Frequently
Asked Questions

Qi, a fundamental concept in East Asian philosophy and medicine, encompasses multiple interrelated meanings. At its core, Qi represents the vital life force that animates all living entities. This concept extends beyond mere animation, embodying the body’s inherent wisdom and capacity for self-healing. In traditional East Asian medical practice, Qi forms the foundation of all physiological processes, playing a crucial role in both diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, Qi can be understood as the medium through which therapeutic interventions operate, catalyzing and influencing the body’s natural healing responses. This multifaceted concept serves as a bridge between physical and energetic realms, offering a holistic framework for understanding health, wellness, and the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit.

Treatment frequency recommendations varies based on the nature, severity, and duration of your condition.

Some cases may resolve with a single session and we love it when that happens.

Most require a series of 5-10 treatments.

Acute issues can oftentimes see significant improvement with 1-4 treatments.

Chronic, complex, or longstanding issues typically need some more time to show significant improvement but we should start to see subtle but meaningful changes from the very beginning.

For degenerative conditions, an extended treatment plan may be necessary.

To enhance effectiveness and potentially reduce the number of sessions needed, I often recommend complementary approaches such as herbal remedies, dietary adjustments, meditation or relaxation techniques, and targeted exercises.

Most often I recommend patients come in once per week in the beginning – typically for the first 3-4 treatments.

This helps me develop a better understanding of your East Asian medicine diagnosis and more effectively structure treatments that are right for your unique body.

Then we typically spread treatments out to every two weeks from there.

For some of my patients I recommend monthly treatments for health maintenance, prevention, and overall well-being. Many come in for tune-up treatments a handful of times per year.

The practice of acupuncture involves obtaining a therapeutic response from the body through the insertion of extremely thin, sterile, single-use-only needles. Acupuncture promotes natural healing, improved bodily function, and a deep sense of well-being. From a Western biomedical perspective, acupuncture helps to improve blood flow and microcirculation, calm the nervous system, induces the body to release “feel good” and pain-relieving neurochemicals, releases muscular tension and adhesive constrictions, helps to stimulate the immune system, and more. Acupuncture treatments help to address imbalances and disharmonies that have become patterned in the connective tissue, muscles, viscera, and nervous system, as well as the cranial rhythms and energetic (Qi in East Asian medicine) system.

Not at all. Both systems offer valuable insights and approaches to healthcare. Just as Eastern medicine takes a holistic and individualized approach, many practitioners of Western medicine do as well. There is a growing recognition by the mainstream healthcare profession of the benefits of integration and collaboration with East Asian medicine, especially with cancer treatment, pain management, and mental health.

Osteopathic assessment/palpation methods allow practitioners to get direct feedback from the body, honing in on the areas with the greatest localized tension that are leading to compromised structures and diminished function. When we release these areas in a kind of sequential way based on where the body guides us to direct our treatment on a given day, patients can experience longer-lasting and more effective symptom relief, as well as overall improvement in well-being.

For example, a patient with persistent low back pain may experience meaningful but short-term relief when acupuncture or trigger point dry needling is administered to the muscles in their low back, but there may be longstanding tensions or dysfunction in other areas of the body (viscera, fascia, nerves, joints, musculoskeletal, cranium), that when attended to will lead to more profound and longer-lasting results.

It’s a good idea to take it easy the rest of the day, avoid strenuous exercise or events, as well as intoxicating substances, and stay hydrated in order to help your body integrate the treatment.

The effects of an acupuncture treatment are not always immediate. I recommend my patients check in with themselves to assess their pain level/how they are feeling 2-3 days after a treatment. In some cases it may take a week or two to see meaningful changes.

Licensed acupuncturists and herbalists go through a 3-4 year masters level training program involving thousands of hours of classroom study, clinical practice, supervision, and extensive study of biomedicine. Doctoral candidates undergo advanced training in specific topics and practices related to East Asian medicine and engage in research. Acupuncturists in the state of Colorado are overseen by the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). National certification requires passing board exams that demonstrate high-level proficiency in acupuncture, herbal medicine prescribing, and Western biomedicine. Practitioners go through a recertification process every 4 years.

Acupuncture orients to East Asian medical theory, point location, and channel/meridian pathway. Trigger point/dry needling is a style of needling that can be effective in releasing tight muscular junctions and treating myofascial pain. It involves inserting a needle into a targeted tight location (called a “trigger point”) causing the taut muscle tissue to unwind and release. Both approaches can be effective for treating pain and I use both in my clinical practice.

It’s also important to remember that the area where the symptoms are being experienced is not always responsible for causing the pain. As an example – a patient experiencing recurring pain in the right shoulder (ruling out for major tears in the rotator cuff or AC joint separations/fractures) may get only limited relief from local trigger point/dry needling treatment because what is actually causing the pain is a different structure in the body pulling on the shoulder.

Yes, they are safe when prescribed by a licensed practitioner. The tradition of East Asian herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years. Many herbs in the pharmacopoeia are recognizable to many people in the west including ginger, goji berries, dates, ginseng, mint, and astragalus. I only prescribe herbs from companies that meet the highest standards in quality and safety, have a relationship with their growers, and do their own in-house testing for pesticides or other possible contaminants.

Not if the formula is correctly prescribed for the patient. Although certain conditions may require taking herbs over a longer period of time, signs that the herbal formula is working should be apparent to both the patient and the practitioner from the beginning.

Yes – when prescribed by a licensed practitioner of East Asian medicine. Certain herbs and formulas are contraindicated for patients who are pregnant or are nursing, so it’s important to consult with a licensed practitioner with experience treating women’s health conditions.