Frequently Asked Questions

Acupuncture is an ancient form of holistic, natural healing that originated in China over 2000 years ago. Acupuncture involves the insertion and manipulation of hair-thin needles into specific points in the body, known as acupuncture points. By needling the acupuncture points, the practitioner is able to access and manipulate the body’s acupuncture channels. By detecting and treating imbalances in the channels, an acupuncturist is able to treat and prevent disease.

Contrary to recent Western misconceptions, the acupuncture channels are not simply “energetic” or “imaginary” lines in the body. Recent medical investigation has revealed that acupuncture channels may in fact be located in the connective tissue that holds the body together, the fascia. For more on this see “How does acupuncture work?” below.

Acupuncture is a real, physical medicine. But then how can it treat things like depression and anxiety? Chinese philosophy, like most philosophies prior to Descartes (d. 1649), viewed the mind and body as existing on a continuum. This means that, by treating imbalances in the body, we automatically treat the mind, and, by extension, our whole human experience.

Acupuncture is an individualized medicine. Every person is unique, even if they have the same diagnosis as someone else. Acupuncture hones in on the details about you, your condition, and your life; it’s always tailored to your needs. Everyone gets different points, specially chosen for them.

Acupuncture is a dynamic and evolving medicine. On a different day, you might even get different points. Because people are dynamic and changing, and medicine needs to change with them.

Acupuncture is both ancient and modern. Acupuncture has gone through many changes in the thousands of years its been around, and takes many shapes in the modern age (see “Are there different styles of acupuncture“). Acupuncture is an ancient medicine that changes to meet our modern lifestyle, our modern diseases, and our modern world.

Try acupuncture today. Want to know more? Contact us.

The short answer is: No, acupuncture does not hurt! But the long answer is: it depends.

Here’s the thing: during the course of an acupuncture session, you’re going to experience a lot of things that you’ve never experienced before. And, depending on what your health goals are, the treatments will feel different, since different conditions need different treatments. For example, if you have really tight, sore muscles, then we can use acupuncture needles to release those muscles. But, just like when you get a really deep massage for those tight muscles, and it feels strong, intense, and (some might say) painful, an acupuncture treatment can cause some of those same feelings. Sometimes muscles relax all at once, and while this sudden relaxation will make your muscles feel great afterwards, it can be a little shocking when it happens.

During a session, there are many things you might feel that are unfamiliar and strong, but often they only become painful when we try to resist the new sensations and tighten up to hide from them.

Usually, the more “superficial” the condition, the stronger the sensation. With deeper, chronic, internal illness, for example, the treatment can often be very gentle and relaxing. On the other hand, with an acute shoulder injury, the treatment will usually feel a little stronger.

That said: we can always tailor the amount of stimulation to your needs as a patient. At our clinic, we offer many styles of acupuncture and many approaches, and we can even avoid using needles entirely. For needle-sensitive patients or those averse to needle sensations, we use Japanese acupuncture, which is incredibly gentle, subtle, and pain-free. We are flexible, responsive, and our goal is to meet you where you’re at.

So, don’t let fear of needles stop you from achieving your health goals. Try acupuncture today!

Yes, there are many different styles of acupuncture, both ancient and modern.

Acupuncture originated in China over 2000 years ago, but as different cultures have been exposed to acupuncture, many different approaches have arisen. Japanese acupuncture comprises  some of the oldest outside variations. Even within Chinese history, different classical schools of thought arose, ultimately contributing to the wonderful melting-pot that is acupuncture.

In addition, many styles have arisen in the modern age, in China, Japan, and abroad, taking advantage of modern technology and innovative thinking. Among these are Manaka-style, Kiiko Matsumoto style (KMS), auricular (ear) acupuncture, dry-needling, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Since they were formed in the modern age, these modern styles each have a slightly different approach to their relationship with Western thought, some being more reductionistic and scientific (TCM) and others prioritizing traditional philosophies (Keiryaku chiryo), and others emphasizing integration of traditional and modern philosophies (Manaka).

We at Rutherford Family Acupuncture understand that each of these approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, and certain approaches are better suited to certain patients. In order to best serve you, we are trained in and regularly integrate multiple styles, including classical Chinese medicine, Manaka, KMS, Keiryaku chiryo, auricular, TCM, and more.

We are always willing to try new, innovative approaches, drawing from both ancient and modern. Our approach puts the patient first, and guarantees that everyone has the best possible acupuncture experience.

Acupuncture is an extremely safe form of medicine when practiced by a properly educated, experienced, and licensed practitioner. Compared to conventional Western medicine, where adverse events, allergic reactions, and other similar issues are commonplace, acupuncture has very few documented injuries and other adverse events. Many of the documented adverse events occur as a result of untrained or undertrained individuals practicing acupuncture.

We only use single-use acupuncture needles made out of surgical steel, pre-sterilized at the factory prior to packaging, and disposed of immediately after use. A mandatory part of acupuncture education and licensure is becoming nationally certified by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) in Clean Needle Technique (CNT). CNT is the gold standard for preventing the spread of infections in the practice of acupuncture. In short, when acupuncture is performed by a trained, licensed acupuncturist, there’s nothing to worry about!

Acupuncture works by using needles, massage, moxibustion, and other therapies at specifically chosen points on the body (acupuncture points) to affect the acupuncture channels. The classical literature refers to the manipulation of Qi (pronounced “chee”) and Blood at these acupuncture points. The Chinese medical idea of Blood encompasses what you usually think of as blood, but encompasses a lot more. Qi is an untranslatable concept that is often poorly rendered as “energy” or “life-force,” but really encompasses a lot more. The idea of Qi is the idea of a relationship between two things. The lungs, in the act of breathing, draw in air. But it isn’t the air that nourishes our cells, it is the relationship between the air and our body, our lungs (Da Qi).

Everything in the world is in relationship to everything else. By closely examining and understanding these relationships, in nature and in our own body, we can then diagnose and treat the imbalances in these relationships that cause sickness and disease. Acupuncture works by altering the way we relate to ourselves and our world.

Of course, this idea doesn’t fit neatly into Western medical terms. There are a variety of theories about how acupuncture works in Western medicine. The oldest theory, that acupuncture is simply the stimulation of nerves, fails to explain most of acupuncture’s action, and falls apart when we realize that most of the acupuncture points aren’t near major nerves.

The Gate control theory is a variation on the nerve theory, that states that when acupuncture stimulates non-pain nerves in a local area, it inhibits the transmission of pain signals to the brain. This explains acupuncture’s powerful effects on pain, but has trouble explaining its well-researched effects on nausea and other conditions.

The Microtrauma theory states that, when a needle is inserted into a injured area, it causes microscopic damage that triggers the body’s natural healing mechanisms, allowing old injuries to heal. This theory, again, only explains acupuncture’s effect on pain.

The Neurotransmitter theory states that acupuncture stimulates the release of neurotransmitters like endorphins that relieve pain and enhance one’s sense of overall well-being. However, deeper research reveals that only certain acupuncture points cause the body to release endorphins. Further, acupuncture’s effects are much more specific and controllable than the general release of neurotransmitters

There are a variety of other theories of how acupuncture works, including the vascular interstitial theory, the blood chemistry theory, the autonomic nervous system theory. However, none are as compelling as the Fascial theory of acupuncture.

The Fascial theory is unique because it examines acupuncture on its own terms. Rather than trying to explain away the channels, it searches for them in the body; and it finds them! The acupuncture channels are found as continuous areas of reduced electrical resistivity and increased conductivity in the connective tissue. The dynamic piezo-electric properties of fascia explain why massage and especially needling are so effective at manipulating the fascia, and thus, the whole body. This means that, when a point is needled on your leg to affect your stomach, it is likely that the connective tissue at that seemingly random point on your leg is directly connected to the connective tissue around your stomach.

But whatever theory you subscribe to, and however you look at it, Acupuncture works!

Yes! There is a mounting body of scientific evidence that proves that acupuncture works, and often works better than anything else available.

The World Health Organization (WHO), an agency of the United Nations, released a monumental position statement in 2003 on acupuncture. Having reviewed the evidence available, the WHO determined that acupuncture was effective for a number of conditions. For more on this, see “What conditions can acupuncture treat?” below.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognizes acupuncture as effective for a number of conditions, including back pain, headache, migraines. A wide variety of studies from both Asia and Europe indicate that acupuncture is effective for a number of conditions, including depression, stroke rehabilitation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and more.

However, even though acupuncture works for a condition, that does not mean that acupuncture will be well-researched for that condition. As a result, evidence-based medicine is slow to catch on to how effective acupuncture is for conditions other than pain management. Just as with any other therapy, acupuncture needs to be adequately funded and researched in order to be accepted into mainstream scientific medicine.

One of the difficulties with determining what conditions acupuncture is most effective for is that researching acupuncture is more difficult than it initially seems. Acupuncture is an individualized medicine, whereas Western medicine is a standardized medicine. In Western medicine, if someone has the same disease as someone else, they both get the same treatment. In Chinese medicine, we understand that no two people are perfectly alike, and that each person needs a unique, personalized treatment. This and other philosophical differences between the two medicines make it extremely difficult to create effective research studies on acupuncture.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are a complete medical system. This means that they are capable of treating, relieving the symptoms of, or managing any disease.

However, just like other types of medicine, Chinese medicine does not necessarily cure all disease. Sometimes, it helps us cope with the symptoms and emotions involved with terminal illness. Other times, Chinese medicine excels in a team-based approach, where multiple professionals from different medical backgrounds work together to offer you the best possible care. Regardless of your condition, acupuncture can play a major role in your healing process.

Specifically, acupuncture is well-known for treating pain, headaches, nausea, side effects of cancer therapy, menstrual cramps, irregular cycles, infertility, auto-immune disease including Lyme, fibromyalgia, allergies, depression, anxiety, insomnia, hypertension, malposition of fetus (breech position), insufficient lactation, and more.

The World Health Organization (WHO), an agency of the United Nations, after surveying all of the available research on acupuncture, released a position statement about all the various conditions that acupuncture has been found to be effective for. The British Acupuncture Council condensed this into a list that can be found here. Just because your condition is not on this list does not mean that acupuncture is not effective for it; it just means that at the time of the position statement, there was not yet sufficient research. If you have any questions about whether acupuncture can help you, please contact us.

Acupuncture can work for you, whether you believe in it or not. Ask any veterinary acupuncturist—animals benefit tremendously from acupuncture without them having any knowledge of ancient Chinese philosophy! Many of our patients have been skeptical at first, only to become some of the most enthusiastic supporters.