What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is the insertion of fine needles into the body at specific points shown as effective in the treatment of specific heath problems. These points have been mapped by the Chinese over a period of two thousand years. Recently, electromagnetic research has confirmed these locations.

What can Acupuncture Treat?

Acupuncture is best known for the treatment of painful conditions such as general pains on back, neck and limbs, arthritis, headaches, sciatica, stiff shoulder, tennis elbow, whiplash, tendonitis etc. Acupuncture is also used successfully for a wide range of other physical, neural or mental disorders such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), TMJ, Bell's palsy, paralysis, allergy, fibromyagia, asthma, facial beautification, gastritis or acid reflux, colitis, IBS, menstrual or sexual disorders, PMS, hot flash, infertility, anxiety, fatigue, depression, insomnia, tinnitus, sinusitis, shingles, smoking cessation, weight control and other ailments that do not respond positively to conventional Western medical therapies and even surgical therapies, or for conditions for which the patient is sensitive to or does not want various medications. In 1997, National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a Consensus Statement on the use and effectiveness of acupuncture for a variety of health conditions. The statement was based on a World Health Organizations (WHO) report in which it concluded that: When utilized by a certified acupuncturist or acupuncture practitioner with years of experience, acupuncture maybe effective treatment for a wide range of common illnesses including:

Respiratory Disorders	Eye/Vision/ Skin/Mouth Disorders	Mental Disorders	Gastrointestinal Disorders	Neurological  Disorders	Musculoskeletal Disorders	Women's Health/Gynecological Disorders
Bronchitis	Conjunctivitis	ADD	Spasms of esophagus	Headaches (Migraines)	Back and Knee Pain	Premenstrual Syndrome
Asthma	Central Retinitis Myopia	Alzheimer's	Hiccups	Trigeminal Neuralgias	Neck and Shoulder Pain	Dysmenorrhea
Sinusitis	Cataracts	Dementia	Gastroptosis	Facial Palsy (Bell's)	Low Back Pain	Spotting and Excessive Bleeding
Rhinitis	Macular Degeneration	Stress	Gastritis	Stroke / Post-stroke Pareses	Hip, Legs and Feet Pain	Amenorrhea
Tonsillitis	Toothache	Anxiety	Acid Reflux	Peripheral Neuropathies	Sciatica	Impotence
Common Cold and Flu	Post Extraction Pain	Depression	Chronic Duodenal Ulcer	Sequelae of Poliomyelitis	Arthritis	Infertility
Sore Throat	Gingivitis	Insomnia	Acute Duodenal Ulcer	Meniere's Disease	Fibromyalgia	Incontinence
Fever	Pharyngitis		Colitis	Nocturnal Enuresis	Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	Prostatis
	Dermatitis		Bacillary Dysentery	Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction	Chronic Fatigue	Weight Control
	Acnes/Wrinkles		Constipation or Diarrhea	Intercostal Neuralgia	Sports Injuries and Pains	Stop Smoking
	Hives		Paralytic Ileus	Cervicobrachial Syndrome	Frozen Shoulder
	Psoriasis		Gastric Hyperacidity		Tennis Elbow

Sources: World Health Organization (WHO). Viewpoint on Acupuncture. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 1979.

How Deep Do the Needles Go?

That depends on the nature of the problem, the location of the points selected, the patient's size, age, constitution, and upon the acupuncturist's style or school. Usually, needles are inserted 1/4 to 1 inch in depth.

Does it Hurt?

If your practitioner is an experienced acupuncturist, most likely no. However, there will be times when your acupuncturist is trying to obtain the correct stimulus of the needle, the patient might feel certain sensations such as cramping, heaviness, distention, tingling , or electric sensation either around the needle or traveling up or down the affected meridian, or energy pathway. In any case, if you experience any discomfort, it is usually mild. because the needles are so fine they are hair-like size. Although some patients are more sensitive than others and may feel a greater sensations (mild cramping, heaviness, distention, tingling, or electric sensation either around the needle or traveling up or down the affected energy pathway or meridian,) many patients feel nothing more than a dull pressure. At our clinic, our doctors practices the holistic needling technique called "Gentle-Comfort Acupuncture", so that 6-month old babies could even withstand the sensations from the needles.

Are the Needles Clean?

The best practice among acupuncturists in America today is to use sterilized, individually packed, disposable needles. Needles should not be saved and reused for later treatments. This is the so-called Cleaning Needle Technique (CNT), which eliminates the possibility of transmitting a communicable disease by contaminated needle. At our clinic, our doctors practices CNT exclusively, and only use the finest solid pre-sterilized, disposable needles made from German stainless steel to assure that there is no transmission of communicable diseases from patient to patient due to contaminated needles.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

Acupuncture is safely used throughout the entire world and comes from a time-tested medicine (TCM) with thousands of years of practice. It is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that one third of the world's population uses this form of the therapy for health care, therefore negative reactions to acupuncture is indeed very rare, and when they do occur, those situations are probably due to the lack of clinical experience or skill of new graduates from acupuncture schools rather than the therapy itself.

How Many Treatments Do I Normally Need?

That depends upon the duration, severity, nature of your complaint and the individual response of the patient. One may experience immediate total or partial relief of their pain or other symptoms after just one acupuncture session, another one may notice little or no change until after several treatments. If one only takes one or two treatments, the relief may be short-term and last for only several days, later perhaps some of the pain may return. However, one can be expected to gradually improve or see further incremental improvement after each subsequent treatment if he / she is committed to acupuncture care to rid of the problems naturally. Many acute conditions may only require a single treatment and degenerative conditions may require scores of treatments. However, most typically, a series of five to fifteen treatments usually will resolve many chronic problems. Some degenerative conditions may require many treatments over time. Treatments may be daily or just once or twice a week, depending on the progress of the treatments. As the healing continues, number of sessions are reduced, maybe to once a week, once two weeks, and once a month. At our clinic, our chief acupuncturist, Dr. Jin is known to cure or drastically relieve the patient's pain conditions with only 1 session, thus, our motto is: Highest Success, Least Sessions!

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Health is a matter of balance of or (Yin and Yang) according to TCM theories. Human being are complex bioelectric and automatic control systems. Imbalance of the body's Yin and Yang can reflect on the definite areas or points of the body surface such as changes of sensitivity or electric resistance of the skin. So-called meridians are essentially the connecting pathways between different parts of the body, the upper and the lower, the left and the right, the internal organs and the body surface. In Western medicine, similar phenomenon is recognized as the referred pain areas and used to help make diagnosis. The meridian system not only has more recognition about the internal connection of the body than the referred pain areas, but also works through bi-direction. Acupuncture on the corresponding points can input treatment signals to activate the automatic control function of the body and regulate balance back. For example, it is well-known that the referred pain from angina pectoris is usually located the inner side of left forearm. Actually, that area is consistent with the Heart meridian and can be stimulated by acupuncture to relieve the chest pain or even improve the related EKG change.

What Other Services Are Offered Besides Acupuncture?

We do acupressure, auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture), hand acupuncture, electrical or magnetic stimulation or infrared rays (electric acupuncture and electromagnetic therapy). Also, we provide Advanced Holistic Checkups, high-quality Chinese patent and individual herbs (Chinese Herbal Medicine), and Qigong therapies, basically whatever is necessary from the TCM to heal the patient. In addition, we teach a number of programs of Chinese Self-healing Techniques: Tai-Chi Chuan for balance and coordination of the body, Relaxation Qigong for physical relaxation and mental relaxation, Slim Qigong for weight control, Energizing Qigong for fatigue and energy, Self-Acupressure Therapy for pressure point massage, and Chinese Dietotherapy for nutritional replenishment.

Anything I Need to Do Before my First Acupuncture Visit?

Yes. Wear loose clothing if possible. Women should not wear one-piece dresses. Avoid wearing tight stockings. Avoid treatment when excessive fatigued, hungry, full, emotionally upset, or shortly after sex. While receiving acupuncture, there is no need to be frightened. RELAX! Do not change your position or move suddenly. Feel free to let your practitioner know of any sensations experienced during acupuncture.

Are There Different Results from Different Acupuncturists?

Absolutely. Owing to that same diseases can be treated with different acupoints and / or various acupuncture techniques being practiced as well as the effectiveness varies in magnitudes with different experience and skills of the acupuncturists, a highly qualified acupuncturist may cure patients with the least sessions or may help those tough problems more effectively rather than other acupuncturists. Whenever you first call for information regarding an acupuncturist, always inquire about their credentials and be careful of deceptive ads on phone books as "lowest cost" and "fancy" graphics doesn't always guarantee most successful results. Acupuncture is an experiential therapy, it is both "Art" and "Science", the more experience the doctor has, the higher the success rate, thus equaling fewer sessions required to achieve a certain desired level of effects. Again, words of mouth probably is probably the best way, ask around, check with your relatives or neighbors, and ask for their opinions and suggestions, and go online to see if there are website with reviews from past patients, and schedule a consultation with the doctor to get a face-face impression of the doctor, after all, this is someone your entrusting your health with, do research. (for example, see some of the testimonials from Dr. Jin's past patients.

Is Acupuncture Covered by Insurances?

In Wisconsin, most insurance companies still do not cover acupuncture yet, but due to the publicity efforts of Dr. Jin (Proclamations from Governor Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett) certain insurance polices are beginning to cover. However, it is always a good idea to check with your specific company to see if your specific insurance plan has acupuncture as a covered benefit.  It is your responsibility to verify insurance coverage for acupuncture and to verify that I am an eligible provider in your plan. Full payment is due at time of service. As a courtesy to you, we will provide a statement of account for you to submit to insurance company. Any payment by your insurance company will then be mailed to you. Of course, keep in mind acupuncture can also be paid for with funds from your tax-free Medical Flex Spend account (IRS Section 125 Cafeteria Plans or Flex Spending Plans cover acupuncture). You may submit your receipt of payment to your benefits coordinator for reimbursement via your Flex Spending Plan. and as always, the medical expenses for acupuncture are up to 40% tax-deductible. In any case, we are here to help, if there is a way, we will find it and help you determine whether your insurance covers acupuncture, if they do, we'll be gladly to help you with any information you need to submit claims for reimbursements. If your insurance does not cover acupuncture, and you need the treatment, contact us and we may give you a discount for paying out of pocket. Currently Medicare does not cover acupuncture. The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act (HR818) is "an important step forward in the recognition and acceptance of acupuncture as a key modality in the American health system," says, Executive Director Michael R. McCoy of the National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance.  Call or write to your Congressional Representative and ask them to co-sponsor and support the Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act, HR 818. Download a sample letter and send it to your local congressman.