Frequently
Asked Questions

No. Acupuncture works with and engages the physical structures of the body (nerves, connective tissue, the fascial-interstitial system, muscles, viscera/organs, cranial bones, sutures, cranial dura, blood vessels, cerebrospinal fluid, etc) to promote self-healing and improved physiological functioning. It is very much not woo-woo. And when you tell your friends and loved ones you received acupuncture, unicorns and rainbows and fairy dust doesn’t fly out of your eyeballs either. Acupuncture is increasingly recognized for its effectiveness in treating a wide range of health issues.

This is a great question and I’m happy to provide guidance on this when I can.

I see many patients after they’ve exhausted these other routes (chiropractic, physical therapy) and not seen improvement, and/or are working with their primary care provider and struggling with challenging symptoms.

Patients can engage in a few different kinds of treatment at the same time and this can be helpful. For example, chronic lower back pain can really benefit from physical therapy, yoga/pilates, and specialized weight-training. Acupuncture on its own oftentimes isn’t enough to help with chronic lower back. Exercise and strengthening specific muscle groups is oftentimes the route that helps the most.

In general it’s a good idea to not get too much treatment at the same time, i.e. on the same day or in the same week. More is not always better. This can sometimes overwhelm the body and make it hard to assess what is helping or what is not helping.

Acute situations may take as little as 1-3 treatments to see significant relief. Complex or long-standing issues can take more time to influence. In general I see patients every two weeks (twice per month) in the beginning and as we see improvements we spread treatments out farther apart. In the beginning I generally recommend 5 treatments to fully assess if the acupuncture/adjunctive treatment modalities are helping and leading to overall improvement.

It depends. Acute issues can oftentimes clear up on their own and not necessitate any follow-up. Many patients choose to receive follow-up treatments (once per month, or once per quarter) as a part of their overall self-care/preventative health schedule. Patients who are going through perimenopause/menopause, are dealing with a stressful job/life situations, are prone to sensitive digestion, are dealing with an autoimmune condition or other chronic health issue all can benefit from regular tune-ups. Their symptoms are better managed and their quality-of-life is better with regular tune-up treatments.

For patients with a history of head trauma/injuries I absolutely encourage them to come back in if they re-injure their head through sports, are in a car accident, get a bump to the head, etc.

Acupuncture engages and promotes the body’s self-healing mechanisms, promoting better physiological functioning, healing, and health maintenance.

Accidents and injuries, bacterial and viral pathogens, stressful life events, major emotional upheavals, involved medical procedures/surgeries, developmental transitions, a long illness, chemotherapy and radiation, a difficult birth experience, medications, a (what may have felt at the time minor and inconsequential) bump to the head – all can interfere with the body’s inherent self-healing mechanisms, leading to pain, diminished vitality, and lower quality-of-life.

Acupuncture offers a course correction, supporting better immune function, improved vitality, improvement and mood and emotional regulation, decrease in pain, amongst other tangible benefits.

You should expect to feel good. Relaxed. I am most interested to know how a patient is feeling 3-5-7 days and more after a treatment. The goal is to see symptom severity diminishment and improvement in other markers (vitality, mood, functioning) holding continuously and continuing to move in a good direction throughout the days and weeks after treatment.

You can expect to be able to return to work, go about your day, and exercise moderately after receiving a treatment.

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.

No. 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. Acupuncture is  safe during pregnancy and can be a wonderful source of support throughout all three trimesters.

Many pregnant patients turn to acupuncture for relief from common discomforts like nausea, fatigue, back and pelvic pain, heartburn, swelling, and sleep disruption — often finding relief when other options feel limited.

Acupuncture also offers gentle support for emotional wellbeing during what can be an intense and tender time in a woman’s life. Anxiety, mood shifts, and the stress of major life change are all things acupuncture can help ease.

Whether you’re newly pregnant or counting down the final weeks, acupuncture can be a nurturing and effective part of your prenatal care.