Acupuncture
Personalized Care That Looks Beyond the Symptoms
It's one of the first questions almost every new patient asks, and it's a good one. The answer has less to do with mystery and more to do with how your nervous system actually works.
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years. Traditional Chinese Medicine describes it using concepts like Qi and meridians, and many patients find that framework meaningful.
In my practice, though, I tend to focus on what we've learned through modern anatomy, neuroscience, and physiology.
For most people, understanding how acupuncture affects the nervous system, circulation, and the body's own healing processes makes the treatment much easier to trust and understand.
Think about what happens when you accidentally touch a hot stove. You don't stop to think. You don't decide to move your hand. Your nervous system recognizes the signal instantly and your brain tells your muscles to pull away before you're even aware of it.
Acupuncture works along many of those same communication pathways.
Throughout your body are millions of sensory receptors constantly sending information to your brain and spinal cord. By stimulating very specific locations with extremely fine needles, acupuncture can influence how the nervous system responds.
Depending on where the needles are placed, treatment can help quiet pain signaling, influence the neurotransmitters involved in pain and mood, improve local blood flow, calm inflammation, relax tight muscles, and support the body's natural healing response.
Here's something that surprises many first-time patients: acupuncture needles are solid, not hollow like a hypodermic needle. Nothing is being injected into your body. The goal is simply to stimulate your body's own communication and healing systems, and then let them do what they were built to do. In many ways, acupuncture isn't adding something to your body.
It's encouraging your body to do what it was designed to do more efficiently.
Why I Don't Always Treat Where It Hurts
One question I hear all the time is, “Why aren't all the needles going where it hurts?” It's a reasonable question.
If your feet hurt, you'd expect every needle to go in your feet. If your shoulder hurts, you'd assume we should only treat your shoulder.
But pain doesn't always begin where you feel it.
Take neuropathy as an example. Someone with numbness, tingling, or burning in their feet naturally assumes the problem starts in the feet.
The feet certainly need attention, but many cases of neuropathy involve irritation of the nerves as they leave the lower back and sacral region. If I only treated the feet, I could be missing an important part of the problem. Sometimes the problem is local. Sometimes it's coming from the lower back.
Sometimes it's a combination of both. That's why every patient is evaluated individually rather than treated with the same protocol.
The same principle shows up everywhere in the body.
Neck tension can drive headaches. Hip weakness can lead to knee pain. A problem at the shoulder blade can affect the shoulder itself. The nervous system works a one connected network, so treatment often includes several areas working together. As a bonus, treating away from the painful area is frequently more comfortable while still producing meaningful results.
My goal isn't simply to help you feel better today. It's to understand why the problem developed in the first place, so we can address the underlying cause whenever possible.
You'll never leave wondering why I recommended a particular treatment.
I believe understanding the plan is an important part of the healing process.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
Your first visit starts with a conversation. We'll go through your health history, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping to get back to, whether that's gardening, golf, sleeping through the night or just getting through the day with less pain.
Then I'll examine the areas involved and often a few areas you might not expect, since the source of a problem isn't always where you feel it.
From there, I'll explain what I found, what I recommend, and why. If we proceed with treatment that day, the needles themselves are extremely fine. Most people are surprised by how little they feel. Many patients find the treatment genuinely relaxing, and more than a few fall asleep on the table.
Plan on your first appointment taking a bit longer than follow-up visits, since we're covering your whole story. After that, we'll map out a treatment schedule based on your condition and adjust it as your body responds.
Some people notice improvement within the first few visits; for longstanding problems, meaningful change usually builds over a series of treatments.
FAQ
Common questions about Acupuncture treatment
Most people feel far less than they expect. The needles are about the width of a human hair and many patients don't feel them go in at all. You might notice a brief pinch or a dull, heavy sensation that fades quickly.
If anything ever feels genuinely uncomfortable, tell me and I'll adjust the needle or take it out.
Because pain doesn't always start where you feel it. The nervous system is one connected network, and treating related areas is often more effective, and more comfortable, than treating only the painful spot.
The full explanation is right above on this page.
It depends on your condition, how long you've had it and how your body responds. Some patients improve within a few visits, while chronic conditions usually take a series of treatments.
Then we'll adjust the plan based on your actual progress, not a fixed schedule.
Absolutely, and you should. Acupuncture works alongside your medical care, not instead of it.
I'm happy to coordinate with your other providers and I'll never ask you to stop a treatment your physician has prescribed.
Yes. Acupuncture is one of the safest therapies available when performed by a licensed acupuncturist.
The needles are sterile, single-use, and disposed of after every treatment. Side effects are uncommon and minor, such as slight soreness or a small bruise at a needle site.
You're in good company. Many of my patients come to me after years of other treatments, and some after surgery that didn't resolve the problem.
Sometimes the missing piece is simply that no one has looked at the whole picture yet. I can't promise results, but I can promise a thorough look at why your problem developed and an honest opinion about whether I can help
If you're wondering whether acupuncture may be appropriate for your condition, give our office a call.
My staff can answer many common questions, verify your insurance benefits, and gather information about your condition. If there's something they can't answer, they'll check with me before getting back to you. If we don't believe you're likely to benefit from acupuncture, we'll be honest with you.
Insurance and Coverage
We Work With Many Insurance Plans
We are in-network or work with a variety of plans, including:
• Veterans Community Care
• Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)
• Humana
• Select United Healthcare plans
• Select Aetna plans
We verify Your Benefits For You
Before your visit, our office will:
Contact your insurance company directly
Verify your acupuncture coverage
Explain any co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance
Get Back To What You Enjoy Most!
When people understand why a treatment is recommended, they become active participants in their own recovery.
My goal isn't simply to place needles or reduce pain. It's to understand your condition, explain why it's happening and develop a treatment plan that's as individual as you are.
Whether you're dealing with a recent injury or years of chronic pain, I believe understanding the problem is the first step toward solving it... and getting you back to doing the things you enjoy most.
