Seek alternative treatment. All ages benefit.

Sports performance enhancement – Acupuncture strengthens body function and restores internal harmony and balance, allowing your body to work more optimally with less stress. Improved blood flow and circulation permits you to work harder with less wear and tear on your joints, muscles and ligaments. It is a mental and physical balancing.

Back/Sciatica/ Neck/shoulder pain - Acupuncture is a very effective solution when treating most neck and back problems. Neck, shoulder, and back muscle tension and stiffness are very common with a work out gone wrong, or from just over sitting at your desk everyday. Talking on the phone or sitting in front of a computer for prolonged periods of time causes a lack of circulation in the tissue and fatigues the muscles involved. Injuries to these areas whether acute or chronic, should be addressed by acupuncture for full recovery.

Disk bulges/Degenerative disk disease. I recommend seeking treatment prior to surgery. Acupuncture reduces pain and inflammation.

General soft tissue recovery, either acute or chronic.

Neuropathy/Neuralgia - Nerve pain is annoying. It often moves around. It can be sharp and drilling -like or it can give you a feeling of numbness or “pins and needles.”

Knee, elbow, ankle injuries – ACL? Meniscus tears? or strains? Yes… treatable. If you have a knee condition that is bone on bone, acupuncture will not work, but if there is any cartilage there, acupuncture is often effective- reducing swelling, improving mobility, and strengthening the ligaments and tendons.

Hamstring, Achilles, bicep tears.

Shoulder injuries – Bursitis, “frozen shoulder,” rotator cuffs, or scapular problems -benefit from treatment.

Bursitis/Tendonitis.

Pre and post surgery preparation and recovery- Acupuncture helps prep your body for surgery and helps you recover more quickly. Returning to “normal” faster, it is what we all want to achieve.
So…How does it work?

Acupuncture enhances blood circulation, especially in the area that there is pain or discomfort. This desired action can be achieved by regulating the autonomic nervous system (which is responsible for internal organ system functioning, regulation of blood circulation, and production of relaxation effects. When circulation in the tissue improves, muscle relaxation occurs, and immediate pain reduction follows in many cases.

Proper circulation in the tissue is important not only for blood to nourish the tissue but also in enhancing the elimination of muscle fatigue and pain-causing substances (e.g., lactic acid) thus resulting in healthy tissues. Physically and mentally, you feel better.
Why Herbal Medicine?

Chinese herbal medicine is safe, effective and non- toxic. It is not harsh on your liver, kidneys, joints and ligaments like western drugs. You won’t become dependent on it. It can resolve the root of your health problem, rather than mask it.

A formula is made precisely for you and your condition. I treat multiple symptoms at the same time and your formula will reflect solutions to whatever your health issues are.

It promotes blood flow, improve circulation, reduces inflammation strengthens muscle, ligaments and tendons and in conjunction with acupuncture restores you fast!

Call to schedule an appointment to see how acupuncture can help you.

This bleeding is what causes swelling at the site of the person’s injury. The injury is enclosed within the skin, creating increased fluid and blood pressure inside the body at the injured site. When the trauma site fills and expands with bleeding, it tamponades the traumatic site. This may depress or cut off circulation. This occurs by increasing the site’s inner body pressure at or above the person’s normal blood pressure. This pressure is what naturally stops the bleeding at the site.

The heart pumps blood out to the tissues by way of the arteries. About 99% of all blood pumped out of the heart is returned by the venous return system. Being an enclosed plumbing system, the arterial pressure within the capillary bed drives the blood back to the heart by the pressure in the enclosed venous system. The generally low right-sided heart pressure allows naturally decreased pressures to direct blood from the venous systems back into the heart. This, in turn, allows the blood to be re-circulated and be pumped again and again back to the heart. The remainder of blood plasma is returned by the lymphatics.

In addition to the heart, artery, and venous systems, there is a passive lymphatic pipe system carrying the tissue fluids back to the heart. This lymphatic system acts as a cleaning sewage system allowing extra fluid to drain from the capillary beds and injured sites, via the venous system and then to the heart. Lymphatic vessels, like veins, have one-way valves which act as pumps. Passive pumps called lymph nodes are located behind joints or at sites of pressure from physical movement. They are much like a hose with a bulb and a valve attached to another hose. When the bulb is squeezed, the system pumps fluid in one direction only: towards the heart. When a joint is flexed and extended, the bulb is naturally compressed and it pumps moving fluids from the extremity towards the heart. This naturally removes blood, fluid, and potential infections fluid from the site of the injury. This reduces the on-site pressure after bleeding is stopped to allow new circulation and healing.

The elevation of a traumatic point is applied by measuring from the floor directly vertical to the heart, and then measure from the floor directly vertical to the site of injury. This means that the point of injury should be elevated approximately 12-16 inches higher than the position of the heart at any time and from any position, i.e. sitting in the chair with your foot on an ottoman if the foot is the site of injury, is not elevated. The distance to the floor from the foot must be less than the heart to the floor by 16″ or more. Laying flat on a couch with your foot up high on the back of the couch at the head level is elevation of a traumatic site, decreasing pain and removing the fluids for healing.