The conventional medical treatments are very effective for many kinds of illness. Whenever you have had little or no success using conventional medicine, or you have strong side effects from it, consider acupuncture treatment. Patients should start acupuncture treatment as early as possible after the onset of their disease or condition, because the earlier this is done, generally the better will be the recovery. For most of the conditions the combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs will have even better results.

Yin and Yang are philosophical conceptualizations in Chinese culture. It means every entity in the universe carries both negative and positive influence. The negative influence is called Yin, the positive influence Yang. Yin dark, Yang light; Yin cold, Yang warm; Yin passive, Yang active; Yin night, Yang day; Yin female, Yang male, etc. Yin and Yang are indivisible, never static, always fluctuating and always some Yin in Yang and some Yang in Yin.

This concept permeates all aspects of the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine. The symbol of Yin and Yang help us visualize the balancing act that goes on constantly in every entity of human body, from the organs and bodily systems to the smallest cell, as well as the vital force itself.

Understanding Yin and Yang is not essential to benefit from Chinese medical treatment, but getting comfortable with the concept can be very enlightening. Here is an example of the balancing of yin and yang. The various functional activities (Yang) of the body will necessarily consume a certain amount of nutrient substance (Yin). On the other hand, the production of various nutrient substance (Yin) will necessarily consume a certain amount of energy (Yang). Under normal conditions, the inter-consuming-supporting relation of yin and yang is in a state of relative balance. If this relationship goes beyond normal physiological limits, however, the relative balance of Yin and Yang will not be maintained, resulting in excess or deficiency of either Yin or Yang and the occurrence of disease.

Everyone would like to enjoy good health, and the harmonious balance between Yin and Yang must exist in your body or must be attained. The attainment of such balance is the goal of Chinese medical treatment.

1. Wear loose clothing. Avoid wearing tight stockings.
2. Avoid treatment when excessively hungry or full.
3. Pregnant women can still receive acupuncture treatment; just certain acupoints cannot be used. Be sure to inform the acupuncturist if you think you may be pregnant.
4. Please bring your medical records: Primary doctor's or other doctors' diagnosis, Lab, X-ray, CT, MRI reports etc., and the list of medicines you are taking.
5. If you have a pacemaker or are on anticoagulants, you can still receive acupuncture treatment, but remember to tell the practitioner.
6. Please do not wear constricting jewelry or heavy cosmetics / makeup / perfume.

In general, that depends upon the disease and how sensitive you are to the meridians (this reflect your Chi level). You may need only few treatments or a single treatment for an acute condition (e.g. ankle strains). A series of five to fifteen treatments may resolve many chronic problems. However, long standing conditions, such as pain of many years will require two to three treatments a week for the first few weeks. As a response develops and holds, treatment will be generally spaced increasingly for some time. The number and frequency of treatments are decided on an individual basis according to your condition, and ongoing response.

Yes, we use disposable needles only. The 1997 NIH Consensus Conference concludes: "One of the advantages of acupuncture is that the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than many drugs or other accepted medical procedures used for same conditions."

Acupuncture needles are typically not much thicker than a hair. The insertion is not like receiving an ordinary injection. In some cases, you will not even know the needles are in place. In others, there may be some heaviness, warmth, tingling or radiation along the meridian. Most people find acupuncture extremely relaxing and many fall asleep during treatment.

The vast amount of Chinese herbal knowledge available today has accumulated in writing for thousands of years. That means today's Chinese medical doctor draws on ancient herbal formulas that have been getting sick people well for a very long time. And Chinese herbal medicine is guided by a fundamental belief in the whole body concept of health, which involves the inseparable relationships of the body, spirit, emotions, and mind. A Chinese medical doctor also adjusts a traditional formula based on new knowledge and experience in similar cases. Your practitioner would change some herbal ingredients to suit your changing circumstances as you progress. The only thing that you need to be careful of is if you are allergic to something. When you start to take a new herbal medicine, just take a small amount for several days to check out if it is ok for you.

Recently the U.S government banned a Chinese herb named "Ma Huang" (English name: Ephedra). We used it and saved many people's lives from bronchial asthma, pneumonia etc. in China. It has been used for more than 2000 years. Here some people abused it in very high dosage for weight loss, causing death. It's the abusers' responsibilities, not Ma Huang's fault. Would you take western drugs other than an aspirin without talking to a western doctor first?

We make every effort to keep the cost of your treatment affordable. Some insurance companies may cover acupuncture treatments, so please check with your insurance company regarding coverage.