What to Expect
I reserve an hour for each appointment for children and adults, where we first talk about your concerns, and then I use a method of Classical Chinese medicine called dynamic pulse taking in order to listen to the information your body wants to offer. This allows me to put together a treatment that gets to the root of what’s causing your issue.
This process can be a lot like peeling away the layers of an onion in that sometimes we’ve been living with symptoms for so long that they’ve become a part of who we think we are; addressing past injuries and trauma (that you may no longer consider significant) can play a role in your healing. The pulse is a wonderful tool in discovering information considered part of the by gone past.
Remote treatments, via video call, flow similarly to in-person treatments, except without the use of needles. Rather than using the pulse, the tongue can be a helpful diagnostic tool, and instead of using needles to re-direct energy, we are using our consciousness to produce the same effect. My primary teacher, Ann Cecil-Sterman, discusses her and her patients’ experience with remote treatments in this blog post.
During your treatment, we will also talk about Chinese medicine food therapy, which is an approach to using food for healing, based on its’ energetics, and greatly enhances your treatments. In fact, I also offer consultations for food therapy, and without acupuncture treatments, patients report feeling much better just by making some tweaks to their diets.
I’ll also talk to you about herbal medicine if I think it would help in your case. I’m board certified in Chinese Herbal Medicine through the National Certification Commission on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and only use the highest quality herbs from Golden Flower Chinese Herbs, a company based in Albuquerque. You can read more about the company’s commitment to quality, safety, and sustainability here.
Feel free to ask me about herbal medicine you can keep at home for your family for things like coughs, colds, flus, and pain!
Frequently Asked Questions
what is your fee, and why don’t you accept insurance?
$150/treatment. My goal is to provide the best treatment for each individual patient, driven by proper pulse diagnosis and the highest standard of medicine. Accepting insurance would mean that someone not trained in acupuncture would determine what part of your treatment would be covered, passing along the uncovered cost to you. I prefer to focus on increasing the quality of my work and being able to spend adequate time with you.
Can I use my HSA account to pay for treatment?
Yes. please do!
Why do you have a 24 hour cancellation policy?
In order to provide high quality care, appointments are limited to ensure more time with each patient. Changing or canceling an appointment with less than 24 hours notice makes it difficult to impossible for others to book that appointment time. Thank you for understanding that I charge the full fee for appointments changed, canceled, or not attended with less than 24 hours notice.
Is it customary to tip your acupuncturist?
Tipping is not customary or expected in acupuncture, but as in any business, referrals are the best show of appreciation and graciously appreciated.
How long are appointments?
In order to maintain a high quality practice, I see one patient per hour. Depending on the type of treatment indicated by your pulse, we sometimes leave needles in for up to 40 minutes. Other times and in other circumstances, it could be as short as 20 minutes.
At my first appointment, will I get a treatment?
Yes. At appointments, I simply ask people how I can help. This opens the door for you to tell me what you think I should know. Then, I'll take your pulse, which may prompt additional questions and conversation. No paperwork. No hundred questions.
Does acupuncture hurt?
This is a very common question, and in my experience, most people say no, but my full, honest answer is that it can vary from day to day, from patient to patient, and from treatment to treatment.
If you’ve never experienced acupuncture, your experience with needles has been with hypodermic needles which inject or withdraw something from our bodies and are much, much larger than acupuncture needles. Acupuncture needles do not inject or withdraw a substance into or from the body but instead work with energy. In eastern medicine, this is called qi (pronounced chee). Often, when we don’t have the word for a sensation, we resort to calling it pain, but any discomfort associated with acupuncture treatments is usually very short lived, and people most commonly report feeling much more relaxed than before the treatment.
Is acupuncture safe?
When performed by a properly trained and licensed acupuncturist, it is very safe.
Do you reuse the needles?
No. Needles are single use and are disposed in a sharps container like other medical waste.
Why do you take my pulse?
In Chinese Medicine, the pulse is a critical diagnostic tool. There are three pulse positions on each wrist and three different levels that correspond to our organs and resources (mediumship), allowing me to be very specific with your treatment plan. For example, something as common and seemingly similar as back pain can require vastly different treatments. In my experience, the way for me to provide the best treatment is using pulse diagnosis.
why do you look at my tongue?
The tongue is another diagnostic tool used in Chinese Medicine, though it is secondary in my practice. When I began acupuncture school, I thought everyone had the same tongue--just a tongue. Not true. Tongues are highly varied and can provide helpful information about what has been happening in our bodies. If you can avoid eating or drinking exceptionally colorful food or drink shortly before your appointment, that’s helpful in giving a clearer picture.
What should I wear to an acupuncture treatment? Do I have to undress?
How much you need to undress depends on the type of treatment indicated by your pulse, and I will explain that as we go. Because we are inserting needles into the body that will rest there, it can be difficult to keep you fully draped at all times, but I will make every effort to make sure you're comfortable.
It's convenient if you can wear loose fitting separates so that the lower legs and abdomen or back are easily available, because sometimes that's all I would need access to; other times, I will need you to take off a top, bottom, or both. In this case, we will cover you as much as possible and work around the cover. Alternatively, you can keep acu-clothes in your car: shorts, t-shirt, and where applicable, a non-sports bra (difficult to get underneath).
