Services

Holistic Health Care

I provide an integrative approach to the body that is based on Traditional Chinese Medical Diagnosis. My treatments include acupuncture, Chinese herbs, acupressure, and intuitive bodywork as well as lifestyle counseling. I have been practicing the healing arts for over 30 years.

Holistic medicine treats the whole person not just their symptoms or their western diagnosis. All conditions are a manifestation of the entire person’s history and lifestyle. I specialize in women’s health issues including gynecology and fertility. I also treat women through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum phase. I have trained and worked as a childbirth doula. I am also a certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor so I can discuss yoga postures, stretches, and exercises to aid in recovery.

In my practice I treat all aspects of health from post surgical pain and injuries to chronic systemic conditions such as asthma, arthritis, diabetes, stress related disorders, and digestive issues. I place great emphasis on lifestyle management in order to prevent disease before it occurs. I consider preventative holistic care the best health insurance we can give ourselves.

Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese Herbal Medicine is one of the great healing systems of the world, with an unbroken tradition going back to the 3rd century BC. Throughout history it has continually developed in response to changing clinical conditions, and has been sustained by research into every aspect of its use. This process continues today with the development of modern medical diagnostic techniques and knowledge.

Because of its systematic approach and clinical effectiveness, it has for centuries had a very great influence on the theory and practice of medicine in the East, and has grown rapidly in popularity in the West. It still forms a major part of healthcare in China, and is provided in hospitals alongside western medicine.

Chinese Herbal Medicine, along with the other components of Chinese medicine, is based on the concepts of Yin and Yang. It aims to understand and treat the many ways in which the fundamental balance and harmony between the two may be undermined and the ways in which a person’s Qi or vitality may be depleted or blocked. Clinical strategies are based upon diagnosis of patterns of signs and symptoms that reflect an imbalance.

Chinese herbs can be used by people of any age or constitution. A Chinese herbalist takes all previous as well as current complaints and medication(s) into account before prescribing herbs to you. With suitable adjustments for dosage, anyone, including children, can be treated by Chinese herbal medicine.

People don’t have to cook herbs now, they are predecocted, dehydrated, and pressed into pellets, or granules, making it easy for patients to carry with them.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture needles

Acupuncture needles range from 1/4 inch to several inches in length and a few thousandths to several thousandths of an inch in diameter. The vast majority of needles used in the US are surgical stainless steel but copper, gold and silver are still in use. All needles used today are sterilized and disposable.



Is it painful?


When the needle is inserted the patient may feel nothing or slight pinching sensation. Any pain should subside within a few seconds after insertion. Sensation after needles insertion varies widely. Heaviness around needle, tingling or a feeling like electricity are some common sensations. These represent acupuncture points and channels being activated. Acupuncture is a remarkably safe form of therapy with very few, if any, side effects. Practitioner training, practice and skilled technique minimize pain. With removal of needles, there is rarely any discomfort and bleeding is very rare.



How long is a treatment?



Typically after insertion, the needles are left in 20 to 30 minutes. The experience while the needles are in depends upon the nature of the imbalance of the flow of energy. Sometimes the patient relaxes profoundly or goes to sleep. Other times the patient enter a meditative state. The experience can vary widely during the course of treatment.



How many treatments are needed?




Every person and condition is seen as unique in Chinese medicine. The more chronic a condition, in general, the more treatments will be needed. Some acute conditions can resolve in as few as one treatment.


What should one expect after a treatment?



Experiences can vary after a treatment. The patient may feel extremely relaxed, or light and energized. Sometimes patients experience a state of clarity. Some people will feel invigorated, others will want to go to sleep. Depending on what condition is being treated one should notice the peak effect of the acupuncture treatment within 24 to 48 hours after the treatment.


Is it safe?




The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners in 1996. The FDA requires that sterile, nontoxic needles be used and that they be labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only.
Relatively few complications from the use of acupuncture have been reported to the FDA in light of the millions of people treated each year and the number of acupuncture needles used. Still, complications have resulted from treatments performed by a non-qualified practitioners. Practitioners should use a new set of disposable needles taken from a sealed package for each patient.

There are some rare occurrences of nausea, dizziness, bruising, or fainting. To minimize the danger of falling, be sure you are well supported and/or preferably in a lying position when receiving acupuncture.

Expertise