1st Acupuncture ApptGua sha Acupuncture is wonderful. They'll usually do a thorough consult your first appt, and then will do the needle treatment. Some spots may feel a bit sensitive when the needle goes in because of a blockage, but usually simmers down very quickly, and most needles you probably won't feel at all. In my experience they usually put in between 12 and 15 needles per session. I was so sleepy after my first appt, and just felt very rested. My typical acupuncturist costs me $55 per session, but when I go to community acupuncture, it's a sliding scale from $15 to $40 per session. It all depends on what you're comfortable with. Also, expect your acupuncturist to suggest some serious diet and nutritional changes. They can be challenging, but definitely worth a try. You'll have to ask the acupuncturists at the clinic. It's probably something they at least cover while they're in school, and more or less they are focusing on balancing hormones in general. I'll be starting acupuncture school this Fall, but I'm not sure yet how much time is spent on infertility. I hope to one day specialize in it though! Also, it's a really good idea for you to read The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis. It will give you some great info, and make sure your acupuncturist is familiar with it as well. i just went for the first time yesterday, too . only one of the 17 needles she used felt any pain and she moved it . i'm hoping my dh will go since his stress seems to be affecting his volume (we've had 2 failed iuis with combined post-wash of 5 mil) anywho - might be fun to share our experiences along the way! i am seeing a woman who does a great deal of work with infertility patients and knows the re community pretty well . she was kind enough to help me out a bit financially as well, but her normal rates are 55 an session . If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use. 8 Things to Remember Before an Acupuncture AppointmentGua sha Acupuncture isn't really into hard-and-fast rules. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another. This is the beauty of acupuncture -- it meets us wherever we're at. However, there are some general rules of thumb when it comes to preparing for an acupuncture appointment. All are tweakable based on your constitution and preferences, but in my experience, these guidelines tend to improve the treatment experience and outcome for most people. This is an important one, and it's something I get asked about a lot. Everyone metabolizes food at different rates, so adjust as you see fit, but a good guideline is to eat about two hours before an acupuncture appointment. You don't want to show up really full, or after having eaten something heavy, fried or spicy, but do not go for acupuncture on an empty stomach. It can leave you feeling lightheaded or physically depleted. If you're debating whether it's too close to your appointment to eat, eat. Better to be a little full than distracted by hunger during your appointment. That is not to say that coffee is never your friend, but coffee is not your friend immediately before acupuncture. If you have a morning appointment and can't go without your morning cup, do what you have to do. But if you're going for acupuncture later in the day, avoid coffee for at least two hours before. Coffee is a stimulant. It has been shown to increase sympathetic nerve activity, kicking your body into fight-or-flight mode. Acupuncture works to shift you away from that sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state and toward a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) one, so coffee inhibits the process. It also makes it difficult for the acupuncturist to get accurate readings on your pulse and tongue, since coffee increases your heart rate and stains your tongue. Before acupuncture, spend some time thinking about -- or even making a list, if that helps -- any significant medical events in your life. For example, family disease history, car accidents, broken bones, other serious injuries, long-term illnesses, surgeries, etc. Your acupuncturist will want to hear about them. When in doubt about whether to include something, it's always better to mention it. Even when we schedule wisely, there is still a tendency to leave at the last minute for appointments. This makes most appointments more stressful than they need to be, but especially with acupuncture, arriving at your appointment amped-up is counter productive. When you rush into an appointment, your pulse is higher than normal, your mind is spinning, and you're tense with worry about the prospect of being late. Many of us already deal with these qualities during our regular stress-filled days -- and they're often the reasons for coming to acupuncture in the first place -- so why make them worse by rushing? Regardless of when your appointment is, put it in your calendar as 15 minutes earlier. The worst than can happen is you sit for 15 minutes in a quiet waiting room. Finally, time and space to hear yourself think. Last but not least, please turn off your phone. Not on vibrate. Off. Do it before your appointment actually starts, to avoid forgetting and/or getting distracted by a call or message immediately before you're about to begin. This is your time and no one else's. Make it count. Some of these things are easy to forget. Create a pre-acupuncture checklist, something you can glance at on the days you have acupuncture, once first thing in the morning and again just before your appointment. a new acupuncture approach to treating injuryGua sha Acupuncture is an age-old health modality and we think of its techniques and remedies as being rooted in ancient teachings. This is true, but as with all medical systems, innovations are being made to this traditional science even still. In the case of acupuncture, new treatment methods are geared specifically toward Western bodies and ailments. Muscle Channel Technique (MCT) is one such method. MCT is an effective, safe and gentle acupuncture treatment that can heal injuries remarkably fast. When muscles are chronically blocked, they stiffen, and so do their associated nerves. This makes it very difficult for healing nutrients in the blood to reach the affected area. MCT involves inserting needles along the channels of the body (thus, the name). We then use electro-stimulation (a very mild and safe electrical current) on two of the crucial needles to help move blood, qi and fluids." MCT is extremely effective at treating tendonitis, carpal tunnel, knee issues, arthritis, and injuries from car accidents and other trauma. And in particular, MCT works on back and neck issues such as degenerative or herniated discs. Because the spine is very vascular (meaning that there is a lot of blood inside and between those bones), any treatment that increases blood and energy flow to the spinal vertebrae helps to speed up the healing process fairly quickly. Creating movement and stimulating qi and blood flow in the area dissolves the blockage and kick starts the healing process. By relaxing the muscles, the surrounding nerves stop firing, and pain decreases immediately." Despite its modern approach, MCT is still firmly rooted in classical Chinese medical theory and uses the traditional points described in the Nei Jiang Lng Shu (the 2,000+ year-old text that's the basis for Chinese Medicine). A classically-trained Chinese acupuncturist living in the Bay Area, Frank He, was responsible for re-interpreting the traditional methods for our Western bodies. Frank He now mentors qualified practitioners in order to spread the word about this highly effective new method. Acupuncture A Major Part of Primary HealthcareGua sha Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare. The use of Acupuncture is extensive and finds it use in variety of medical purposes ranging from the prevention and treatment of disease, to relieving pain and anesthetizing patients for surgery. Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare. The use of Acupuncture is extensive and finds it use in variety of medical purposes ranging from the prevention and treatment of disease, to relieving pain and anesthetizing patients for surgery. The intent of acupuncture therapy is to promote health and alleviate pain and suffering. The method may seem a bit strange and mysterious to many people but it has been time tested over thousands of years and continues to be validated even today. Acupuncture has found use in variety of treatments and can be effectively used for the treatment of back pain, headache, migraine, and sports injuries but it provides more than pain relief to individual. It is also helpful improvising ailments to anxiety, sinus problem, stress related disorder, arthritis and arthritic pain, insomnia, digestive problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, abdominal, bladder infection, menstrual cramps, irritable bowel syndrome, weight control, infertility, and much, much more. The acupuncturist views health and sickness hinges on the concepts of "vital energy," "energetic balance" and "energetic imbalance." Just as the Western medical doctor monitors the blood flowing through blood vessels and the messages traveling via the nervous system, the acupuncturist assesses the flow and distribution of this "vital energy" within its pathways, known as "meridians and channels". As in many oriental medicine practices, the emphasis of acupuncture is on prevention. In traditional Chinese medicine, the highest form of acupuncture is given to enable you to live a long and healthy life. Acupuncture literally means 'needle piercing," the practice of inserting very fine needles into the skin to stimulate specific anatomic points in the body (called acupoints or acupuncture points) for therapeutic purposes. Along with the usual method of puncturing the skin with the fine needles, the practitioners of acupuncture also use heat, pressure, friction, suction, or impulses of electromagnetic energy to stimulate the points. Acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the immune system. It also has affects the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid, and production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress. Acupuncture works directly with the body's energy or qi, as acupuncture practitioners believe that all illnesses are a result of the natural flow of energy through the body becoming stuck, depleted or weakened and thus making the individual susceptible to illness. Acupuncture generally involves several weekly or fortnightly treatments. The courses consist of up to 12 sessions. A visit to an acupuncturist will involve an exam and an assessment of the patient's condition, the insertion of needles, and advice on self-care. Most of the sessions last for about 30 minutes. The patients are asked to lie down with either their face up or down or on his/her side, depending on where the needless are inserted. The acupuncturist uses single-use disposable sterile needles. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine, sterilized needles into the skin and the underlying tissue. The needles are placed at specific points on the body and no substance is injected. Currently she is writing articles for Acupuncture Boston. Acupuncture Alarm PointsEach one of the 12 major Meridians of the body has one special Gua sha acupuncture point. This point is sometimes called the Mu point and it is associated with the organ for which the Meridian is named. These points are also called acupuncture alarm points. All but two of them are located on the chest and abdomen. The remaining two are located at the tip of the eleventh and the twelfth ribs. The one on the eleventh rib is associated with the Spleen Meridian. The one on the twelfth rib is associated with the Kidney Meridian. When an organ name is used to describe a Meridian, it is capitalized. This is to distinguish it from the actual organ. Although organs are associated with the Meridians, this association is not total and that explains the capitalization. The acupuncture alarm points, however, are located directly above the organ that is used to name the Meridian. These points are very powerful and have a dramatic effect when they are involved in treatment. In order to use these acupuncture alarm points to the maximum, a practitioner must understand the relationships between Meridians and various body systems. For example, the Lung Meridian controls all things having to do with the skin. The Kidney Meridian controls muscles and ligaments. Even the different emotions such as grief, worry, and anger are also each associated with different Meridians. Direct stimulation of the alarm point can have a dramatic effect on the system controlled by the Meridian. This stimulation can be manual, electrical, or through normal acupuncture needling. This system of acupuncture alarm points exists also in some of the holistic acupuncture systems such as Koryo Sooji Chim, or Korean Hand Acupuncture. These systems basically repeat the pattern of the body acupuncture on smaller parts of the body such as the scalp or the ear. In the case of Korean Hand Acupuncture, all the major Meridians and therefore all the corresponding acupuncture alarm points would be located on the hand as well as there normal places on the body. Acupuncture alarm points sometimes show redness or tenderness. This is thought to be a signal of a potential problem with the associated organ systems. This is part of the reason why they are called alarm points. An examination to diagnose a patient in Traditional Chinese Medicine would involve a review of the alarm points as a standard part of the procedure. |