Acupuncture is a safe and effective Chinese medical system with a 5000 year history. Sterile, stainless steel, single-use, solid needles are inserted into specially chosen acupoints found throughout the body. Treatments are thoroughly balancing and relaxing, and acupuncture is recognized to treat ailments of all types. It is your truthful and thoughtful answers that help Tzivya arrive at the appropriate diagnosis. As such, please be sure to complete the intake forms as completely as you can, and always communicate any questions or concerns you may have. Tzivya appreciates all that these rich healing traditions have to offer, and chooses the style or styles which are best suited for treating your personal situation. Acupuncture is a highly individualized medical system and takes into account aspects of your entire life. Tzivya draws on her extensive knowledge to create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
What to Expect
- A first acupuncture session includes a lengthy intake and can last 1.5 – 2 hours. Tzivya will conduct a thorough health history and discussion of your current symptoms, ask many questions and answer any of yours.
- Observation of the tongue is an important diagnostic tool in Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you are accustomed to brushing your tongue, please refrain from doing so before your appointment.
- Please be sure to wear loose, comfortable clothing which allows Tzivya access to the acupoints.
- Eat a light meal or snack including protein within one hour of your treatment.
- Tzivya is a very gentle practitioner and is committed to creating a positive and comfortable experience for you.
- Acupuncture is not painful. Our needles are the approximate width of a human hair or cat whisker and are specially designed with your comfort in mind. You may or may not feel a slight pinch with the initial needle insertion. Patients report experiencing sensations ranging from energy, heat, or coolness moving through the body; heaviness, dullness or achiness at the site of insertion.
- Acupuncture is generally a very relaxing treatment. Tzivya’s treatment room is designed to promote a restful response, with calming music, dimmed lights and a comfortable massage table. Feel free to bring your own iPod if you prefer to listen to your own music.
- Individual responses to acupuncture vary and you may feel relaxed or energized after treatment. Relief from symptoms may be immediate or take a few days for you to notice.
- You and Tzivya will work together to create an individualized treatment plan based on your needs, availability and conditions. Tzivya recommends an initial 5-treatment commitment to best evaluate how your condition will respond to treatments. Chronic issues require concentrated treatments, while acute issues tend to resolve more quickly.
Tradtitional Chinese Medicine assessment and evaluation is conducted according to the Four Pillars of Diagnosis including the Ten Questions, observation of the tongue and palpation of the pulse as main diagnostic tools. All of the information gathered from your answers and your body allows Tzivya to identify your pattern of disharmony through a differential diagnosis. After a pattern diagnosis is reached, a treatment principle is established. Then, acupuncture points are chosen based on category, function, and location and empirical points may be added. Tonification or dispersal techniques, moxa, and tui na are used as indicated. Acupoints are chosen to treat both your chief complaint and to nurture your entire system. Sessions typically last one hour and are either a front or a back treatment.
Kiiko Matsumoto Japanese-style Acupuncture involves the patient’s participation while the practitioner palpates the abdomen (Hara) and checks for reflex and release points throughout the body. Moxa or a heat lamp and special tools (diode rings, pachi pachi, ion pumping cords) are used to amplify the effect of the needling. Treatment plans and points are selected after identifying the most effective releases using knowledge of Kiiko’s point combinations. Sessions generally last one hour and fifteen minutes, and include a front and back treatment.
Five Element Acupuncture is regarded as best for treating conditions of psycho-emotional or psycho-spiritual manner. It gets to the root of long standing issues by bringing balance to the elements contained within us all. Questions are selected to create a comprehensive outline of the patient’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual life, spanning from your earliest memories to your future plans and wishes. Acupuncture treatments are designed to remove imbalances or energetic entanglements and to harmonize and support your entire being. Sessions typically last approximately one hour and are either a front or a back treatment.
Shonishin is a specialized form of non-needle insertion treatment for infants and children. Instead of needles, a variety of tools is used to rhythmically rub, tap, stroke and press the skin to stimulate gentle sensations. Shonishin can treat a wide variety of conditions and harmonizes and boosts the patient’s vital energy. Sessions are short (5-15 minutes) and frequent, depending on the child’s age and condition. This form of needle-free treatment may also be beneficial to the elderly.
Cupping is a powerful treatment which has been a part of healing traditions from around the world for the past 5000 years. The air inside the cup is heated by a fire source and the rim is then applied to the skin, forming an airtight seal. As the air inside the cup cools, it contracts, forming a partial vacuum and enabling the cup to suck the skin. The cups are applied to specific areas of the body to relieve stagnation or pain, increase circulation, and promote relaxation and healing. The cups can remain in one spot, or Tzivya may choose to perform Sliding Cupping, a combined massage and cupping treatment especially good for tight muscles or pain.