Does it hurt?
How long until I’m
cured?
What do you treat?
Will acupuncture
interfere with medications I’m taking or
other treatments I’m receiving?
So how does this work?
Do you work with herbs?
What
are private setting treatments?
What are open setting
treatments?
I’m not really
comfortable with needles. Is there anything else
we can try?
What is the difference
between TCM and Classical Chinese Medicine?
No, acupuncture does not hurt, but
it can elicit a variety of sensations. Most patients
report feeling a slight pinching sensation as
the treatment beings, a feeling which soon gives
way to a more relaxed experience as the qi flow
is adjusted. A common sensation patients describe
is a heavy, slightly achy feeling that may radiate
up or down from the point of stimulation. This
is a normal qi sensation as it moves along the
meridian pathways.
The most important element of a treatment is the
patient’s comfort and ability to relax during
treatments. Good communication with your acupuncturist
is suggested and strongly encouraged during all
phases of treatment (before, during and after).
Because everyone’s health is different,
this answer lies with the individual and with
his or her particular health concern. Most patients
feel a change in their energy levels after the
first or second treatment, and see definitive
and longer lasting relief from symptoms by the
fourth or fifth treatment. Acute conditions (a
few days to a couple weeks) will respond quicker
than chronic conditions (longer than a few weeks).
At simply acupuncture NYC, your
treatment plan will often include a "reassessment"
target to discuss how the treatments are progressing,
giving you an opportunity to voice any concerns
or questions about your treatment plan and experiences.
simply acupuncture NYC treats
you as an individual, and whatever status your
health is in at the moment. We treat imbalances
of the respiratory, digestive, neurological, and
cardiovascular systems; gynecological and sexual
disorders; stress and anxiety; and emotional disorders.
We work with managing pain for acute and chronic
conditions, as well as disorder of the muscles
and joints.
Acupuncture is not contraindicated
for medications, and in fact may help your body
metabolize them more effectively, or help ease
some of the side effects that medications commonly
elicit. Be sure to let your acupuncturist know
what medications and other medical treatments
your are undergoing, so that the acupuncture treatments
can be adjusted accordingly.
As with all medical treatments, we at simply
acupuncture NYC strongly encourage you
to consult with your physician before you begin
acupuncture or any activity that may affect your
health.
Every new patient sits down for an Initial Consultation
with the acupuncturist. Here, we go over your
past - your medical history, any past traumas
or significant events - and discuss your life
in the present - your lifestyle choices, relationships,
work habits, emotional disposition and stresses.
Then, together, we determine what you want to
be in the future - pain free, less stressed or
more balanced, for example. After the Initial
Consultation we move on to the First Treatment,
whether in a Private Setting or Open Setting..
At our Manhattan location, we offer Private Setting
Treatments, which are the traditional way that
patients interact with medical practitioners -
one on one, in a private room. In these 60-minute
Private Setting Treatments, the practitioner utilizes
acupuncture as well as other modalities like tui
na (Chinese massage), cupping, moxibustion (heat
therapy via burning herbs), and gua sha as appropriate.
In our 30-minute Ear Acupuncture treatments, we
use acupuncture points on the ear only. Private
Setting Treatments enable the acupuncturist to
focus solely on the patient and his or her experience
and reaction to acupuncture treatment.
At our Forest Hills location we offer Open Setting
Treatments, a community-style acupuncture where
patients are treated individually while sharing
in a common tranquil environment. Using acupuncture
points located solely from the elbows and knees
down and/or from the neck up eliminates the need
for patients to change into a dressing gown or
remove any clothing. This style enables us to
treat quickly and efficiently and at a lower cost
to our patients.
No, we do not work with herbs. While we are trained
in the theories underlying Chinese herbal medicine,
and continue to study Chinese medical theory related
to herbal treatments, simply acupuncture
NYC believes that treatment through
acupuncture is a simple and most effective way
to alleviate symptoms and bring about healing.
Most Western medical treatments using needles
have been painful and unpleasant, which is unfortunate!
The needles used in acupuncture are tiny, a fraction
of the size of typical needles used for shots
and things like that. There are a variety of ways
to stimulate the flow of qi without using strong
stimulation, and a good acupuncturist can adjust
the treatment to your comfort level.
You can always schedule an Initial Consultation
to begin with, where we can go over your history
and health concerns, and discuss your treatment
options.
Traditional Chinese Medicine or “TCM”
as it is popularly know in the United States,
is the current style of acupuncture and herbal
medicine taught in China as well as the majority
of Oriental medical schools in the United States.
This style was consolidated in China during the
1950's in order to revive the traditions of Chinese
culture as well as incorporate the medical theories
utilized in the West. Classical Chinese Medicine
is the term given to the wide variety of Chinese
medicine and acupuncture that predates TCM, and
goes all the way back to the ancient texts Nei
Jing and Nan Jing, on which the origins of Chinese
medicine is based. These writings have been dated
to over 2,500 years ago - some even suggest the
origins date back 5,000 years - and they continue
to be used today.
The style of Chinese medical theory as taught
at the Swedish Institue College of Health Sciences
and through the efforts of Taoist Master Jeffrey
Yuen puts heavy emphasis on the historical developments
of Chinese medicine and highlights the many social,
economic and philosophical developments that took
place in China over the centuries through modern
times. The resulting practitioners are knowledgeable
not only in TCM, but in several styles of acupuncture
that address every aspect of the human experience
- physical, mental and emotional - as well as
the cycles of human life. Rather than following
formulas or protocols based on symptoms, these
practitioners are trained to view medicine as
an art, respecting each patient in his or her
own uniqueness, and treat accordingly.
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