Every illness tells a story. Every illness presents a challenge. We desire wellness and when we are afflicted with pain, discomfort and illness we want to change that. In order to affect change, something in us — our lives, our routines, our habits — must change. Dis-ease presents us with a unique opportunity to take a journey on an unknown path toward a desired, but unknown, destination.

When patients come to me seeking treatment for a variety of health concerns (everything from back pain to rotator cuff injuries , chronic conditions or even mystery illnesses) they are embarking on a journey to their very center to find healing before they can return. I chose the labyrinth for Rivertown Acupuncture’s logo because it represents that inner quest by the patient; I am simply the catalyst for healing.

The journey to recovery from an ailment is not a straight line, and a holistic approach is key to lasting success. Whereas medical specialists may sometimes take a compartmentalized approach, sending a patient down one narrow path, acupuncture stimulates our own bodies to move toward their desired destination. For this reason, acupuncture can help point the way toward healing in situations when a patient is feeling unwell but has not been presented with a clear path toward wellness from a medical professional.

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When a patient is feeling ill but can’t obtain a clear diagnosis, it can be very challenging to know how to move forward with the proper treatment. At times, seeing so many doctors can cause even more confusion. Specialists typically only look for issues that relate to their specialty, and they may not perceive a broader mandate to treat the patient beyond that specific area. As a result, specialists may not look at other aspects of a patient’s health that could shed some light on the issue.

With this compartmentalized approach to health care it can be difficult to uncover the underlying condition, much less treat and resolve it. This can be very frustrating for the patient, who only wants to solve the problem and get better as soon as possible. Acupuncture takes an entirely different approach when assessing a patient’s condition and identifying the possible cause of any health concerns they may be experiencing. An hour spent with an acupuncturist, who scrutinizes a patient’s body more carefully and holistically, can sometimes help determine what medical problem should be addressed and point the way toward a course of treatment.

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If you’ve never received acupuncture treatment before, you may have many questions about what to expect at your first session. Here’s an overview of how the first consultation at Rivertown Acupuncture typically goes, along with a brief explanation about my philosophy regarding holistic acupuncture treatment.

Before coming in for your initial appointment, we’ll ask you to fill out the necessary preliminary forms, such as documents related to HIPAA and your health and medical history, and send them to me. You can find these forms on both the Home Page (following the fourth paragraph) and the Contact/Directions section of our website (on the right hand side of the page). This gives me a chance to review your medical history before you arrive and offers me some insight when we meet to discuss your primary complaint. If you’re experiencing pain and it’s muscular in nature, then our first in-person Q&A is typically very brief.

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Many acupuncture patients initially seek treatment for a serious illness, to remedy acute pain or to help treat a mystery illness. However, acupuncture’s greatest benefits can often be found in its holistic approach to wellness. In the care of an experienced practitioner you can alleviate short-term ailments while also improving the long-term foundation of your overall well-being.

There are myriad ways in which acupuncture can benefit a patient’s overall health. This form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helps ameliorate allergies (such as the fall allergies from which many people have suffered so acutely this year), improves the body’s native immune response, reduces fatigue, boosts energy levels, and heals the damage caused by stress. Although each of these benefits is valuable when considered individually, when understood as part of a whole they form a more complete picture of wellness that allows people to better enjoy their lives.

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If you’re suffering from a mystery illness, it can be frustrating to try and get the answers you need in order to recover your health. It’s not uncommon for me to treat patients who, after making several appointments with multiple doctors yet still not receiving a clear diagnosis, have become desperate to find a solution. They often come to me months or even years after their symptoms first started surfacing, and they’re in a considerable amount of pain. Fortunately, acupuncture can be a valuable form of complementary care in just these sorts of situations.

As a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture treats symptoms and patterns rather than specific Western diagnoses. In this way, acupuncture treatments are uniquely well designed to uncover the multiple factors that may have caused a mystery illness to develop. Acupuncture gently yet very intentionally nudges the body toward homeostasis, allowing its systems to regulate themselves better and thrive on their own. As a result, patients—no matter what type of pain or illness they may be experiencing—benefit from an improved sense of well-being and begin to feel better soon after treatment begins.

Acupuncture treatments can even sometimes help point the way toward a diagnosis, which is especially helpful in cases of mystery illnesses that are tricky to identify. I have helped steer several patients toward their diagnoses, in fact. After working with them just two or three times, I begin to see underlying indications of what may be happening and, as a result, I have successfully steered those patients toward the right focus (for example fungal infections, endocrine system issues, Lyme disease, etc.) while continuing the acupuncture treatments that strengthen and bolster their immune systems.

When patients come to Rivertown Acupuncture suffering from poor health, I find that their symptoms are often the result of a perfect storm and that they’re not always caused by one specific problem. Since acupuncture can help shine a light on the environmental factors that contribute to degraded health, patients often come away from treatment with greater self-awareness about the chief causes of stress in their lives and how they may take positive steps to improve their self-care. This includes eating better, managing stress more effectively, and getting more exercise.

With the benefit of better energy and well-being provided by acupuncture treatment as well as the knowledge required to improve their health in a more holistic way, even patients who have been suffering from a long term, difficult to diagnose illness can begin to uncover the path to a better future. If a mystery illness is impeding your ability to live well, it may be worth considering the benefits that acupuncture can offer.