Acupuncture involves the painless insertion of very thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body. Although the same effect can be achieved without the use of needles using Acupressure. A key component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is most commonly used to treat pain. Increasingly, it is being used for overall wellness, including stress management.

Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as chi or qi (chee) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. Either through the use of needling, acupressure, moxibustion, cupping, herbal medicine, and massage. By treating specific points along these meridians, acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will re-balance.

Acupuncture has the ability to influence the central nervous system and treat many kinds of nervous system disorders, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, phantom pain, complex regional pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and spinal injury. With scalp acupuncture treatment, 80% to 90% of patients have showed improvement in paralysis, aphasia, and ataxia, and some patients are able to recover completely. More common uses for acupuncture include reduction of pain and improvement of overall health and function of the immune system.

Dr. Minerva DeLauren will ask you questions about your medical history and do a physical exam to look for signs of imbalance. Examining your skin, tongue, and hair, as well as other parts of your body, from the brightness of your eyes to the color of your nails, and check your pulse. Dr. DeLauren will also listen to your voice to assess your shen (spirit), and will work to determine if one or more of your organ networks are affected. The rest of the session is then focussed on trying to correct imbalances in your body by providing a combination of the therapies discussed above. Dr. DeLauren’s patients report feeling relaxed, calm, and a feeling of gentle circulation and wellness.