Acupuncture


Acupuncture is one aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and is reputed to have developed several thousand years ago.  These treatments can help increase vitality, improve health, and even help people overcome serious illness when used in conjunction with other healing modalities and lifestyle changes.  Acupuncture therapy is often effective in treating problems for which orthodox medicine has no solution.  The ancient art and science of pulse-taking, when done by a skilled practitioner, can give an amazing amount of information about a person, and can allow the practitioner to administer especially effective treatments.  Acupuncture involves inserting extremely thin, sterile, disposable needles through the skin at very specific points along meridians where “qi “(energy) travels.  Little if any pain is felt during an acupuncture treatment.  The needles are used by a skilled acupuncturist to direct and balance the flow of "qi" in the body, thus also regulating blood flow and organ function.  Very little or no pain is felt when the needles are inserted.  Breaking of the skin is usually felt, and sometimes various senstions, such as itching, warmth, or tingling.  By needling the appropriate points in the right direction with the correct technique, in combination with other points, results from treatments can be quite impressive.  Some results come quickly; others take months or even years.  Patience is important when receiving acupuncture treatments.  Sometimes, needling is accompanied with moxabustion, the burning of mugwort – a Chinese herb – near or on acupuncture points.  Sometimes herbal or nutritional therapy combines effectively with acupuncture.  Sometimes electrical currents are applied to the needles or directly to the skin at specific acupuncture points.  Qi gong exercises can also be an important adjunct to acupuncture therapy.  Dr. Wagner has been using acupuncture in her holistic practice since 1980, and has studied with Chinese, Korean, and Japanese acupuncturists.