Frequently Asked Questions
What can I expect at my first visit?
Initial visits generally last from 60-90 minutes, including your first acupuncture treatment. Barbara will take a detailed health history and physical exam, and provide you with a treatment plan unique to your condition, and prescribe herbal supplements, if appropriate.
What can I expect at my first visit?
Initial visits generally last from 60-90 minutes, including your first acupuncture treatment. Barbara will take a detailed health history and physical exam, and provide you with a treatment plan unique to your condition, and prescribe herbal supplements, if appropriate.
Do the needles hurt?
The sensation caused by the acupuncture needles varies. Most people feel a little pain as the needles are inserted, but most feel no pain. The needles are tiny, just a little larger than a cat’s whisker or a human hair.
Where the acupuncture needles are inserted, you may experience a vague numbness, tingling or dull ache. Sometimes people experience a sensation of energy spreading and moving around the needle. After treatment, you may feel energized or may experience a deep sense of relaxation and well-being.
The sensation caused by the acupuncture needles varies. Most people feel a little pain as the needles are inserted, but most feel no pain. The needles are tiny, just a little larger than a cat’s whisker or a human hair.
Where the acupuncture needles are inserted, you may experience a vague numbness, tingling or dull ache. Sometimes people experience a sensation of energy spreading and moving around the needle. After treatment, you may feel energized or may experience a deep sense of relaxation and well-being.
Do I need to do anything to prepare?
The following will allow you to get the most out of your treatment:
- Please show up on time
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing
- Avoid large meals right before your visit
- Refrain from overexertion and stressful situations
- Between visits, take notice of any changes that occur so that Barbara can get a clearer picture of your prognosis.
How does acupuncture work?
The general theory of acupuncture is based on the premise that there are patterns of energy called Qi (pronounced “chi”) throughout the body, which are related to the organs, nerves and vascular systems. When the energy flow is disrupted due to trauma, poor diet, medications, stress or other conditions, pain or illness results.
Acupuncture focuses on correcting these imbalances by inserting ultra-thin needles into the skin to stimulate specific points on the body. Stimulation unblocks the channels and encourages Qi flow, restoring the body’s balance, thus relieving pain and other symptoms.
What can be treated by acupuncture?
Endorsed by The World Health Organization, acupuncture treats many problems such as:
- Nervous System and Muscular Disorders - Pain of all types such as arthritis, knee pain, sciatica, low back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, bulging disc, sprains and strains. Also, migraines, headaches, certain facial paralysis or nerve pain, partial weakness after a stroke, and nerve inflammation, among others
- Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders- Sinusitis, rhinitis, sinus/nasal inflammation or dryness, ear-aches, cough, sore throat, and bacterial/viral infection such as the common cold and flu
- Respiratory Disorders- Uncomplicated bronchial asthma, lung dryness, hayfever allergies and their symptoms, pneumonia
- Gastrointestinal Disorders- Digestive trouble, stomach pain, irritable bowel (IBS), constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, vomiting
- Women’s Issues- Menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms and menstrual difficulties and irregularities (heat, emotions, insomnia, pain, fatigue, bloat), fertility support, infertility, pregnancy nausea and vomiting
- Many more conditions are treatable by acupuncture- Stress, nausea, fatigue and chronic fatigue, migraines, anxiety, depression, worry, incontinence, addiction, sleep disturbances, UTI, and reproductive problems are among them
Can acupuncture help me even if I am healthy?
Yes. A beneficial course of treatment includes Preventative Care- regular maintenance of the immune system monthly or, at least, at each season change, when your body is commonly under greater risk.
What if I need related medical care?
Should you need related medical attention, Barbara has developed a network of outstanding medical providers who have trained at top schools, have proven track records and terrific bedside manners. She refers to gynecologists, orthopedists, surgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, internists, massage therapists and physiatrists among others to expand quality healthcare options for her patients.
Do you take insurance?
We don’t believe the patient should have to battle with the insurance company or the personal injury lawyer or the worker’s comp. bureaucracy and delay pain relieving treatment in the process. That is why we have Lynette, our office manager, to deal directly with insurance companies regarding questions of benefits and reimbursements. To facilitate this, the office accepts all insurance plans. Please click on Money on the left menu.
What is acupuncture and oriental medicine? (Copyright © 2006-2009 California State Oriental Medical Association. All rights reserved.)
Oriental medicine has been practiced for more than 5,000 years and includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, Oriental massage and Oriental nutrition. It is a system of medicine that categorizes body patterns into specific types of diagnoses with corresponding treatment plans. Oriental medicine is practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Viet Nam, Thailand, Tibet and India. One may be surprised to find that Oriental medical theory and practice has spread to France, England, Spain, Germany, Russia, much of Middle and South America, and Africa. It has gained worldwide acceptance and recognition as effective medical treatment. Due to the sheer weight of evidence, Oriental medicine demands that it be taken seriously as a clinical approach of considerable value. Over 15 million Americans have turned to it, making it the complementary treatment of choice for Americans everywhere. Oriental medical practitioners use a variety of healthcare therapies. Acupuncture, moxibustion (which is a type of heat therapy using the mugwort plant), and Chinese herbal medicine are the most popular.
Other aspects of Oriental medicine are:
- Electroacupuncture - the use of fine microcurrent technology
- Diet, Lifestyle and Nutritional Counseling
- Cupping - this employs a glass, plastic, or bamboo cup as a suction device to stimulate blood circulation
- Tai Chi - a form of physical exercise
- Qi Gong - breath exercise
- Meditation
- Various forms of therapeutic massage
Barbara Burns, L.Ac. 626-446-5900 for appointments
