Acupuncture
Acupuncture is probably the aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine most familiar to people. It is based on the theory of meridians, a system of channels embedded in the fascia planes by which qi "chee" circulates, connecting internal organs with external organs or tissues. By stimulating certain points of the body through needling, the flow of energy and blood can be regulated.
Each of these 365 acupoints, residing along a dozen meridians distributed over both sides of the body, has its own therapeutic action. Acupuncture needles—small and very fine—can stimulate or slow the flow of energy in order to balance it.
🔍 Healing starts with a pattern
Acupuncture isn’t just about chasing symptoms. It’s about seeing the whole picture — how your body, mind, and environment
Acupuncture isn’t just about chasing symptoms. It’s about seeing the whole picture — how your body, mind, and environment interact — and identifying the imbalances at the heart of it all.
Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, digestive issues, hormonal shifts, or emotional stress, we’ll follow the clues together. One small adjustment can create a ripple of relief.
By gently stimulating specific points along the body’s meridians (energy pathways), acupuncture helps to:
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Regulate circulation – ensuring blood and vital energy flow smoothly
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Calm or support the nervous system – shifting from stress mode into healing mode
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Reduce excess or strengthen what’s deficient – bringing the body back into balance
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Affects the immune and every other system in the body.
This is why acupuncture can be effective for a wide range of concerns—from pain and stress to women’s health, digestion, and chronic conditions.
HCupping Deep Dive
Gua Sha deep dive
Moxibustion Deep Dive
Acupuncture for Muscles and Trigger Points
When muscles are tight, knotted, or irritated, they can create “trigger points” — small spots that refer pain to other areas of the body. Acupuncture helps release these areas by improving circulation, reducing inflammation, and signaling the muscle to relax.
By gently inserting fine needles into or near a trigger point, acupuncture can:
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Release muscle tension and soften tight bands
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Reduce pain and inflammation locally and throughout the body
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Improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to speed healing
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Restore normal movement and reduce referred pain
Many patients notice both immediate relief and longer-term improvement as the body begins to break the cycle of tension and pain.
🕵️♀️ Your care is customized.
Each session is based on real-time pattern diagnosis — no one-size-fits-all protocols here.
Your Personalized Treatment May Include:
Acupuncture
The foundation of every session. Fine, sterile needles are gently inserted at specific points to regulate the flow of qi and blood, calm the nervous system, and restore internal balance. This is where most of the magic happens — and where your body does its deepest healing.
Chinese Herbal Medicine (Optional)
Custom formulas made from powdered herbs, mixed in-office to match your pattern. Herbal support is especially helpful for chronic, internal, or cold/weak conditions — though not everyone chooses to use it, and that’s okay.
2,000 years of wisdom, customized for you.
Chinese herbal medicine is one of the oldest continuously practiced medical systems in the world — and still incredibly effective today. I use individual powdered herbs, blended into custom formulas for each patient, based on traditional diagnostic patterns.
Herbs can support digestion, energy, mood, immunity, hormonal balance, and recovery from chronic or internal conditions. I only recommend them when indicated — and only when you're comfortable including them in your treatment.
Rooted in classical texts like the Jin Gui Yao Lue, my herbal approach is precise, time-tested, and deeply personalized.
Cupping
Suction cups are used along tight or stagnant areas to increase circulation, release fascia, and relieve pain. It’s often described as a reverse deep-tissue massage — especially helpful for tension, muscle pain, or sluggish immunity.
Gua Sha
A traditional scraping technique (using porcelain tools) that helps release muscular tension, reduce inflammation, and encourage detoxification. Often used for neck and shoulder tension or to speed up recovery during colds.
Moxibustion (Moxa Ointment with Heat)
A warming therapy used as needed. The mugwort-based ointment is gently heated on specific points to dispel cold, strengthen weak conditions, and encourage flow. Used selectively, like cupping or gua sha, as appropriate.
Myofascial Meridian Work
Using light pressure and subtle holds to soften the fascia along acupuncture meridians. It’s hands-on, targeted bodywork that helps open the flow between channels — and prepare your body to receive acupuncture more deeply.
🛋 The Rest Phase
Quiet time with the needles in is a vital part of your treatment. This period activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the body’s rest-and-heal mode. Like sleep, this phase allows your system to integrate and repair. Many patients leave feeling deeply rested and unexpectedly better.
Testimonial
Jenny is a gifted healer. Each therapy session starts with a caring consult to assess what is going well, what is going better since the last appointment and what are the health issues at that moment. She listens and then she goes to work. She is present in the moment of therapy and that is the key to her success in relieving pain and a myriad of symptoms. My health has improved since starting with Pivotal Point Oriental Medicine which makes it easy to refer her to family and friends.
What can I expect?
Does It Hurt?
If you consider yourself to be needle-phobic, what you’re really asking is “Does it hurt?”
The answer is “no,” but let’s back up a bit.
Step 1
Reflecting the holistic philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the first thing I would do is complete a thorough medical history, and spend a half hour or so exploring with you the information on your forms, in order to get a very clear understanding of your present state of being and how you got that way.
Step 2
Next I’ll observe your tongue and pulses on both wrists, diagnostic tools unique to Traditional Chinese Medicine that give me a picture of your state beyond just verbal information. You may wonder how the information you provided on your sleep patterns and bowel habits relate to your arthritic knee, but bear with me. All that extensive information gathered during your consultation helps me identify the underlying pattern of disharmony in your body: seemingly unrelated symptoms and conditions, in Pivotal Point Oriental Medicine’s holistic philosophy, point to an underlying “root” condition—the target of your acupuncture treatments.
Armed with the information gathered in the consultation, I’ll devise a treatment protocol using acupuncture alone or combined with other TCM treatment modalities.
What about the Needles?
Acupuncture needles are nothing like those hypodermic needles your remember from vaccinations or having blood drawn: up to 5 acupuncture needles can fit into the hold of a hypodermic needle. They are slightly less than the width of an eyebrow hair, pre-packed, sterile, sing-use, and disposable. Once the needles are in place, you may feel mild sensations at and around the needles, but patients report that this is not painful but extremely relaxing. Some even fall asleep during treatments! This is because acupuncture treatments stimulate the release of massive amounts of endorphins—you brain’s very own “feel good” chemicals.
Typically the needles are left in place for 30 minutes. With very weakened people I’ll take them out after 20 and with strong people with excess conditions I’ll leave them in for 40 minutes. Half way through I re-stimulate the needles. By that point people are usually asleep or in la la land.
How often do I need Acupuncture?
At the start of acupuncture treatments, I like to see someone twice a week for two or three weeks. These closely spaced treatments allow us to see how you respond to the acupuncture and provide a good idea of how many treatments will be needed. It’s the best way to see what is going on with a condition and in many situations is enough to resolve the issue. What we are looking for is how much improvement a session results in and how long does that improvement last? Generally new issues are quicker to resolve. With chronic or complicated conditions more treatments are usually necessary. In these cases we can space the acupuncture out to every week or less depending on the situation. The key is that each treatment builds upon the last and we want to make sure that they are spaced close enough together that the benefits accumulate.
After getting to know your situation I may offer an individualized powdered Chineses herbal formula. These are particularly useful as an adjunct to acupuncture when we need to increase the bodies qi, blood, yin or yang. Supplementing these through herbs can be faster than by increasing the bodies ability to create them with acupuncture alone.
The First Treament
After the intake we will do the first treatment. The treatment room is just like a massage therapists room, private, warm and cozy. I also use a massage table that is heated. Your comfort is an important factor, as our bodies do most of their healing while we sleep and I feel that your relaxation enhances the acupuncture.
Most acupuncture points I use are located below the elbows and knees. Sometimes these are combined with points along the back or on the abdomen.
✨ Ready to feel like yourself again?
Start by booking your first visit or a quick call to see if it’s a fit.
