Smithtown Acupuncture & Wellness uses a wide range of modalities to bring your health back to balance. These modalities can increase and balance your Qi, giving your body and being the healing support it needs to regain its healthy function.
Acupuncture is a medical therapy developed over 2000 years ago in Asia. Acupuncture stimulates specific points beneath the skin by the insertion of acupuncture needles. This process restores the balance of the body’s energy, also known as “Qi” (pronounced chi). Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Moxibustion are some of the essential elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Will it hurt?
Acupuncture needles are extremely thin made from silver alloy typically stainless steel. You may feel little or no discomfort as the needles are inserted as the process is typically painless. You may feel different sensations including slight soreness, numbness, warmth, or pressure. These energetic sensations differs from pain. People often comment that the feeling is unfamiliar but pleasant and comforting.
Is it safe?
Acupuncture therapy has been used for thousands of years in China. Acupuncture is the treatment of choice for one-fourth of the world%u2019s population! The needles are FDA approved, individually packaged, pre-sterilized and disposed after a single use.
What should I expect for my first treatment?
After the first treatment has been administered, depending on the aliment being treated, many experiences may occur. Immediate, total or partial relief from pain or other symptoms may be experienced. Some patients experience a sudden burst of energy while others may feel relaxed. Many people experience a calming satisfaction. Small, localized bruises from minor bleeding under the skin are infrequent, but do occur. These are no cause for alarm, and despite the cosmetic inconvenience, they actually provide a kind of bonus treatment. The reabsorption of the blood continues the stimulation of the acupuncture point even without the needle in place.
How long do the treatments take?
In most situations treatments take between 20 and 30 minutes but can last longer in certain scenarios. The length of the treatment depends on the individual conditions of the patient and the skill of the acupuncturist. Be aware that on some days, visits may take longer due to the number of clients being treated.
What conditions can acupuncture treat?
Many conditions may be treated. General pain relief and control for arthritis, cervical spondylopathy, knee pain, hand and foot pain, sciatica, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, lower back and neck pain, tendonitis, etc. Other conditions such as circulatory problems with high or low blood pressure, cold hands and feet. Some nervous system imbalances can also be treated such as anxiety, nervousness, sleeplessness, depression, asthma, allergies and sinus problems; digestive disorders like Crohn’s Disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, diarrhea, and constipation. Other common ailments treated include headaches and migraines; treatments to help stop smoking, and many more conditions.
How does acupuncture work?
In traditional Chinese Medicine, there exists a meridian system through the human body. In this system, invisible passageways for energy are called meridians. There are certain points on the body (more than 360) that connect with certain organs and bodily functions. Point Groups on the body that apply to a specific organ or function are found along the same meridian. In a healthy, normal functioning body, the energy in these meridians flow freely resulting in a balanced system. When the flow of energy is interrupted from causes such as stress or injury, this energy is reduced throwing your “Qi” off balance. By performing acupuncture using the points associated with the particular meridian involved, this Qi or balance is restored.
Are the needles clean?
Acupuncture needles are FDA approved. These needles are pre-sterilized and individually wrapped. After the needles are used, they are disposed.
How many treatments will I need?
Since every person is unique in their own condition, the numbers of treatments will vary. The nature, severity and history of each patient’s problem, as well as the individual himself or herself, are all factors that are involved in how many treatments will be necessary.
Are needles the only equipment involved?
Acupuncturist may use several techniques such as moxibustion, cupping, electric stimulation, and point stimulation to help with the patient’s treatment.
Will it conflict with my other medications?
Acupuncture will not conflict with any of your medications. Acupuncture is used to complement and supplement your physician’s treatments NOT TO REPLACE THEM. You should discuss this issue with your physician and acupuncturist.
Acupuncture trigger point therapy, which is also sometimes called myofascial pain therapy, was developed as a method of treating pain that originates in muscles. Trigger points are areas of hypersensitivity that occur in bands of muscle tissue.
Trigger points are focused knots of pain located in tightened muscle tissue. They develop out of acute or repetitive overtraining, musculoskeletal imbalance, injury or other kind of strain.
What is NAET or Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques?
NAMBUDRIPAD’S ALLERGY ELIMINATION TECHNIQUE is a holistic treatment for the reduction of sensitivities with food and environmental allergies, which may be the cause of a wide range of illnesses. NAET® was discovered by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad in November of 1983. Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques, also known as NAET, are a non-invasive, drug free, natural solution to alleviate allergies of all types and intensities using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy, chiropractic, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine.
Until recently, disease was looked at a sets of symptoms caused by poor function or non-functioning of specific organs or body parts. Medical professionals everywhere are taught to look for and to treat symptoms, rather than to look further to find their causes. If we looked for causes, most could be found with ease, allowing symptoms to be reduced or effectively mitigated.
Smithtown Acupuncture & Wellness is proud to say that we were one of the first practices to utilize NAET on Long Island starting in 2000.
What is Functional Medicine and Function Nutrition?
Functional Nutrition looks at the foundational way that food affects your body on the cellular level. Food is much more than calories, in fact there are millions of molecules of information in every bite of food that you eat! These molecules come into your body, affect how your cells behave and how you feel.
Eating healthy is essential for both preventing illness and for recovering from disease. Specific nutrients can help your liver detoxification pathways, give you sustained energy, help you sleep deeply, and support your general well-being.
Food is one of the most fundamental and potent inputs we give our bodies every day it is a clear and impactful message to our biochemistry. It’s one of several powerful links between our internal and external environments. When it comes to health care, too often we put time, energy and money into masking symptoms rather than treating their root cause.
Why Do We Need Functional Medicine?
- Our society is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from complex, chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
- The system of medicine practiced by most physicians is oriented toward acute care, the diagnosis and treatment of trauma or illness that is of short duration and in need of urgent care, such as appendicitis or a broken leg. Physicians apply specific, prescribed treatments such as drugs or surgery that aim to treat the immediate problem or symptom.
- Unfortunately, the acute-care approach to medicine lack the proper methodology and tools for preventing and treating complex, chronic disease. In most cases if does not take into account the unique genetic makeup of each individual or factors such as environmental exposures to toxins and the aspects of today’s lifestyle that have a direct influence on the rise in chronic disease in modern Western society.
- There’s a huge gap between research and the way doctors practice. The gap between emerging research in basic sciences and integration into medical practice is enormous – as long as 50 years – particularly in the area of complex, chronic illness.
- Most physicians are not adequately trained to assess the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and to apply strategies such as nutrition, diets and exercises to both treat and prevent these illnesses in their patients.
How is Functional Medicine Different?
Functional medicine involves understanding the origins, prevention, and treatment of complex, chronic disease. Hallmarks of a functional medicine approach include.
- Patient-centered care. The focus of functional medicine is on a patient-centered care, promoting health as a positive vitality, beyond just the absence of disease. By listening to the patient and learning his or her story, the practitioner brings the patient into the discovery process and tailors treatments that address the individual’s unique needs.
- An integrative, science-based healthcare approach. Functional medicine practitioners look “upstream” to consider the complex web of interactions in the patient’s history, physiology, and lifestyle that can lead to illness. The unique genetic makeup of each patient is considered, along with both internal (mind, body and spirit) and external (physical and social environment) factors that affect total functioning.
- Integrating best medical practices. Functional medicine integrates traditional Western medical practices with what are sometimes considered “alternative” or “integrative” medicine, creating a focus on prevention through nutrition, diet, and exercise: use of the latest laboratory testing and other diagnostic techniques; and prescribed combinations of drugs and/or botanical medicines, supplements, therapeutic diets, detoxification programs, or stress-management techniques.
The Functional Medicine Approach to Assessment
The Institute for Functional Medicine teaches practitioners how to assess the patient’s fundamental clinical imbalances through careful history taking, physical examination, and laboratory testing. The functional medicine practitioner will consider multiple factors, including:
- Environmental inputs – The air and water in your community, the particular diet you eat, the quality of the food available to your, your level of physical exercise, and toxic exposures or traumas you have experienced all affect your health. Lifestyle is a major factor: research estimates that 70-90% of chronic disease risk is attributable to lifestyle.
- Mind-body elements – Psychological, spiritual, and social factors, including how you deal with stress, can have a profound influence on your health. Considering these areas helps the functional medicine practitioner see your health in the context of you as a whole person, not just your physical symptoms.
- Genetic makeup – Although your individual genes may make you more susceptible to some diseases, your DNA is not an unchanging blueprint for your life. Emerging research shows that your genes may be influenced by everything in your environment, plus your experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. That means it is possible to change the way genes are activated and expressed.
- Fundamental physiological processes – These are the body’s processes that keep you alive. Some occur at the cellular level and involve how cells functions, repair, and maintain themselves. These processes are related to larger biological functions, such as:
- how your body rids itself of toxins — digestion and absorption of nutrients
- regulation of hormones and neurotransmitters — musculoskeletal integrity
- immune system functions — psychological and spiritual equilibrium
- inflammatory responses — how you manage stress
- how much energy you have
All of these processes are influenced by environment and by genes, and when they are disturbed or imbalanced, they lead to symptoms, which can lead to disease if effective interventions are not applied.
A Comprehensive Approach to Treatment
Most imbalances in functionality can be addresses: some can be completely restored to optimum function, and other can be substantially improved.
- Prevention in paramount. Virtually every complex, chronic disease is preceded by long-term disturbances in functionality that can be identified and effectively managed.
Changing how the systems function can have a major impact on the patient’s health. The functional medicine practitioner examines a wide array of available interventions and customizes a treatment plan including thoses with the most impact on underlying functionality. - Functional medicine expands the physician’s tool kit. Treatments may include combinations of drugs and/or botanical medicines, supplements, therapeutic diets, or detoxification programs. They may also include counseling on diet and nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, or stress-management techniques.
- The patient becomes a partner. As a patient, you become an active partner with your functional medicine practitioner. You may be asked to make dietary and activity changes that, when combined with nutrients targeted to specific functional needs, will allow you to really be in charge of improving your own health and changing the outcome of disease.
They’re not found in this form in nature but are made, or synthesized, from a plant chemical extracted from yams and soy. Bioidentical estrogens are 17 beta-estradiol, estrone, and estriol. (Estradiol is the form of estrogen that decreases at menopause.) Bioidentical progesterone is simply progesterone.
A healthy eating plan also will lower your risk for heart disease and other health conditions. A healthy eating plan: Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. Limits saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars.
Image Guided Pain Injections are used in the attempt to partially or completely relieve pain and swelling in a joint.
Why Do I Need an Image-Guided Injection?
Your primary care physician will determine if you will benefit from pain injections and provide a referral for treatment. Our team of pain relief specialists offer image-guided steroid injections for better treatment of pain and accuracy (to assure correct placement of the injection needle in the small joint space). Depending on the joint and the medical problem, our pain specialists have the option of using fluoroscopy, CT or ultrasound for needle guidance, an option only available at centers who specialize in pain management. InHealth Imaging offers steroid injections of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, lumbar facet joint injections plus nerve blocks, sacroiliac joint and all extremity joints, Monovisc in the knee and trigger point injections. In most cases, these injections provide a reduction in inflammation and alleviation of pain and discomfort.
Guided Meditation is a wonderful technique to reduce stress and promote relaxation. It is also used to expand creativity and to help with achieving goals. Olympic athletes have used this type of meditation for years to reduce the tremendous stress they experience, and to increase their focus.
In guided meditation sessions you are led through the most peaceful meditative journeys. These meditations are specifically chosen to reduce stress and promote well being. If you have ever daydreamed, or have brought a memory to mind, you will be able to enjoy the benefits of this type of meditation.
A twenty minute guided meditation session can cancel out hours or even days of stress.