This is your life. These are some ways I can help.
Therapeutic care for:
Veterans and their families: Whether it is dealing with discomfort from injuries from recent or past service, stress, multiple concussions, or the worries that surround telling your spouse you will be leaving again there is support. The government provides no-cost sessions with approval from VA.
Birthday treatments: This is a special treatment based on when you were born. It is utterly fantastic for relaxation and can be used to prevent or relieve ailments that may be caused by a chronic underlying imbalance.
Coughs and colds: Many of us know that an old fashioned cough or cold can get us down for a few days to two weeks. What if it was gone today or in the next few days- how would that change your life? Many long term or chronic illnesses start with a cold so I prefer to knock it out now so you don’t have to deal with it later.
Pain: Chronic and/or Acute. Relief for pain from repetitive movements, arthritis, neck/ shoulder/ knee/ elbow/ sciatic/ hip/ back issues and more. Chronic pain may take longer to heal. I have had great success treating cases where people have previously given up hope. Many of us can have aches and pain, but it does not have to rule the day. Anytime there is pain it means something is blocked (think of the stress of a traffic jam or a river dried-up due to large rocks or a dam). Move that blockage and blood, oxygen, and nutrients flow again, endorphins are released, and pain reduces.
Athletes: Relief for: sciatic pain, knee and low back pain, IT band pain, injury recovery, fatigue, muscle tightness/ cramping, recovery for sprains and breaks, focus, stress, anxiety, worry.
Artists: Support for: repetitive motion pain, artist block/ reviving inspiration, stress.
Musicians: Support for: vocal cord strain, breath insurance, repetitive motion pain, carpal tunnel, muscle tightness, sprains/ strain/ breaks, injury recovery, stress, coughs/colds.
Sprains/ fracture/ break: If you have a recent sprain or fracture/ break come in today- physicians and physical therapists are amazed that the healing happens in about 20-30% of the time (ie: 1-2 months instead of 5). I use a combination of Acupuncture and topical and internal herbs. Home visits are available if mobility is an issue.
Pregnancy and postpartum care: Congratulations, first off! I especially love working with pregnant families. There are many things we can work on – from pain to digestion and acid reflux issues to alternatives to induction to treating an illness without OTC medicine or NSAIDS. I also do a lot of work on clearing the stress, anxieties, and fear that may happen pre-birth, helping mend any traumas that may have happened during the labor and birthing process, and use the ancient practices of postpartum care to warm and heal the body so you can be in a better place to care for your child and yourself. I have a pregnancy table/pad for use and make myself available outside of office hours during the weeks before and after a birth. During the latter part of the pregnancy I include a hands-on session for you and a birth partner to teach you some great tips to get you thru labor. I am also a certified doula.
Pediatrics and Students: You would be surprised by how many kids and young adults love learning about Chinese Medicine and receiving treatments. I have options other than using Acu points if anyone is hesitant about Acupuncture. Young people heal faster than adults and the sessions are generally shorter. After being an “antibiotic baby” myself I had many chronic health issues. From this education I have opted to use Chinese Medicine to help myself and my child overcome many common ailments and am committed to giving our growing children another option. Whether they need memory support for midterms, tests and SATs, an alternative to antibiotics for coughs or colds, healing quicker from fractures, clearing acne, sleeping better, helping digestion issues, decreasing the little-known stresses they are under, or mending broken hearts there are options. I have taken months of post- graduate work in this field with some of the top pediatric practitioners out there and have herbal remedies available that are made especially for children that taste good.
Test-takers: Support for midterm or final in middle or high school, a very important SAT/ACT, a final in college, or a life-changing advanced-practice national board Acupuncture can help you synthesize what you are learning, de-stress your mind, and help you focus and retain the info so you can better succeed. I can also share some great tips to get you thru to the other side. Group sessions are available.
Cancer care: I have been working with Sloan Kettering on and off for 20 years and am very familiar with the stress and strain that diagnosis and treatments have on a body, mind, spirit, and family. I have great compassion towards anyone facing these hurdles and sometimes a listening ear or hug is more important than anything else. I work with the emotional aspect of illness as well as side effects from chemo and radiation, insomnia, infection, pain, and aid the body to prep and heal for pre and post surgery. Co- treatments are available for those who wish to support a loved one.
Emotional aspect of illness: This is probably my greatest offerings. How is an injury, illness, or death of a loved one affecting your physical condition? What effect is a pending divorce and the grief, stress, and upset having on your immune system? How is dealing with stressful talks or work affecting your concentration and body? How are the behaviors of your children affecting your life? We sometimes forget that the mind and body are connected. It is almost impossible to go thru a trauma (any trauma) without it leaving a mark. Most of my sessions use Qi Gong energy work (like reiki) to help remove these scars.
What to expect:
During your sessions I spend about 15-45 mins face to face speaking with you about you, your life, the illness or injury, and how it is making an impact on you or even your family. We go over any helpful lifestyle and nutritional adaptations, you receive a treatment, and most people fall asleep. The body heals best when sleeping, so relax, enjoy, and let it do its work. Initial visits normally last 90 mins, follow-ups are 60 mins. If you have a time constraint let me know.
Sometimes people have emotional releases of pent up stuff. You are safe here to release all that is needed. This is a judgement-free zone.
I am afraid, what does it feel like?
If you’re afraid you’re not alone. Many people are afraid their first time too. Most people realize after their first point that the points are so small they don’t even feel it and they love it. Most people fall asleep and say how relaxed they are after a session. If it hurt I could never treat kids and babies.
How often should I get Acupuncture? More often than seeing your dentist 😉 At least five (5) times a year: at the change of seasons and at your birthday. Personally, I feel best when I receive it every 2-3 weeks- it keeps me focused, pain-free, and I get to clear out those small cobweb stresses that happen during the week.
The amount of sessions needed to work on a specific issue depends on the nature and length you have been experiencing it. Some issues clear almost immediately and some need maintenance work to stay away. Generally sciatica takes 6 sessions, cervical ripening/alternative to induction takes 4, Bell’s palsy (if caught at first onset) takes 6-10 back to back sessions with herbs for immediate improvement and monthly-quarterly to keep the stresses away so a recurrence does not happen. Seasonal allergies are best done before the season starts to avoid symptoms. If you’re already in the thick of it we can work to clear the sinus pain, pressure, and congestion or runny watery nose and eyes during an attack. Chronic ailments may take just a few sessions in total or about 1 session per month of length of ailment. If you have had an injury for 5 years expect some improvement at the first few sessions, but in order to clear it completely it may take a while. The more often you come in the quicker it will be so give your body time to make the changes.
If you are an amateur or professional athlete -come before and after a game to ensure success on the field and maximizing healing.
If there is an injury come right away to help it heal in about 20-30% of the estimated time.
If you are a hobby or professional musician or artist come monthly to keep those arms and hands working so you can continue your passion.
Whatever the ailment, I create a plan with you for reaching success because what you do at home is just as important as the work we do in the office.
Still unsure?
The unknown can be scary. Who wants to walk into an office when they know they may be poked with a needle? And it’s supposed to help my already-existing pain?… Sounds weird, but yes, it helps.
To be honest, after years of seeing first-hand all the chemo, radiation, and surgical needle pricks, long recovery times, and side effects I do not think people are just worried about how a session may feel- it may be about the unknown of does it work and can I trust it? People don’t generally avoid a yearly physical or dental cleaning because they don’t want to be poked or prodded with needles. No one tells their surgeon they cannot have surgery because they don’t want to be stuck with a needle of lidocaine, be cut, and sit in bed for 6 weeks recovering. People go to offices week-after-week to have elective surgical revisions to get things just-right. People continuously and courageously endure so much more than an Acupuncture session ever could or would include.
It’s a matter of taking a leap into the unknown- do you have an issue that isn’t resolving? Do you want to keep your mind, body, and spirit maintained for longevity? Do you prefer to have an alternative to antibiotics, pain meds, or surgery? I love modern medicine, I studied it and work with some of the top doctors in the world. I advocate for patients receiving care from integrating both types of practitioners.
Good questions to ask yourself: “Is this the right practitioner for me?” and “Am I willing to make some lifestyle or nutrition changes to positively affect my own health?” Just like with other types of medicines there are practitioners who specialize in certain things. Find someone whom you gel with and you will find longer-lasting relief and be willing to work on the more chronic issues that may be affecting the initial complaint.
This medicine relies on the patient being an active participant and not everyone is up for that. Some people want to keep popping a pill so they can eat food that’s hurting them. Some people want to keep doing the same habits that are negatively affecting their health and longevity. That’s ok, no one is going to force you to change, but if you do want a change there must be an adjustment. There are things that I can help you with and small practical steps make a lasting impact. For me, it was realizing that jaw/ear/head pain I experienced for years and the $7000 I spent on dentists was caused from eating non-organic enriched foods. Once I cut them out my pain disappeared. Sometimes it’s as easy as that.