Service Details
Acupuncture
What It Is
Acupuncture involves inserting very thin, sterile needles into specific points on the body to support natural healing and restore balance. This gentle technique can be combined with heat, mild electric stimulation, or auricular (ear-based) approaches depending on your needs.
How It Works
Neurological Response: Needle stimulation prompts the release of endorphins (your body’s natural pain-relieving chemicals) and may trigger local adenosine activity to reduce discomfort.
Pain Regulation: Acupuncture may modulate receptors and nerve pathways, influencing pain processing systems and reducing inflammation.
Circulation & Relaxation: It often improves blood flow, reduces tissue inflammation, and promotes the body’s natural relaxation response.
What It Is Good For
Acupuncture may help relieve symptoms of a variety of conditions, including:
Pain & Musculoskeletal Issues: Low back, neck, knee pain, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches.
Neurological & Rehabilitation: Headaches, stroke recovery support, TMJ pain.
Women’s Health & Nausea: Menstrual cramps and nausea (e.g., from surgery or cancer treatment), as supportive care.
Digestive & Allergic Symptoms: IBS, gastritis, seasonal allergies.
Mental & Emotional Well-being: Stress, anxiety, insomnia, and mood support.
Cupping
What It Is
Cupping therapy uses small glass, plastic, or silicone cups placed on the skin to create suction. The vacuum draws up tissues, increasing blood flow to the area. Cups may be left stationary ("static cupping") or moved across the skin ("sliding cupping") using oil. Cupping typically accompanies acupuncture in many TCM clinics for complementary effect.
How It Works
Improved Microcirculation: Suction increases blood flow to the treated area, which can help reduce muscle tension, flush metabolic waste, and promote healing.
Neurovascular Modulation: By stimulating the skin and superficial tissues, cupping may help modulate pain through neurological pathways like the gate-control mechanism, sending soothing signals that override pain signals.
Immune and Inflammatory Regulation: Local suction may trigger a mild, short-lived inflammatory response that draws immune factors to the area, potentially aiding tissue repair.
Fascia & Myofascial Release: Cupping lifts the skin and underlying fascia, which may help release fascia tightness and improve range of motion.
What It Is Good For
Cupping is frequently recommended for:
Muscular pain and tension (especially upper back, shoulders, and neck)
Chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia or myofascial pain
Headaches and migraines (especially tension-type)
Circulatory or stagnation complaints (e.g., menstrual discomfort, mild swelling)
Fatigue or general wellness (used by some as a supportive wellness modality)
Cupping is often chosen when muscle tightness is a key concern or when patients respond to tactile, hands-on modalities alongside acupuncture.
Moxibustion
What It Is
Moxibustion is a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique that applies heat at or near acupuncture points by burning dried mugwort (moxa). It comes in several styles: direct (small cones on the skin), indirect (cones or sticks held near the skin), and moxa-on-needle (moxa placed above an inserted needle). Practitioners use moxa to warm and stimulate points in order to support circulation, relieve cold-sensitivity, and strengthen deficient patterns.
How It Works
Thermal stimulation: heat from burning moxa warms local tissue and stimulates blood flow, which can help relax muscles and improve local metabolism.
Radiation / infrared effects: burning moxa emits infrared radiation and other energetic effects that can penetrate superficial tissues and modulate local physiology.
Pharmacological action of moxa smoke/compounds: combustion products from mugwort contain bioactive compounds (volatile oils, phenolics) that may exert local or systemic biological activity.
Neuro-immune modulation: moxibustion’s thermal and chemical stimuli may change local cytokine profiles, activate protective stress-response pathways, and alter pain signaling, providing anti-inflammatory and neuromodulatory effects.
What It Is Good For
Moxibustion can help relieve the following conditions:
Musculoskeletal pain & arthritis: knee osteoarthritis, chronic joint pain, ankylosing spondylitis
Functional gastrointestinal issues & constipation
Cancer-related fatigue & GI symptoms (diarrhea, appetite loss)
Insomnia / sleep disturbance: moxibustion can improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia symptoms, potentially by influencing neurotransmitters like melatonin and cortisol.
Allergic rhinitis / respiratory symptoms
Urinary Incontinence
Breech presentation (pregnancy): indirect moxibustion at point BL67 (near the little toe) may increase the likelihood of a fetus turning head-down when used around 33–36 weeks, especially when combined with acupuncture or other measures. This is a special-purpose obstetric application and should only be offered by clinicians with appropriate training in perinatal care and with obstetric collaboration.
Herbal Medicine
What It Is
Herbal medicine (Chinese Traditional Pharmacotherapy) uses time-tested formulas (consist of combinations of roots, bark, leaves, flowers, and minerals) formulated according to TCM diagnostic patterns. These prescriptions are tailored uniquely to your needs and are one of the most commonly used healing methods in China.
How It Works
Multi-Component Synergies: Herbal blends draw on complementary actions (some ingredients soothe inflammation, others enhance circulation or balance digestion) to create a holistic effect greater than each herb alone.
Biochemical Modulation: Many herbs contain active compounds like flavonoids, alkaloids, and saponins that support immune function, reduce oxidative stress, regulate hormone balance, and assist nerve health.
Dynamic Formulations: Formulas adjust over time. Prinicipal, assistant, envoy herbs help maximize desired therapeutic effects while minimizing side effects.
Systems-Level Support: Rather than targeting one isolated issue, herbs can support multiple body systems (e.g., digestive, nervous, hormonal), aligning with the body’s natural healing capacity.
What It Is Good For
While not exhaustive, here are areas where herbal medicine is frequently employed:
Digestive Health: Formulas that soothe gastric discomfort, nausea, bloating, and IBS symptoms by regulating gut motility and reducing inflammation.
Stress & Anxiety / Sleep: Calming blends (like those containing Sour Jujube Seeds or White Peony Root) are often used to support restful sleep and ease tension.
Menstrual / Reproductive Support: Formulas help regulate menstrual cycles, ease cramping, and support mild hormone imbalances (e.g., PMS).
Cold / Immune Support: Warming herb sets (such as those containing ginger, cinnamon, or astragalus) support immune response and help relieve cold sensitivity.
Post-Acute Recovery / Fatigue: Nourishing formulas help restore strength after illness, surgery, or extended stress.
Gua Sha
What It Is
Gua Sha (also written “gua-sha” or called “scraping therapy”) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique that uses a smooth-edged tool (jade, horn, metal, or medical-grade plastic) to press-stroke the lubricated skin repeatedly until short-lived red marks (petechiae or “sha”) appear. It’s a short, hands-on treatment commonly used alongside acupuncture to relieve localized muscle tension and stiffness.
How It Works
Improves local microcirculation: The scraping markedly increases blood flow in the skin and superficial tissues, which may help remove metabolic waste and bring nutrients to tight muscles.
Stimulates anti-inflammatory / cytoprotective pathways: Animal and molecular imaging work shows gua sha upregulates heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and other protective signals after the treatment, a plausible route for reduced inflammation and tissue protection.
Modulates pain signaling: The mechanical stimulation of skin, fascia and sensory receptors can change pain processing (local and central), likely involving neurovascular and neurochemical pathways (analgesic neurotransmitters, changes in local cytokines). Some small human studies and lab work support reductions in inflammatory markers after gua sha.
What It Is Good For
Gua Sha is frequently recommended for:
Musculoskeletal pain: neck pain, chronic low-back pain and related spinal conditions.
Myofascial / tight muscles & limited range of motion: release tight bands and improve mobility
Supportive uses: headaches/tension-type symptoms, some respiratory or congestion complaints in traditional settings, and certain women’s health symptoms
Auricular Medicine
What It Is
Auricular Medicine (Dr. Li-Chun Huang’s system) is a complete ear-based medical system that uses the auricle both to help diagnose and to treat health issues. It is distinct from Nogier’s/European maps and from standard Chinese auricular charts: Dr. Huang’s system expands point maps (including important posterior points), emphasizes visual + palpation + electrical detection, and treats primarily with ear seeds.
How It Works
Auricular stimulation influences the autonomic nervous system and neuro-endocrine regulation, can modulate pain pathways, and affects reflex connections between ear points and body systems. Clinically this can translate into reduced pain, calmer nervous system activity, and improved function for many complaints. The ear acts as a compact, high-resolution map of whole-body signals.
What It Is Good For
Dr. Huang’s system has been taught and used extensively for diagnosis and symptom support across many domains:
Pain & musculoskeletal issues: neck/back pain, TMJ/facial pain, joint pain (posterior ear points often used).
Headache & dizziness / vertigo: location-specific ear points and formulas for front/occiput/temporal headaches and vertigo.
Sleep, stress, anxiety & mood: Be Happy, Nervous Subcortex and related points for calming, improving sleep quality, and reducing anxiety.
Addiction & cravings: ear protocols for smoking cessation, alcohol and drug support (craving control, detox support, withdrawal control).
Tinnitus & hearing issues: Internal Ear and related points to support hearing complaints and tinnitus.
Digestive, endocrine & fatigue patterns: Spleen, Sanjiao, Kidney and endocrine-related point sets to support digestion, energy, and hormonal balance.
Supportive role in many other conditions: respiratory complaints, some women’s-health symptom support, post-injury rehabilitation, and symptom relief in chronic conditions.