Are you looking for the best acupuncture in Santa Monica to help ease pain or bring relief to stress? Find out how Lotus Integrative Medicine's Licensed Acupuncturists can help.
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is the practice of inserting needles into specific points on the body in order to solve physical ailments, illness, and pain. The basic premise of acupuncture is that the body will restore itself to health under the right circumstances. This treatment is a method of assisting the body in healing itself and restoring to perfect health.
The science behind acupuncture can become quite complex. The specific points on the body correlate to meridians, which are pathways for Qi (i.e. life energy) to pass through the body. The energy can become blocked, which causes disease, pain, and other physical ailments. Needles are used at strategic points in order to remove the blockage and correct energy flow. Once corrected, the body will be able to restore itself to health.
Health Conditions Commonly Treated By Acupuncturists
Pain Relief From:
Arthritis, auto accidents, chronic pain, elbow & wrist pain, frozen shoulder, headache/migraines, knee & ankle pain, musculoskeletal injuries, neck and back pain, preparation and recovery from surgery, sciatica, sports injuries, tendonitis, TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder), trauma (physical or emotional), whiplash, work injuries.
Assistance With:
Addiction (i.e. smoking, substance), quitting smoking, drug/alcohol addiction, stopping sugar cravings, weight control, and appetite control.
Allergy Relief Including:
Food allergies, hay fever, immune system deficiency, nasal allergies, rhinitis, skin allergies, sinusitis.
Skin Conditions:
Acne, age spots, dermatitis, eczema, hives, psoriasis, rosacea.
Female Health:
Fertility, gynecology, hormonal disorders, low libido, menopause symptoms, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), sexual dysfunction.
Gastrointestinal Disorders:
Acid reflux/GERD/heartburn, bloating/gas, Crohn's disease, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, indigestion, ulcerative colitis.
Infection Relief Including:
Cold/influenza/flu, cough/bronchitis, sinus infection.
Male Health:
Enlarged prostate, fertility, hormonal disorders, low libido, sexual dysfunction.
Other Conditions Such As:
ADD/learning disability, anemia/poor circulation, arthritis/joint problems, asthma, autoimmune disorders (i.e. Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Scleroderma), bladder/kidney problems, chemotherapy side effects, chronic fatigue syndrome, dizziness, emotional blocks, fibromyalgia, general fatigue, gout, grief/loss, heart problems/palpitations, high cholesterol, hypertension/high blood pressure, immune system deficiency, indigestion, infertility, insomnia/sleep disorders, kidney/urinary stones, paralysis, numbness, preparation and recovery from surgery, rhinitis, stress/tension/anxiety/depression, sinusitis, stroke rehabilitation, tendonitis, trauma (physical or emotional), vertigo and visual disorders, weak immune system.
Initial Visit
Your initial visit begins with a conversation with your practitioner. Acupuncture is a holistic medical practice, which means that your overall health is considered. After the conversation, your practitioner will determine where to insert the needles to put your body back into balance and restore you to health.
The treatment itself is very relaxing. Once the needles are inserted, you will rest for 15-20 minutes in a private room with low light and relaxing music.
Acupuncture Treatment
The insertion of needles is relatively painless. The needles used are very thin, so you generally feel only a mild sting at the moment of insertion followed by barely, if at all, feeling the needle being in your skin.
If you feel discomfort for more than a moment, your practitioner removes the needle immediately. Anyone who has experienced this treatment before knows that the slight discomfort at insertion is greatly overshadowed by the relaxation experienced while the needles are in and afterward.
Results
Your results will vary depending on the complexity of your condition, how long it’s been going on, and your lifestyle choices. Remember that acupuncture is designed to gently bring you back to health over time and this occurs without the severe side-effects of treatments that claim to work quickly. For example, our practitioners would not cure your headache with a treatment that harmed your liver. We work to bring your entire body back to good health.
Please visit Conditions We Treat for a list of conditions that acupuncture may alleviate, and/or note below “Health conditions commonly treated by Acupuncturists”.
Licensed Acupuncturists, and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Licensed Acupuncturists have completed 4 years of Masters level training in western and eastern primary care medicine. Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine have completed an additional 2 years of Doctoral level training in western and eastern primary care medicine, completing specialties in Pain Management, Orthopedics and Integrative Medicine. Both Licensed Acupuncturists and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine are also licensed and board certified in the state of California.
Oriental Medicine & Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture is a technique using small, sterile, stainless steel needles at specific points in the body, causing a positive response in order to correct various ailments. Only disposable needles are used in this clinic. The location of the application of the needles and the depth of the needle insertion is determined by the nature of the problem.
Electrical Stimulation of the needles involves using a small, battery-powered stimulator attached by wires to the needles. A slight throbbing or tingling sensation may be felt during and for a few hours after the use of this stimulation. This modality is usually employed for pain management and other specific conditions.
Moxibustion is the application of indirect heat supplied by burning the herb Folium Artemisiae Vulgaris, (commonly know as mugwort) over a single acupuncture point or a group of points. This generally produces a pleasurable sensation of relaxation. The area being treated may remain red and warm for several hours after treatment.
Cupping uses round vacuum cups over a large muscular area, such as the back, to enhance blood circulation to the designated area. This method may produce a deep redness, discoloration and on rare occasions, a minor blister which may persist for up to several days. These marks may resolve on their own and are not indications of complications or injury.
Qigong is Chinese for “energy work,” is a non-invasive healing modality that predates the use of needles, and incorporates the same therapeutic basis as acupuncture.
Herbal Medicines are used to facilitate the body’s own restorative process. These herbs are taken in pill or capsule form, steeping a powder form in hot water, or boiling dried plants in their natural forms into a tea. Chinese herbal teas tend to taste bitter because they are made mostly from roots and barks.
Qi Mail™
The Acupuncture Newsletter: Qi Mail™ is a free opt-in newsletter written for Dr. Brendan Armm, available by subscription only. Powered by Acufinder.com.
To view past Newsletters, please click here. To sign up to receive future Newsletters, please click here.
More Information on Acupuncture
Kindly find linked below A Consumer’s Guide to Acupuncture and Asian Medicine, provided by the California Department of Consumer Affairs. For a list of answers to frequently asked questions, please click here.
The Wall Street Journal’s Melinda Beck tests out acupuncture. See the video here.
Our Acupuncturists
| About Brendan Armm, DAOM, LAc, Dipl OM |
 | About Richard Hsu, LAc |
| About Sara Kulaski, DACM, LAc |
| About Kristel Hart, DAOM, FABORM, L.Ac., Dipl. OM |
