If you have a question we don't answer below, reach out to us and we should get back to you promply.
Acupuncture rarely 'hurts'. The most that people experience is a dull ache around the base of the inserted needle, or a slight tingling feeling when the needle is inserted. Points at the extremities, like toe or finger ends, can sometimes be a little sharp, but the sensation is usually brief, lasting no more than a few seconds
Medical acupuncture is practiced by a licensed medical physician. Doctor Boguslavsky, as a Board Certified Physician, can understand and evaluate your symptoms using both the conventional medical and complementary medicine perspective. His superior knowledge of anatomy, and understanding of disease pathology serves his patients well.
No technique works for 100% of people and acupuncture is no exception. Every person is different in terms of his or her response to acupuncture. Knowing that many other patients like you have had good success with it, should give you some hope. Broadly speaking, a successful response as defined in our practice would be 50% reduction in global symptoms within 4-6 treatments. In our practice, at least 80 percent of patients experience a positive response to acupuncture.
Unless the problem is really acute, like an ankle sprain, we recommend for the patients to plan a series of six weekly sessions followed by spacing out of the visits and treatments. The initial consultation and treatment is allocated a full hour for the history-taking, examination and treatment. Follow-up visits, in general, do not take more than a half-hour.
In our practice, we've found a few tried and tested formulas that we use routinely with our patients. Some of the formulae are for the adults, while others are especially useful in kids. In light of horror stories about chemical contamination and improper ingredients in Chinese herbs, we source our formulae from a reputable seller who has a third party perform extensive testing of their products.
Traditionally, the patients are asked to abstain for the rest of the day from excessive exercise, intercourse, heavy foods, or alcohol.
Acupuncture can be a useful adjunct to a formal tobacco cessation program. While it won’t make one dislike smoking, it will cut down on the withdrawal sensations such as cravings, irritability, anxiety, etc.
Although some patients report significant success with acupuncture for weight control, it has been my experience that, by itself, acupuncture cannot overcome the impact of a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition. That said, acupuncture can help if it is added to a weight management program that includes improved nutrition, diet, and increased exercise. As my mentor used to say, “If acupuncture was a cure for obesity, there wouldn’t be so many overweight acupuncturists!”
Although there is plenty of research that shows the healthy impact of a positive attitude, acupuncture's effect is independent of whether you "believe in it" or not. I have seen it help those who swore it's a bunch of voodoo, and I've seen it fail in those with strong belief and expectation of success. Alas, acupuncture is no magic bullet that helps everyone.
The needles are made of solid metal and do not contain any medicine. As for how acupuncture works, the answers depend a great deal on whom you ask. Traditional practitioners believe that the needles resolve problems by helping the energy, Qi, flow more freely through the body. Western practitioners explain acupuncture's effectiveness through the impact it has on the muscles, nerves, and connective tissue. It also seems that acupuncture leads to a positive alteration of brain chemicals.
An office visit will last from 30 minutes to 1 hour. The needles, once inserted, will usually be left in place from 15 to 45 minutes. Ultimately, the session length depends on the technique and desired results.
Although some people will respond well to only one treatment, more are often necessary. The frequency of treatment and the number of treatments needed is related to the patient's condition. Generally, the longer the patient has had the condition the longer the course of treatment will be before showing substantial and lasting results. As symptoms improve fewer visits are required. A client should discuss his or her treatment program with the Acupuncturist, as each individual case is unique.