Treatment Modalities

Acupuncture is about restoring the proper flow of energy through the body. Pain from over-exercise, incorrect posture, chronic illness, inflammation or any other number of factors often indicates blocked blood and oxygen flow.

Imagine a canal where the water isn’t flowing because it has been blocked up with sticks and debris. Acupuncture removes that debris so the stagnant water is moving again.

With acupuncture, you’ll feel results immediately. Most people report feeling relaxed and calm right after a treatment. And when things are brought back into balance, all kinds of wonderful shifts can occur.

I once treated a woman who came back and told me, “I couldn’t believe it, I went home and I didn’t want to eat cake. I normally, every day I come home and I want to eat something sweet.” I didn’t set out to cure her sugar cravings, but when things are brought back into balance, the effects are immediate.

Chinese herbs are a powerful component of long-term healing. Whether for an acute or a chronic condition, consistent use of the right herbs will support and nourish the system like nothing else. As herbs work internally over time, they are the perfect complement to the immediacy of treatments like acupuncture and cupping.

In today’s society people are often depleted or run down in, which can create pain and fatigue. Pain and low energy may very well come from an internal deficiency that needs to be nourished; and that’s how Chinese herbs work — by nourishing the organs in different ways and correcting the flow of chi, restoring balance from the inside.

Cupping is an ancient process of creating suction with special cups to restore blood flow in areas of our bodies that are not getting enough or are tight from repetitive use and stress. It can be surprising to see cupping marks on someone’s body, but they actually don’t hurt.

It’s an  amazing treatment that feels great, frees range of motion, and has an immediate effect.

The cups draw up stagnant fluids like blood, toxins, or lactic acid and then get fresh blood flow through the area once released.

It is especially powerful for people who are active, or for those who have stress from sitting at a desk or driving all day.

Moxa, or moxibustion, is a powerful warming therapy.

Moxa is a plant mix based around mugwort that is burned and held close to the skin. The result is better energy flow through the body, a strengthened immune system, more balanced hormones, and pain relief.

I incorporate this gentle relaxing therapy with most people I treat. It feels warming and comforting, and in Chinese Medicine we say it helps nourish organ systems and the body when depleted.

Nutrition and whole food based supplements are the secret keys for supporting and rounding out all of the other treatments. I’ve found that if a person’s nutrition is out of balance, all the herbs and acupuncture in the world won’t fix the root cause until we address and correct nutrition.

In my nutrition work, I exclusively use whole food supplements because they are verifiably made from whole foods and recreate the whole food complex structures found in nature. Whole food supplements and nutrients come in appropriate doses that your body can actually use and metabolize, not in excessive amounts that end up as waste.

Flower essences are subtle, energetic medicine that function as a gentle way to help balance emotions. They are from essences of flowers used specifically for their unique properties that help shift our state of being.

I love to incorporate them as a balance with other treatments like acupuncture or cupping.

Taking the essences help with the emotional component of what’s going on and gently support longer-term behavior pattern change.