Acupuncture FAQ

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has a rich history, dating back thousands of years. Traditionally, acupuncture is used to restore the healthful, dynamic balance between the two complementary forces in the body, Yin (material substance) and Yang (energetic, transformational vitality). A person is healthy when these two forces are in harmonious balance. Disease occurs when there is substantial disharmony within the system—Yin and Yang no longer achieve a dynamic balance as disease dominates the body. Of course, acupuncture was developed long before the advent of modern science and many of today’s technological wonders that have unlocked the understanding the human body. The ancient doctors may have used poetic terms like Yin and Yang, but they were describing the basic foundation of human health still used in modern medicine. In describing Yin, they spoke of the substantial, physical aspect of the body—the vital organs, the blood, the body fluids, the tissues like muscle, tendon, and bone. In describing Yang, they spoke about the energetic, transformational vitality of the body—what we today would call cellular metabolic processes where proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are broken down and recombined within cells to give us the basic energy of life.

Yes. Since the mid-1970s when the practice of acupuncture first became popular in the United States, there have been over 10,000 scientific studies investigating acupuncture for the treatment for a wide range of diseases. Many of these studies have demonstrated that acupuncture produces beneficial effect for many conditions, and when combined with conventional treatments, such as pharmaceuticals or physical therapy, it greatly enhances their effectiveness.

Many of the most highly rated healthcare institutions in the country have added acupuncture to their in-patient and out-patient treatment centers. These include:

• Harvard University Health Services
• Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• George Washington University for Integrative Medicine
• MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
• Columbia University Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
• UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine
• Mayo Clinic
• Cleveland Clinic
• United States Military Health System

Modern research has set out to determine the physiological mechanism of acupuncture. Some studies suggest that acupuncture points are located at sites where stimulation can affect the activity of multiple nerves. The stimulation of these sites by the insertion of acupuncture needles may modify pain processing in the central nervous system, stimulating the release of hormones, endorphins, and neurotransmitters that can increase the blood flow to areas of the body and reduce pain. Other studies have shown that acupuncture may have a direct effect on the tissues where needles are inserted, producing an anti-inflammatory response in myofascial tissue, which can reduce pain and produce other healthful effects.

Acupuncture has been the subject of more than 10,000 scientific studies over the past 50 years investigating how it produces therapeutic effect in the human body. Research has demonstrated that acupuncture produces beneficial effects on the body through 3 main mechanisms:

1. Stimulation of release of endorphins in the pain centers of the central nervous system
2. Stimulation of the serotonin system throughout the body
3. Anti-inflammatory effects in local tissues

Acupuncture and Endorphins
Endorphins are a set of 4 neurotransmitters released within the brain which bind to the body’s opioid receptors, reducing pain. Studies on the effects of acupuncture to treat chronic pain, including low back pain and diabetic neuropathic pain, have demonstrated that acupuncture can produce a simultaneous release of all 4 endorphins, resulting in a maximal pain-relieving effect.

Acupuncture and Serotonin
Most people know of the neurotransmitter serotonin and its effect on regulating mood in such conditions as depression and anxiety. However, an increasing body of research is showing that serotonin, as a major regulator of the central nervous system, has a key role in chronic pain conditions. In an examination of the result of 37 clinical trials, it was concluded that acupuncture has a real effect on increasing serotonin levels in the central nervous system, blood, and local tissues of the body. By increasing serotonin levels, it is theorized that acupuncture can produce positive effects to reduce pain, produce relaxation, and improve mood in those with depression and anxiety.

The Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Acupuncture
Recently, the effects of chronic inflammation have been linked to a wide variety of diseases—heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, obesity. These diseases affect an overwhelming portion of our population. Normally, inflammation is a natural response of the body when we are injured or get an infection. We have all experienced the redness, warmth, swelling, and pain in the tissues or joints when we injure or cut ourselves—this is the body’s immune system mobilizing white blood cells to surround and protect the area. It is the same when we get a cold or the flu. The white blood cells dissolve damaged cells and promote tissue remodeling to repair the injury caused by viruses or bacteria. Once the the injury is healed, the immune system stops the inflammatory response. Sometime, however, the inflammatory response continues on to become a chronic condition. The white blood cells begin to attack healthy tissues throughout the body—chronic inflammation plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of multiple diseases.

In a comprehensive examination of the results of 363 clinical trials, demonstrated that acupuncture produces an effect on local myofascial tissue to increase the secretion of various bio-chemicals that control the local inflammatory response in a wide variety of immune cells. Also, it was shown that stimulation of nerves at the local acupoints transmit signals to the central nervous system, producing an anti-inflammatory response across the whole body. It is believed that acupuncture can produce positive healing responses for a wide variety of chronic, systemic diseases through this anti-inflammatory mechanism.

Acupuncture has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, but contemporary acupuncture treatment is also equally informed by modern medicine based on the muscular, skeletal, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, immune, and reproductive systems. Acupuncturists are licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine, have 4 years of conventional medical training, and have passed a series of rigorous national board exams in both acupuncture and conventional medicine.

In addition to conventional medicine, acupuncturists are trained in alternative medicine theories that give a more holistic perspective on health, disease, and the human being. Our training teaches us to see the complete individual seeking care, to understand not only their physical complaints, but also to understand how they think and feel, so that we can assemble a complete picture of the “pattern of disharmony” that is negatively affecting their health. By seeing beyond the test results on the page, we can see the whole person and the underlying causes of their disease. Having an accurate picture of the individual is the most important factor in making an accurate diagnosis which leads to effective treatment to achieve lasting results.

Acupuncture is most well known for its ability to treat pain conditions such as headaches, lower back, knee, and neck pain. As has been demonstrated by numerous research studies, acupuncture has been shown to increase the release of endorphins in the brain, which bind to opioid receptors to reduce pain. But acupuncture can treat more than pain. According to the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, acupuncture has been shown to have a beneficial effect to reduce symptoms in a wide range of disease including:

Addiction Recovery
• Opioid Withdrawal
• Tobacco Smoking Cessation

Cancer-Support
• Cancer Pain
• Neuropathy
• Nausea and Vomiting post Chemo

Cardiovascular
• Heart Palpitations/Irregular Heartbeat

Chronic Inflammation
• Autoimmune diseases
• Cancer-support
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Endometriosis
• Fatty Liver Disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Type 2 Diabetes

Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat
• Chronic sore throat
• Conjunctivitis/Dry eyes/Red Eyes
• Post-extraction pain
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Toothache

Gastrointestinal
• Acute/chronic ulcers
• Acute and chronic gastritis,
• Colitis
• Constipation
• Diarrhea/Chronic loose stools
• Food allergies
• Indigestion
• Inflammatory Bowel
Disease/Crohn’s/Ulcerative Colitis
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Nausea and vomiting

Men’s Health
• Chronic Prostatitis/Enlarged Prostate
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Infertility

Metabolic Disorders
• High Blood Pressure/Hypertension
• High Cholesterol/Hyperlipidemia
• Hyper/Hypothyroidism/Grave’s Disease/Hashimoto’s Disease
• Insulin Resistance
• Overweight/Obesity
• Type 2 Diabetes

Musculoskeletal Pain
• Back Pain
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Cervical-brachial syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Headache, tension
• Knee Pain/Meniscus Tears/Ligament Tears
• Lower Back Pain
• Myofascial Pain Syndrome
• Neck Pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Postoperative Pain
• Sciatica/Lumbar Nerve Root Radiculopathy
• Shoulder Pain/Rotator Cuff Impingement
• Sports injuries/sprains
• Tendonitis/tennis elbow

Neurological
• Bell’s Palsy
• Headache
• Intercostal Neuralgia/Post Herpetic Myalgia (Shingles)
• Meniere’s disease/dizziness
• Migraine
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Peripheral Neuropathy

Psychological
• Anxiety
• Depression

Respiratory and Immune System
• Acute sinusitis
• Allergic rhinitis, including hay fever
• Common cold, flu, cough
• Immune system deficiency
• Acute bronchitis, bronchial asthma
• Emphysema
• Asthma
• Seasonal Allergies

Urinary
• Dribbling Urination
• Frequent Urination
• Stress incontinence
• Urinary tract infections
• Urinary Incontinence

Wellness
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Stress

Women’s Health
• Cesarean Scar Therapy
• Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
• Endometriosis
• Gestational Diabetes
• Infertility/IVF and IUI care
• Labor induction/Breech Presentation
• Menopausal Hot Flashes
• Menstruation Disorders (irregular, heavy, or painful)
• Morning sickness
• Osteopenia/Osteoporosis
• Prenatal care
• Perinatal care
• Post-natal care
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

For most patients, significant improvement can likely be achieved within 8 to 24 treatments. There are a number of factors, however, that can affect recovery time.

As a general rule of thumb, recovery time and the number of acupuncture treatments needed is directly related to the length of time the health complaint has been affecting the patient. A chronic condition that has been present for months or years will take more acupuncture treatments to resolve than a condition that is only weeks old.

Another factor affecting recovery time is the complexity of the disease and the overall health of the patient. A complex disease affecting internal organs that has already advanced in a very ill person will be more difficult to treat than a condition affecting the muscles in a relatively healthy individual.

The age of the patient also is a strong predictor of anticipated recovery time. Younger patients, especially children, tend to recovery more quickly and with fewer acupuncture treatments than older patients.

Most major employer-based health insurance offer coverage for acupuncture, as well as Medicare supplemental plans and Veteran’s Affairs plans. The specific level of coverage, the qualifying conditions, and the member deductibles and copayment/coinsurance depend on the details of each individual plan. We can often inquire about member benefits directly with the insurance companies, but its is the patient’s responsibilities to understand the details of the coverage offered by their health insurance plan. This information can be determined by contacting member services for your health insurance company directly.

For those who do not have health insurance or have high deductibles, we offer affordable cash rates when paid at time of service.

While acupuncture is generally considered to not be painful, it should not be considered absolutely painless either. For many conditions, especially musculoskeletal pain, acupuncture works best when the patient experiences some sensation at the local needling site, which is often experienced as tingling, numbness, heaviness, and other feelings of moving energy. This is an indication that the needle has been put in the correct location and will produce the optimum healing effect.

If you are sensitive to acupuncture, we can use very thin gauge needles or small, non-penetrating needles held in place with adhesive tape. These can reduce your sensitivity to allow you to receive a full acupuncture treatment and will still produce a healing effect for your condition.

If done following established safety protocols by a licensed acupuncturist, the risks of acupuncture are very minimal. At Alleva Acupuncture, we follow established safety protocols with regards to needle placement and only use sterile, single-use, disposable needles. We also practice clean needle technique, cleaning the skin of the selected acupuncture points with alcohol to eliminate the risk of infection.

Occasionally, there may be minor bruising at an acupuncture needle location or minor soreness the day after treatment. Both of these conditions typically resolve within a day or two and do not require any additional medical care.

Some healthcare professionals say that dry needling is different than acupuncture, but in reality, dry needling is just a specific needling technique that has been part of acupuncture for thousands of years.

Over the past decade, dry needling performed by physical therapists or chiropractors to treat muscle pain, has become quite popular. In dry needling, fine, short, stainless steel needles are inserted through the skin and into painful trigger points in muscle tissue. The needles are then strongly manipulated with a lifting and thrusting technique until the trigger point releases.

While acupuncture does use a set of acupoints with fixed locations throughout the body used to treat the underlying cause of disease, the system has always recognized that knots arise in muscle tissue which cause tremendous pain and dysfunction. These pain points, called “Ashi” points in acupuncture, are located deep in the muscle tissue, just like trigger points are in dry needling. And just like dry needling, acupuncture uses strong lifting and thrusting needle manipulation to release these painful knots. But unlike dry needling, which only addresses superficial muscle pain, acupuncture can also treat the underlying “patterns of disharmony” that have caused the muscle to painfully knot in the first place. Acupuncture is a comprehensive healthcare system that can relieve pain, but more importantly, it also can heal the imbalances in the body to prevent pain from returning.