Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Specialist

What Exactly is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture was originally an Eastern medical procedure, but it’s now widely used throughout both the East and West to treat many different ailments. In addition to addressing physical pain, it can also help alleviate various physical and mental and emotional conditions.

Acupuncture works to restore the proper balance to a person’s health and wellbeing. Needles and micro-current stimulation are used to send stimulus to various areas of the brain through the nervous system, and by way of such chemicals being released inside the brain, various health conditions can be treated. Once the system is back in balance, many issues caused by an imbalance can be corrected.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

Acupuncture is widely regarded as safe as long as it’s administered by a trained licensed acupuncturist. Acupuncturists are to be state and/or nationally licensed and board-certified. Anyone who is both licensed and board-certified has gone through 4-6 years of graduate-level medical training and passed government recognized board and licensing exams.

How Long Does an Acupuncture Treatment Take?

Precisely how long anyone acupuncture appointment takes depends on the specific treatment being provided. Generally speaking, it is best to allow an hour and a half for the initial visit and one hour for follow-up treatments.

The initial visit covers a comprehensive review of patient history, evaluation and exam, assessment, and administration of treatment plan which includes acupuncture, Oriental medicine, and recommendations. Follow-up appointment includes discussion of chief complaint changes, evaluation and exam, reassessment, and administration of treatment plan which includes acupuncture, Oriental medicine, and recommendations. If patients need to complete their follow-up acupuncture appointment in less than one hour, many times this can be accommodated.

Typically, a course of treatment calls for multiple appointments. It’s not unusual for a single course of acupuncture to include eight to twelve individual appointments. The effects of the treatment can be experienced after just one appointment, whether it be immediately following the appointment, a few hours later, or even two to three days later. Many conditions improve with a single course of acupuncture treatments.

When multiple visits are needed, they are often scheduled on a twice weekly or once weekly basis. In some cases, though, acupuncturists will recommend more or less frequent appointments.

Who is a Good Candidate for Acupuncture?

Almost everyone is a good candidate for acupuncture. It seeks to restore and maintain balance in one’s body, mind, and spirit. People who have acute and/or chronic physical ailments, including but not limited to pain, or a mental/emotional imbalance can benefit from acupuncture treatments.

Even healthy people receive regular acupuncture and Oriental medicine either monthly or quarterly  “check-ups” and “tune-ups” to maintain their health and wellbeing. In the state of California, a licensed acupuncturist is defined as a primary care practitioner. As such, Dr. Brendan Armm can usually address most non-emergency / non-urgent conditions, ranging from diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, pain management, insomnia, weight gain, fatigue, common cold and allergies, various skin conditions, pre- and post- surgery recovery, autoimmune conditions, hormone balances, and infertility just to name a few.