Frequently Asked Questions About Acupuncture

Acupuncture & TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

Is acupuncture safe?
Don’t the acupuncture needles hurt?
How many acupuncture treatments will take care of the problem?
What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
What kinds of health problems can TCM treat?
Does insurance cover acupuncture treatments?

Acupuncture and Infertility

What kind of infertility-related conditions are treatable with acupuncture?
Why does acupuncture often accompany with Chinese herbs when treating infertility?
How long will it take for acupuncture to treat infertility?
How often are acupuncture treatments required when combined with IVF?
Can acupuncture treat woman with infertility due to high FSH?

Acupuncture and Menopause Symptoms

What is TCM’s view on menopause?
How does effective TCM treat symptoms of menopause?

Is acupuncture safe?

Acupuncture is very gentle and safe! According to Massachusetts State Law, every acupuncturist must use sterile and disposable needles, allowing little chance of transmitting diseases. Occasionally, needles may puncture small blood vessels, leading to small bruises that disappear in a day or two. Since acupuncture treatment has no toxic side effects, it is far safer than Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which has been proven to cause a host of extremely dangerous side effects, and increase the risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers.

Don’t the acupuncture needles hurt?

Because the diameter of the needles is very small (from 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters), the sensation is akin to a minor pinching feeling, or light pressure. The pain from these needles is much less than regular needle injections or the finger puncture involved in drawing blood samples. After the needles are inserted, many patients experience a deep sense of relaxation and calm.

How many acupuncture treatments will take care of the problem?

The length and frequency of treatment varies from person to person depending on the nature, duration, and seriousness of the ailment. In general, acute disorders such as injuries respond dramatically with only two to four sessions. Chronic ailments such as hot flashes or mood swings need one to three sessions each week for several weeks. If personal response is very slow, treatment may need several months. Seven to ten treatments are considered an average recommendation for general disorders.

What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese medicine is a complete medical system that has diagnosed, treated, and prevented illness for over 2,000 years. TCM, including acupuncture, moxibustion, herbs, and Qi Gong, is a true holistic medical system that views the human body as the world in miniature. TCM emphasizes the prevention of disease first and foremost, and considers the relationship of the human body with the natural environment key to good health. Just as a garden needs fertilizer, light, and water to survive and thrive, so too does the human body need healthy foods, a good life style, a healthy mental condition and sometimes, acupuncture and herbal remedies to bring it into balance. The strategy of TCM is to maintain and restore harmony in the body. TCM pays special attention to individual diagnosis and individualized treatment. The balance of yin and yang is the golden standard for all diagnosis and treatment in TCM.

What kinds of health problems can TCM treat?

Throughout Chinese medical history, acupuncture has been used to treat a wide variety of complaints including pain, asthma, arthritis, gastritis, diarrhea, hypertension, depression, headache, stroke, and menopause. As more people discover the effectiveness of acupuncture, it is being used to treat more and more “modern” problems, including smoking cessation and issues related to poor modern diets. In 1979, the World Health Organization published a list of illnesses treatable with acupuncture, which included over 40 diseases involving the respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, and musculoskeletal, and vision systems.

Does insurance cover acupuncture treatments?

Currently, most medical insurance companies do not cover acupuncture treatments in Massachusetts. However, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Tufts Health Plan, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan offer discount programs for their customers. Every holder of the above health plans is eligible to get a discount in our clinic.

Acupuncture and Infertility

What kind of infertility-related conditions are treatable with acupuncture?

Acupuncture treatments have helped women with irregular periods, stopped periods, non-ovulation bleeding, luteal phase defects, high follicle stimulation hormone, repeated miscarriage, as well as unexplained infertility. Acupuncture also treats women with uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. For men, acupuncture can improve a low sperm account, poor sperm quality and low motility, non-liquid sperm, and premature ejaculation.

Why does acupuncture often accompany with Chinese herbs when treating infertility?

The treatment of infertility with acupuncture has been an accepted practice in the US and western world in recent years because of research documenting positive clinical results. Among Chinese, it is very common for an acupuncturist specializing in infertility to combine acupuncture with Chinese herbs.. As a very important part of TCM and an essential part of Chinese Gynecology, Chinese herbs have had a long history in the treatment of infertility, going back to the 5th century A.D. in Chinese medical literature.

There are hundreds of herbal formulas in TCM for the treatment of infertility with strong evidence supporting enhanced results. For many generations in China, clinical evidences have not shown herbal medicine to be harmful to the mother or fetus in toxicity and teratology.

Chinese herbal medicine has presented a significant challenge for modern pharmacology. It is true that there are multiple compounds in a single herb so that it is difficult to know which specific essential element in a complicated formula is active, and how it works in modern science. Currently, medical scientific research focusing on Chinese herbs is in its very initial stages. More modern scientific research will be necessary in the future.

We strongly recommend that a pregnant woman or a woman trying to become pregnant take Chinese herbs only under the careful supervision of an experienced and knowledgeable Chinese medicine practitioner.

How long will it take for acupuncture to treat infertility?

It is very difficult to predict exactly how long acupuncture will take or how many treatments are required because each person’s physical body and mental condition are unique. In general, the older the woman is, the more time it will take. Women at about 40 years old usually require at least 6-8 months of routine regular acupuncture treatments for natural conception. For those going through IVF and IUI, acupuncture should start one month before hormone stimulation therapy and continue until at least two weeks after implantation.

How often are acupuncture treatments required when combined with IVF?

According to recent clinical research, acupuncture will improve the success rate for couples undergoing IVF. An article published in medical journal Fertility and Sterility in 2002 indicated improved results with only one acupuncture treatment before and after the embryo was implanted. Our clinical experiences along with other studies have told us that women will increase their success with more regular acupuncture visits. In general, any woman considering IVF should undergo acupuncture treatments for at least one month prior to beginning the IVF process to maintain optimal health and reduce stress. When hormones are introduced to block estrogen in IVF, we recommend at least 2-3 acupuncture treatments to alleviate the side effects (symptoms similar to menopause) of hormone therapy. After implantation, acupuncture will help women relax emotionally and can prevent abnormal uterine contractions.

Can acupuncture treat a woman with infertility due to high FSH?

FSH (follicle stimulate hormone) secreted by the pituitary gland in the bloodstream stimulates the follicles in ovaries. If the FSH level is high, particularly on more than one occasion, it means the ovaries will produce a poor quality egg or the ovaries are in premature failure. This is the same as what a woman experiences naturally at menopause when the ovaries become non-functioning. If high FSH occurs occasionally, it does not necessarily means the ovaries will no longer function. A variety of medications as well as stress can cause a high FSH. Acupuncture, combined with Chinese herbs, has been shown to reverse a high FSH level in many cases, especially in woman younger than 40.

Acupuncture and Menopause

What is TCM’s view on menopause?

According to traditional Chinese medicine, all reproductive function is controlled by the kidneys and the interplay of the Chong and Ren energy channels. Sufficient energy in a woman’s kidneys is necessary for fertility, libido, regeneration, and tissue elasticity and strength. Earlier in life, a woman’s yin and yang energy is in balance. But as she ages, her fertility declines as the kidney’s yin diminishes first, followed by the kidney’s yang. This imbalance of kidney energy can disrupt the entire equilibrium of the body, leading to a host of uncomfortable symptoms: hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings.

How does effective TCM treat symptoms of menopause?

TCM, including acupuncture and Chinese herbs, has a long history and very high success rate treating women’s problems, including menopause. According to TCM, imbalance of yin and yang is the root of many health problems. In menopause, kidney Qi deficiency and the decline of Chong and Ren channel’s function combine to end women’s periods. Symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, chronic fatigue, and insomnia are the result of imbalance or deficiency in kidney yin and kidney yang. By focusing on these factors, acupuncture and Chinese herbs will work on specific organs or relative channel. Each treatment works to correct the imbalances unique to the patient.

Since acupuncture uses no toxic chemicals, it is very safe and effective way for menopausal women to defeat their uncomfortable symptoms. Millions of menopausal women have maintained their health with Chinese herbs for countless generations in China and Asia. We use many effective herbal remedies in conjunction with the acupuncture treatment. These remedies are safe, inexpensive, and effective in treating all symptoms of menopause.