Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Oriental Medicine?
Oriental Medicine is a holistic medical system that has been practiced in Asia for thousands of years. It incorporates modalities such as acupuncture, herbal formulas, cupping, moxabustion, therapeutic massage, dietary counseling and exercise (including qi-gong, tai-chi). Oriental Medicine focuses on the promotion of health, prevention of illness and treatment of disease through natural, non-invasive remedies. The goal is to restore harmony and balance to the body as a whole taking into consideration the body, mind, spirit and emotions.
Q: How does Acupuncture work?
Acupuncture is based on the understanding that a series of meridians run across the whole body, similar to the nerves and blood vessels, through which Qi flows. If there is a disruption in the flow of Qi (such as through trauma, stress, poor diet, etc.) then the subsequent imbalance will lead to pain, dysfunction and ill health. The insertion of needles at specific points along the meridians reestablishes the flow of Qi and encourages the body’s inherent healing abilities.
Q: What conditions are treatable with Acupuncture?
The World Health Organization recognizes the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating over 40 conditions such as:
Musculo-Skeletal: arthritis, pain in different parts of the body (back, neck, shoulder, knee, etc) sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, disc problems, TMJ, fibromyalgia.
Gynecological: PMS, uterine fibroid, ovarian cysts, menstrual irregularity, menopausal syndrome, infertility.
Gastrointestinal: acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, ulcers, colitis, hemorrhoids.
Respiratory: cold and flu’s, asthma, sinusitis, bronchial conditions, cough.
Neurological: post-stroke paralysis, Bell’s palsy, neuralgia, headache, migraine, dizziness.
Psycho-Emotional: anxiety, depression, insomnia, nervousness, stress.
Urogenital: UTI, incontinence, impotence.
Skin: shingles, rash, psoriasis.
Additional benefits: facial rejuvenation, increase energy, relaxation and strengthened immunity.
Q: What conditions does Melissa specialize in and loves to treat with Acupuncture?
Facial Rejuvenation: fine lines and wrinkles, acne, acne scars, sagging of neck and cheeks, eye drooping, age and sunspots, among others.
Orthopedic conditions, sprains and strains, overuse injuries, pain management, post-surgical care, sports injuries, among others.
Psycho-Emotional Conditions such as: anxiety, depression, grief, stress, insomnia, among many others.
Q: Is Acupuncture safe?
Yes, when performed by a licensed acupuncturist. The needles are sterilized and disposable.
Q: Does Acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture needles are hair-thin and generally painless. There is a wide range of sensations as acupuncture stimulates the acupoints such as warmth, tingling, heaviness, or electric feeling moving up and down the channels. There may be no sensation at all. Most patients report a deep sense of relaxation and many fall asleep during treatment.
Q: How long will it take to feel results?
Because each patient’s health problems and response to treatment are unique, the number and frequency of treatment vary. An acute condition may take only a few treatments to see significant improvement. A longer course of treatments is usually necessary for chronic conditions. In general, it is highly recommended to get at least 3-6 consecutive treatments to start noticing results.
There are a small percentage of patients that, despite the acupuncturist best effort and skill, do not respond to treatment.
Q: How do I prepare for treatment?
Wear loose clothing, eat a light meal. Avoid treatment when hungry, full, emotionally upset, or under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs. Please bring with you any documents that have been sent to fill out prior to appointment and are required for your treating physician.
Q: Can I bring a minor to the appointment?
While you are getting treated, we do not allow unsupervised minors in the office. Thank you for understanding.
Q: What’s the cancellation/late policy?
Our goal is to provide quality care in a timely manner. In order to do so, we have had to implement an appointment cancellation/late policy.
Your appointment is very important to us. We hold your appointment just for you and ask that if you must cancel or reschedule appointments, you please provide us with a 24-hour notice. Failure to do so may incur a $50 cancellation fee.
Appointments are in high demand, and your early cancellation will give another person the opportunity to have access to timely care. This policy enables us to better utilize available appointments for our clients.
We understand circumstances may arise and we generally allow a 10-minute grace period. Please call if you think you are going to be late, and we will do our best to see if we can still provide part of the session.
If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your appointment and you haven't called us, it may be considered a missed appointment, and you may be charged a cancellation fee of $50.
We appreciate your business and your compliance with our policies!
Q: What is Cupping?
Cupping is a therapy in which small glass or plastic cups are placed on the skin to create suction that draws the skin’s superficial layer into the cup promoting energy flow.
It’s great to relieve muscle or fascia tension therefore decreasing pain, inflammation and increasing ROM.
Cupping helps detoxify the body from muscles and energy channels. It can be used to release toxins from lungs (cold, flu-like conditions, smoking, grief), toxins from the liver (anger, alcohol), among other toxins.
It helps relieve tension, promote blood flow and detoxifies the body by breaking the congestion and restoring the body's natural flow of energy.
Cupping is safe, but can cause bruising, soreness, burns, and discomfort after treatment.Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese healing technique in which skin is scraped to produce light petechiae (sha). It helps stimulate microcirculation of the soft tissue, which increases blood flow. It helps break up stagnant energy, reduces inflammation, promotes healing, and relieves muscle and fascia tension. It’s a safe procedure but it can result in bruising, soreness and skin irritation.
Cupping is a service that may be included in your acupuncture session depending on the condition that is being treated.
Q: What is Moxabustion?
Moxabustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that consists of burning dried mugwort on or near the skin. The intention is too warm and invigorate the flow of qi in the body and dispel certain pathogenic influences. Moxabustion is safe but it can cause side effects such as burns, allergic reactions, or infections.
Moxabustion is a service that may be included in your acupuncture session depending on the condition that is being treated.
Q: What is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese healing technique in which skin is scraped to produce light petechiae (sha). It helps stimulate microcirculation of the soft tissue, which increases blood flow. It helps break up stagnant energy, reduces inflammation, promotes healing, and relieves muscle and fascia tension. It’s a safe procedure but it can result in bruising, soreness and skin irritation.
Gua Sha is a service is a service that may be included in your acupuncture session depending on the condition that is being treated.
Q. What is LED Light Therapy?
LED (light-emitting diode) light therapy is a non-invasive treatment that enters the skin’s layers to improve the skin.
We offer 3 different types of LED light therapies. Depending on your condition your practitioner will decide which one is the best suited for your needs. Sometimes a combination of light therapies might be used.
Red light therapy (630-700nm):
The benefits of red-light therapy are to improve the appearance and health of the skin laxity and increase collagen production. It supports the improvement of fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, acne, sun damage and dull skin. It also helps with hair loss, weight loss, reduces inflammation and improves wound healing.
Yellow light therapy (560-620nm):
Yellow light therapy helps increases cell oxygen utilization, promotes circulation, helps remove pigments, reduces red spots and red face. It’s good for rosacea, bruising, spider veins, hot skin, acne and other skin conditions.
Blue light therapy (400-490nm):
Blue light therapy is beneficial for to help kill bacteria and fungus; and it cleans the skin. It is good for candida, nail fungus, injury recovery, skin sterilization and preventions of wounds.
It takes around 10 sessions to start noticing results. Treatments can be done 2-3x per week. Each treatment lasts aproximately 20mins.
Q. What is InfraRed Chakra Stone Therapy?
InfraRed Therapy it is classified as light therapy, but you do not see it, you feel it as warmth. It penetrates deep into the skin (800-1000nm).
The benefits of InfraRed Therapy are:
It improves deep tissue repair and regeneration by stimulating fibroblast and collagen formation.
Decreases pain by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation.
Detoxifies the body by breaking up fat and toxins in the cells.
Helps with weight loss by boosting metabolism.
Improves relaxation and quality of sleep.
The benefits of the semi-precious stones in the mat are:
Root: red jasper (brings insight into difficult situations and calms the emotions)
Sacral: carnelian (promotes positive life choices and motivates for success)
Solar plexus: yellow aventurine (helps focus intentions and provides ease in being yourself)
Heart: green aventurine (dissolves negative emotions and thoughts)
Throat: blue lace agate (assists with verbal expression of thoughts and feelings)
3rd eye: sodalite (brings emotional balance and enhances self-esteem)
Crown: amethyst (assists with physical and emotional issues)
Treatments last around 20-30 mins and it will be used in conjunction with other modalities at the same time. Treatments can be done 2-3x a week.
Q. How much does LED Light Therapy and Infra-red Chakra Mat cost?
Stand-alone Prices:
Combo Light Therapy & Infra-Red Chakra Mat: $65
Gold Program: $240 (orig. $390)
Program includes:
6 Combo Light Therapy & Infra-Red Chakra Mat
Platinum Program: $300 (orig. $650)
Program includes:
10 Combo Light Therapy & Infra-Red Chakra Mat
Q. What are Topical Serums?
Carefully hand-crafted TCM topical serums using apple stem cells or Chinese herbs providing faster results. They are specifically made to address the specific skin condition of patients.
Q. What are apple stem cells?
Unique plant extract from Uttiwiler Spatlauber trees of Switzerland that produces rejuvenation effects by stimulating the proliferation of facial cells under the epidermis by an astounding 80%. They have been scientifically proven to active the production of epidermal cells of the skin to start self-renewing at a rate similar to that of early youth. This action helps the skin from developing fine lines and wrinkles, sagging and appearance of unhealthy or dull skin.