FQAs
Q: How Old is Acupuncture?
Based on recent archaeological discoveries, scholars now believe acupuncture in a rudimentary form may date back 5000, even 7000 years. It’s probably safe to say that acupuncture has been a healing method to some degree at least that long.

Q: What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a complex branch of ancient Asian medicine, but its practical principles and methods are easily understood:

  1. Fourteen major energy channels called Meridians course through the human body including the head, arms, hands, legs, feet, torso, and internal organs.

  2. A subtle energy called Qi (pronounced Chee) circulates via the meridians to all parts of the body, even the most remote cells.

  3. Qi is the vital force, the presence of which separates the living from the dead. Its balanced, unimpeded flow is critical to sound health.

  4. Any misdirection, blockage, or other derangement of the amount, flow, or balance of Qi may result in pain, dysfunction, or ill health.

  5. With acupuncture needles, or other means, the acupuncturist stimulates certain points (Acupoints) along the course of the meridians. Such stimulation helps restore the normal balance and flow of Qi so organs and bodily systems can work together in harmony as intended. This sets the stage for the body to repair itself and maintain its own health.
Q: Is Acupuncture Painful?
Unlike hypodermic needles, acupuncture needles are solid and hair-thin, and they are not designed to cut the skin. They are also inserted to much more shallow levels than hypodermic needles, generally no more than a half-inch to an inch depending on the type of treatment being delivered.
While each person experiences acupuncture differently, most people feel only a minimal amount of pain as the needles are inserted. Some people reportedly feel a sensation of excitement, while others feel relaxed.
Q: Besides Needles, What Are Other Treatment Options?
While needle treatment is traditional, other effective means of bringing about the desired physiological response include acupressure (finger pressure), blunt probes, pressure massage, electronic stimulation, laser, heat, cold, ultrasound, moxibustion, herbal therapy, to name a few.
Q: How Long Do Treatments Take?
It depends on the patient’s condition and the treatment plan, each treatment averages one hour.

Q: How Many Treatments And How Often?
Because each patient’s health problems and response to treatment are unique, the number and frequency of treatments vary. Typically, the recommendation is two to three treatments per week for eight to sixteen treatments, although some patients respond favorably after only one or two treatments.
Some may not improve until the eighth or ninth visit. Others may require two or three treatments per week for several months for maximum results.
Q: What Brought Acupuncture To The United States?
In the early 1970s American newspaper reporters covering President Richard Nixon's visit to China wrote about a "miraculous" healing art virtually unknown in the United States. The method immediately caught the American imagination, and suddenly a new word was on millions of American lips: Acupuncture. According to news reports, instead of using chemical anesthetics, Chinese acupuncturists were able to block the pain of surgery by deftly inserting needles into the patient at specific points.
Even more astonishing, it was said that acupuncture relieved a wide variety of human ills, and had worked reliably for people through thousands of years. That publicity brought acupuncture into great demand by many American, some of them seeking a last resort remedy for serious afflictions.