Acupuncture Frequently Asked Questions

  • Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that involves the insertion of fine needles into specific points of the body. It stimulates the body's natural healing processes and promotes overall health and well-being.

  • I specialize in complex chronic conditions that haven't responded well to other treatments. This includes chronic pain (back, neck, shoulder, migraines), autoimmune conditions, digestive disorders (IBS, GERD, food sensitivities), anxiety and depression, insomnia, fertility support, hormonal imbalances, and trauma held in the body. I also work with people seeking spiritual cultivation through Daoist Alchemy. If your condition isn't listed, reach out. Classical Acupuncture treats patterns, not diagnoses.

  • Acupuncture is considered safe when done by a licensed acupuncturist. Unlike other professionals, such as physical therapists or chiropractors, who may only take short courses in dry needling, acupuncturists complete a Master's degree program with over 3,000 hours of study and hands-on training. They must also pass a state board exam that covers acupuncture, herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western medicine. For your safety and best results, choose a qualified practitioner and inform them of any medical conditions or medications you are using to ensure effective care.

  • Classical Chinese Medicine is the original, sophisticated form of acupuncture practiced before the 1950s standardization. Unlike modern TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), which uses simplified cookbook protocols, Classical Chinese Medicine treats all five channel systems in the body, not just one. This means I can address chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, trauma, and complex illness that standard TCM often can't reach. It's acupuncture as it was intended, tailored to your unique pattern rather than your diagnosis label.

  • TCM was simplified in the 1950s for mass teaching and export. It treats primarily the Primary Channels using standardized point formulas. Classical Acupuncture accesses all five channel systems (Primary, Sinew, Luo, Divergent, and Eight Extraordinary), each designed for different types of conditions. If you've tried acupuncture before and got minimal results, it's likely because only your Primary Channels were treated while your issue lived in a different channel system. Classical Acupuncture addresses the root pattern, not just the symptom.

  • Most patients notice improvement within 4-5 sessions. Acute conditions (recent injury, sudden onset) often resolve faster. Chronic conditions (months or years) typically require more sessions for lasting results. Complex autoimmune or degenerative conditions may require ongoing treatment as part of a wellness maintenance plan. This is medicine for people who want to heal at the root, not just manage symptoms temporarily.

  • Yes. Acupuncture is safe and beneficial during pregnancy and postpartum. It can help with nausea, morning sickness, back pain, anxiety, insomnia, breech presentation, and labor preparation. After birth, acupuncture supports recovery, balances hormones, helps with milk production, and addresses postpartum depression and anxiety. I'll avoid certain points during pregnancy and tailor treatment to your trimester and needs.

  • Initially, weekly sessions are effective for most people while addressing acute symptoms. This allows your body to build momentum and prevents the condition from returning between sessions. Once you find relief, we can reduce frequency to biweekly, monthly, or longer maintenance treatments if needed. My goal is not lifetime dependency but empowering your body to maintain balance on its own.

  • Wear loose, comfortable clothing that can easily roll up past your knees and elbows. Use layers to help you stay warm on your way into and out of the clinic. If you can, avoid scraping or brushing your tongue as it interferes with accurate tongue reading.

  • I practice Classical Chinese Medicine, a rare advanced approach that treats all five channel systems. I've trained directly with master teachers Ann Cecil-Sterman and Leta Herman. I offer 80-90 minute initial sessions, not rushed appointments. I treat one patient at a time in a beautiful sanctuary space. I specialize in complex chronic conditions and spiritual cultivation through Daoist Alchemy. This is medicine for people who've tried everything else and are ready to address the root cause.

  • Most patients find acupuncture deeply relaxing. I use ultra-fine needles, and many people fall asleep during treatment. When needles are inserted, you might feel nothing at all, or occasionally a brief dull ache or warm sensation. When the treatment is over, you'll barely notice when the needles come out. Post-treatment, you should feel calm and relaxed at minimum. Many patients report an "acu-high" feeling of blissful relaxation.

  • Yes, I offer telehealth options for all services available from the clinic. This allows you to work with me directly from the comfort of your own home without the hassle of commuting or to continue your care even if you are traveling. Positive treatment outcomes result from the successful activation of the points and channels; for this reason, healing can be done remotely. Many patients experience the feeling of a point or channel activating in their body during a distance treatment. Needles or even close proximity are not necessary to successfully apply these treatments. 

  • While I don't bill insurance directly, I provide detailed superbills for all major insurance carriers including Cigna, Blue Cross, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and more. Many patients find the process straight forwards and receive partial or full reimbursement. I also accept HSA/FSA cards.

    Please note that payment will be due at the time of service, and I do not guarantee reimbursement by your insurance provider.

  • Acupuncture works by stimulating the body's energetic channel system. These channels are like rivers of qi (energy) and blood flowing through your body. When channels become blocked, stagnant, deficient, or excessive, disease manifests. Hair-thin needles inserted at specific points interact with the fascial network (our internal messenger system) to restore proper flow. This triggers biochemical changes that regulate hormones, release endorphins, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and activate the body's natural healing response.

  • I practice a rare form of pulse taking called “Directional Pulse Diagnosis” personally taught to me by my mentor Ann Cecil-Sterman. This form of pulse reading is a sophisticated diagnostic method where I feel the pulse qualities across a minimum of 9 bilateral positions that reveal the state of the body’s resources, the organs and channels, and how the well body is communicating with itself. This tells me exactly which channels are asking for activation at that moment. It's like reading your body's comprehensive internal map before treatment.

  • Your tongue is the only internal organ visible from the outside and it reflects the body’s response to pathology. I look at specific qualities including color, shape, coating, and moisture level that give clues about what's happening internally. for example a pale tongue suggests blood deficiency. A red tip indicates heat affecting the Heart (often anxiety or insomnia). A thick white coating points to dampness (digestive issues, joint inflammation). Combined with pulse diagnosis, tongue reading helps me pinpoint your exact pattern and create a precise treatment plan.

  • Most people feel deeply relaxed, what we call an "acu-high." You might also notice immediate pain reduction, better sleep, improved digestion, or temporary fatigue as your body processes the treatment and asks for rest. Some people feel energized. It's normal for the first session to be about getting used to the process. The full therapeutic effects often become more noticeable by sessions 2-3 as your body learns to respond and benefits from the cumulative effects of acupuncture.

  • Avoid strenuous exercise for a few hours after treatment, especially if we're working on reducing stress, pain, or migraines. Vigorous activity can work against the therapeutic effects. Gentle movement like walking or yoga is fine anytime after your session. If you're training hard, schedule your workout before your acupuncture appointment, not after.

  • Eat a light meal 1-2 hours before your appointment (don't come on a hungry/empty stomach if you can help it). Avoid alcohol and excessive caffeine the day of treatment. Come with an open mind and any questions you'd like answered. If possible, complete the intake forms beforehand to maximize treatment time. Silence your phones and use the bathroom just before our session to avoid interruptions.

  • I recommend warm, hydrating, and easy to digest foods like bone broth, soup, stew, porridge, or congee. Avoid eating anything overly processed/fried, or with added sugars, and caffeine. Stay warm and keep your body covered and away from cold drafts. Get rest when you feel tired and spend time outdoors in nature to sync up your circadian rhythms. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me!

Alchemy Frequently Asked Questions

  • Daoist Alchemy is an ancient spiritual cultivation practice that treats disease at the level where it originates: the spirit and mind. In Daoist philosophy, your spirit incarnates with specific lessons to learn. When your mind resists these lessons through free will, your body manifests the resistance as disease, pain, or stuck patterns. Alchemy treatments release this resistance, reveal your spiritual curriculum, and empower you to step into your authentic self. It's not about fixing what's broken. It's about remembering you were born with everything you need to excel in this life.

  • The 9 Stages of Alchemy is a complete spiritual cultivation framework spanning years or decades. The first three stages help you realize who you are, understand why your life has unfolded as it is, and step into your role as the protagonist of your own story. Later stages reveal your spiritual curriculum and move you beyond into empowered living consciousness. This is deep work for people ready to transform at the cellular and spiritual level and realize their full spiritual potential.

  • The 13 Ghost Points are a rare acupuncture treatment that releases "spiritual possession." This doesn't mean literal ghosts. It refers to patterns that possess you: addiction, self-sabotage, intrusive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, and deeply rooted obstacles that block your authentic self from expressing. These are the invisible forces where you know your gifts but can't share them, you know your path but feel blocked. The 13 Ghost Points work at the spirit level to release what doesn't belong and restore your authentic self. This treatment is for people who've done inner work but still feel controlled by patterns they can't break.

  • Alchemy is for people who know there is more to life and want real change. You've done therapy. You've read the books. You understand your patterns intellectually, but things aren’t shifting. Or you know your gifts and calling but can't seem to move forward. You feel blocked, small, like you're living someone else's script. Alchemy is also for people drawn to spiritual cultivation who want to maximize their potential in this lifetime. If you're asking "Is there more to life than this?" Daoist Alchemy is your answer.

  • Therapy works at the level of mind and story. It's incredibly valuable for understanding patterns, processing trauma, and building coping skills. But trauma and resistance aren't just stored in your thoughts. They're encoded in your cells, your fascia, your energetic body. Alchemy works at the body and spirit level where the roots of these patterns live. Many of my Alchemy patients have done years of successful therapy and still need this deeper layer of release. They're complementary approaches, not competing ones.

  • Prayer, meditation, yoga, and other inner work are powerful practices for awareness, presence, and nervous system regulation. But awareness alone may not create change. You can be exquisitely aware of your patterns and still repeat them. Alchemy actively releases stuck energy and shifts the underlying pattern at the body and spirit level. Think of meditation as becoming conscious of the river's flow. Alchemy seeks to understand and and release resistance to the current itself.

  • No. You don't need to adopt any belief system. Alchemy works regardless of your religious or spiritual background. What you do need is a sincere heart: willingness to look honestly at yourself, release the past, and forgive (yourself and others). The treatments work at the energetic level whether you call it qi, spirit, prana, prayer, God, or simply "what's held in my body." Your openness and curiosity matters more than your beliefs.

  • Alchemy sessions look similar to acupuncture sessions. You'll lie on a treatment table, but I may or may not use needles to activate specific points. The difference is which points I use and the intention behind treatment. Alchemy points work at the spirit level, not just the physical or emotional level.

    Along with points I will shuffle a massive playlist of 10,000 songs spanning wide genres, eras, and languages and invite a unique set of songs to play along the treatment, offering higher guidance and insight into important themes.

    I may also utilize other inspired modalities to facilitate the magic of the session. The format is free-form and divinely guided.

    You might experience emotional release during treatment (tears, laughter, memories surfacing). You might feel nothing dramatic and notice shifts in the days or weeks after. Every person's process is unique.

  • The 13 Ghost Points is a long standalone treatment done once and rarely repeated. This treatment unfolds slowly over the next six months. The 9 Stages of Alchemy treatments are done as a series and unfold over many months, years, or decades. This isn't a quick fix. Deep transformation requires time, patience, and commitment. Most people begin noticing shifts within immediately, but the full journey is much longer for those called to it.

  • Yes. Acupuncture is an incredible modality to get the body up to optimal health and well enough to undergo the spiritual transformation of Daoist Alchemy. Many patients alternate between Classical Acupuncture for physical symptoms (pain, digestion, sleep) and Alchemy for spiritual cultivation. Alchemy doesn't replace medical treatment. It works alongside it, addressing the layer that physical medicine cannot touch. For certain conditions that do not respond to acupuncture, Daoist Alchemy can reach further than acupuncture to effect desired change.

  • Yes. The needles are the same ultra-fine, sterile needles used in regular acupuncture and I often activate points via energetic acupressure which require no needling at all. The safety concerns are emotional, not physical. Alchemy can bring up difficult emotions, memories, or realizations and change can be difficult, particularly for entrenched patterns. This is part of the release process, but it requires you to be stable enough to process what surfaces. If you're in acute mental health crisis, we address stabilization first before deep Alchemy work.

  • Some people do. Most people don't. Transformation often happens quietly over time. You might notice you no longer react the same way to old triggers. You might find yourself making different choices without consciously deciding to. You might feel lighter, freer, more yourself. Or you might have a profound insight during treatment that shifts everything. There's no "correct" way to experience Alchemy. Your process is yours. The theme I notice most from patients is a shift away from victim-mentality and radical increase in awareness. Common initial experiences are shifts in perception that have the power to affect your inner reality.

  • No. You need to be curious about who you are and willing explore what's underneath. Alchemy attracts people across the spectrum: deeply spiritual seekers, pragmatic skeptics who've tried everything else, high-achievers who want an edge, and everyone in between. What matters is your sincerity, not your spiritual resume.

  • That's a healthy awareness. Alchemy does release what's been buried. But you're not doing this alone. Alchemy is a journey of one that we can take together. I hold space for whatever arises. We work at the pace your body and spirit can handle. You won't be given more than you can process. The fact that you're asking this question suggests you're ready for this work, even if part of you is scared. Fear and excitement often coexist, the different is in your perception. We don’t aim to conquer fear, but rather to befriend it.

  • We'll discuss this during your consultation. Some indicators: If you struggle with addiction, compulsive behaviors, or feel like something possesses you, the 13 Ghost Points might be your entry. If you're guarded, struggle with self-love, or have done a lot of therapy but still can't open your heart, the 9 Heart Pains might be next. If you're ready for complete spiritual cultivation and have the time commitment, the 9 Stages is the full journey. I'll help you discern what's appropriate.

  • Yes. 100% yes! Trauma lives in the body and spirit, not just mind and memories. Traditional trauma therapy focuses on narrative and nervous system regulation, which is essential. But sometimes trauma is held so deeply that talk therapy can't access it. Alchemy works at the cellular level where trauma is encoded. Many trauma survivors find Alchemy releases what EMDR, somatic therapy, and other modalities couldn't fully touch. Alchemy is about an identity shift and that work occurs at the deepest level.

  • I completed a three-year Master of Alchemy Apprenticeship Program with Leta Herman, who studied directly with Master Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th-generation Daoist priest. This lineage is rare. Most acupuncturists learn about "Ghost Points" in school or a weekend course, but don't have a personal experience with the Alchemy framework, how to hold space for spiritual transformation, or have no personal cultivation of the points and as a result offer energetically empty treatments. I’m not just recreationally interested in this branch of Classical Chinese Medicine, I live it. I have received every treatment from my mentor that I offer to you. I have done countless hours of hands-on clinical supervision with these treatments. I have learned directly from the authors of the books and have been deemed clinically competent to offer these rare treatments to you. I continue my own 9 Stages journey and daily qigong practice. You're working with someone who's been transformed by this medicine and who embodies the passion for the magic of Alchemy to the fullest extent possible.

  • Unfortunately, at this time I am not aware of any insurance that covers Daoist Alchemy treatments.

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