Acupuncture Make an Appointment
Acupuncture and Herbal Prescription with Kiera Willms

Why Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare in China for the last 5,000 years. It is used extensively for a variety of medical purposes ranging from the prevention and treatment of disease, to relieving pain and anesthetizing patients for surgery. As in many oriental medicine practices, the emphasis of acupuncture is on prevention. In traditional Chinese medicine, the highest form of acupuncture was given to enable you to live a long, healthy life.

Balance in all things was considered the key to good health and long life.
Dao is often described as "the path" or "the way of life." Just as its counterpart in ancient India, Ayurveda, The laws of the Dao advocate moderation, living in harmony with nature and striving for balance. Ancient Chinese believed that moderation in all areas of life is essential to a long and fruitful life.

Qi, Shen, and Jing
We are "fueled" by three treasures: Qi or Chi (pronounced chee), Shen, and Jing. Chi is energy or vital substance, Shen is the spirit, and Jing is our essence.

• Qi is both the life force (or vital substance) and the organizing principle flowing through all things and establishing their interconnectedness. Chinese believe that every living thing (both human and non-human) has qi. In the body, qi is found in the heart and lungs in circulating blood and oxygen.
• Shen is the treasure that gives brightness to life and is responsible for consciousness and mental abilities. Sometimes it is compared to soul. Within the individual shen is manifested in personality, thought, sensory perception, and the awareness of self.
• Jing is responsible for growth, development and reproduction. Jing represents a person's potential for development. (comparable to western concept of genetical inheritance). Chinese believed that everyone is born with a finite amount of Jing. As we go through life, we lose or consume our Jing little by little. Once we lose Jing, it cannot be replaced. It is gone for ever. We lose Jing if we live a wrong or careless living. But Jing can be preserved if we live in moderation. Acupuncture can reduce the loss of Jing. According to the philosophy of Dao, the role of the acupuncturist is to restore your health and enable you to live a little closer to the Dao, thus preserving your Jing and living to a ripe old age. A number of factors can contribute to the depletion of Jing. Living a life of excess, drinking too much, excessive emotional reactions, working too hard, inappropriate sexual behavior, etc. all were believed to result in the depletion of Jing.

Main Goals of Acupuncture
One of the main aims of the acupuncturist is to maintain a balance of yin and yang within the whole person to prevent illness occurring and to restore existing health. Acupuncture is a yang therapy because it moves from the exterior to the interior. Herbal and nutritional therapies, on the other hand, are yin therapies, as they move from the interior throughout the body. Many of the major organs of the body are classified as yin-yang pairs that exchange healthy and unhealthy influences.

How can Acupuncture help me?
Acupuncture is best known for the control of pain. However, acupuncture can treat a wide variety of common and uncommon disorders.
Respiratory
Acute Sinusitis
Acute rhinitis
Common cold
Acute tonsillitis
Acute bronchitis
Bronchial asthma
Eye
Acute conjunctivitis (pinkeye)
Nearsightedness (in children)
Cataract (without complications)
Mouth
Toothache, post extraction pain
Gingivitis (gum disease)
Acute and chronic pharyngitis
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Hiccups
Gastritis
Gastric Hyperacidity
Ulcers
Colitis
Constipation
Diarrhea
Paralytic ileus
Neurological and Musculoskeletal Disorders
Headache and migraine
Trigeminal neuralgia
Paralysis following stroke
Meniere's disease
Neurogenic bladder dysfunction
Nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting)
Intercostal neuralgia (pain in the ribs)
Cervicobrachial syndrome (pain radiating from neck to arm)
Frozen shoulder or Tennis elbow
Sciatica
Low back pain
Osteoarthritis

In the United States, acupuncture is used frequently for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, headache, athletic injuries, and posttraumatic and post surgical pain. It is also used for treating chronic pain associated with immune function dysfunction such as psoriasis (skin disorders), allergies, and asthma. Acupuncture is also found to be effective for the treatment of mind-body disorders such as anxiety, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, insomnia, PMS, menopausal symptoms, and depression. Some modern application of acupuncture is in the treatment of disorders such as alcoholism, addiction, smoking, and eating disorders.

Make an Appointment
Initial appointments last between 1.5 and 2 hours long. The acupuncturist can be seen on Mondays and Thursdays. It is recommended that you come prepared with your personal and family medical history and a list of prescription pills, herbs, and supplements that you take. Please also refrain from drinking caffeine or alcohol the evening and day of your appointment. If you scrape your tongue, please do not do so on the morning of.

Initial appointments are made by calling the Yoga Mandala front desk at 510.486.1989.

Initial appointments are $105 and follow-up appointments, which can last up to 1.5 hours long, are $65. This cost does not include any herbal formulas.

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