Modalities
Areas of focus include trigger point needling, pain management, digestive disorders, headaches and migraines, back and neck pain, depression, anxiety and stress relief, skin issues such as acne, eczema and psoriasis, women’s health and fertility, and insomnia.
Healthcare with heart.
Acupuncture is cumulative, so generally it’s not “one and done” however there have been a handful of patients that have experienced dramatic recovery from just one treatment! Generally, we want to see improvement every visit, with the anticipation that you might first experience a “healing crisis” where it initially feels worse before getting better. The importance in starting acupuncture is finding the right frequency of appointments so that every time you are noticing an improvement in symptoms: frequency, duration, or intensity. Otherwise, if you’re coming in to your follow up appointments with the same level of discomfort as your initial appointment, it is one step forward and two steps back, and you need to come more frequently. Conservatively I estimate that patients will notice improvement within 6-8 treatments.
Please give yourself extra time to recover and enjoy your treatment, so you don’t have to rush out.
Rather than the standard short 15 minute visit with other healthcare providers, I offer a whole person perspective to get a deep dive on your health. We spend 2 hours in your first appointment, so we can get to know each other and I can learn all about your health concerns. Chinese Medicine has a range of natural healing modalities to benefit health and wellbeing and I am an advocate for you to own your own health. Often we are made to believe that a pharmaceutical is the answer, but I want to empower you as the patient to know that you are the team captain! I am here to be your coach, cheerleader and accountability partner. I will consider your individual constitution based on an evaluation of your tongue, pulse, and interview regarding your health concerns. Your individual treatments are personalized for you and not solely to your symptoms, so two people with similar symptoms might receive different treatments depending upon their individual constitutions and lifestyle.
Here is a brief guide of the modalities that I use:
Acupuncture
I insert hair-fine needles in specific points to move stagnation, increase blood and lymph flow and generally bring magic to an area. Insertion of the needle can be painless or feel like a slight pricking. The sensation we are seeking after inserting the needle is called “De Qi” pronounced “Da Qi” which feels heavy, spreading, dull, or like a wave or relaxation. It should never feel electric or sharp. Most sensation lasts only a few seconds to a minute at most. Patients often report taking the “best nap ever” during the treatment.
Cupping
Greatly popularized by the Olympic athletes in Summer 2016, it is the application of cups to the muscles via vacuum with a pump on a plastic cup or by inserting and quickly removing a lit cotton ball into a glass cup. The fire burns the oxygen, creating a vacuum in the cup (also called fire cupping). Cupping moves stagnation, increases blood and lymph flow and removes toxins. It feels like a massage, but in reverse. Rather than pushing on the muscles, it pulls the fascia away from the body. Patients don’t always bruise, only when there is stagnation! But if you do, don’t worry, the bruises will diminish after 2-7 days, depending on the severity of the stagnation. After an intense cupping session it is strongly recommended to rest, stay out of the cold and wind, and avoid alcohol, caffeine, and sex for a couple of days so that your body can focus on repair and recovery.
Gua Sha
Gua sha is traditionally a treatment used by acupuncturists and only recently popularized for facial beauty treatments. The direct translation is to scrape for redness. Gua sha is simply scraping the body with a piece of jade, a porcelain soup spoon, or smooth piece of horn to release toxins, break up adhesions, move stagnation, stimulate blood and lymph flow to bring healing. Gua sha is commonly used to release toxins when coming down with a cold or flu, as well as being effective in treating injuries, to release scar tissue, mobilize fascia, and increase range of motion.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal Medicine is part of the larger system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), based on your individual constitution and unique diagnosis, you may be prescribed a Chinese herbal formula to restore balance to the body. We use herbal companies with stringent standards for herb quality, such as KPC, that procures herbs that “passed through the TCM industry’s most rigorous testing standards and inspection processes. KPC’s herbs pass tests for the full range of today’s contaminants. Tests include analysis for heavy metals, dangerous pesticides, sulfur dioxide, aflatoxins and aristolochic acid. These tests are integrated into their manufacturing process.” from their website.
Moxa
Moxabustion or moxa for short, is the burning of a herb called Ai Ye in Chinese, mugwort in English, and artemisia vulgaris in Latin. A major part of Chinese Medicine, the word for acupuncture in Chinese, 针灸, zhēnjiǔ, actually means needle and moxa. This is because moxa is an equally important part of acupuncture. The needles are dispersing, whereas moxa nourishes or tonifies. There are two forms of moxa, direct and indirect. In direct moxa, a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. Indirect moxa is where moxa is burned above or near an area for several minutes until the area warms. Here at Kokoro Clinic we practice the Japanese style of moxa which is also called rice grain moxa, because we use the amount the size of a rice grain.
Dry Needling/Motor Point Needling/Trigger Point Needling
So many names for the same thing! Motor point needling is a type of acupuncture that is also part of Chinese medicine. It has been called dry needling by PT’s, and trigger point needling uses the name based on trigger point therapy that more people are familiar with. We use an acupuncture needle to release a tight muscle for immediate relief. Needle insertion into the muscle's motor point will cause it to "jump," which resets the muscle to normal function. Sensations vary from traditional acupuncture but the sensation is not painful but rather “intense” but the immediate relief is marked. Similar to being sore after a big workout, when muscles have expended all their energy, patients have reported some soreness that goes away after a day after treatment, that can be soothed by a hot epsom salt bath or topical balms.
Health + Wellness Coaching
My philosophy is to help my patients feel empowered about their health. Together we address fitness, nutrition, stress management, and health-related issues, focusing on making long-lasting lifestyle changes, not just providing a quick fix by using goal setting, mindfulness, and habit building. By addressing the root cause of illness and providing natural and holistic options to build and maintain health, I strive to support patients live to their fullest potential!
“Acupuncture is a key ingredient in my recovery plan. My body carries the imprint of a significant trauma from a motorcycle accident a few years ago. The wonderful sessions at Kokoro Clinic strategically break up old patterns and support my body in achieving new levels of healing. I simply adore Wanda's sense of humor, enthusiasm, rapport, and thorough evaluations; the secret ingredient to amazing outcomes. This is the clinic I recommend if you are ready to have a brand new experience of your potential with your body. Don't put up with your existing state of health - go see Wanda and get propelled to a brand new you.”
― Ken G.