“With acupuncture, we are using you to heal yourself. You are the medicine.”~Bradley J. Hartzler, L.Ac., D.C.H.M.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE
Personal Information
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How did you get started with this?
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My college roommate, Ed, at Elizabethtown College, introduced me to Taoism, the religion-philosophy that acupuncture is based on. Learning that Taoism was the world’s oldest religion got me interested in it. Ed taught me all he learned about Taoism from his college classes. In particular, he caught my attention one day when I yelled out, “I learn something every day!” and he replied by saying, “Well, I unlearn something every day.” From that moment on, something changed for me. The Taoist concepts that Ed introduced to me opened my mind to a new set of ideas.
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I began to develop an interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine in earnest when Ed introduced me to Yogi Tea and Celestial Seasonings teas. This was my first introduction to herbal tea. He was also experimenting with essential oils. When sick with a devastating cold one winter, he offered me a cup of Celestial Seasonings tea. What I noticed right away was that the tea tasted sweet all the way to the end of the cup. I had been raised drinking gallon upon gallon of Lipton iced (and hot) tea. When I started to recover from the cold and became sold that there really was something to Taoism, I was convinced that it worked. It was helpful info to know that I did not always have to go to the doctor to improve my health.
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After Ed introduced me to some texts on Traditional Chinese Medicine, including The Complete System of Self-Healing by Dr. Stephen Chang, and the Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity by Daniel Reid, I began to research what I could do naturally to help my body. I especially wanted to find natural ways of treating a brand new cause for concern - the diagnosis of Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP). My two major concerns were my heart health and finding a solution to my lower back pain.
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I began using supplements of magnesium and some ayurvedic medicine, including Gotu Kola, the obscure herb of the Tortoise Pigeon Dog Man, Li Ching-Yuen, who lived to be 256 years old in China. The long life attributed to all those who practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine made me think that it might be a fun lifelong subject of study.
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I also began to practice meditation, which transformed my life. “Sitting still doing nothing” is the meditation practice I started with. I progressed to deep-breathing or bellows-breath, then to qigong, or breath-work. I practiced yoga, and I did exercises because I wanted to get rid of the fatigue I was feeling. As the result of my qigong (a type of meditation that translates to “breath-work”). Slowly, it started to give me more energy. I incorporated small movements into my meditation practice, a set of exercises called the Eight Brocades. My meditation practice continues to evolve as time passes.
It was not until I got a trigger-point therapy acupuncture treatment from Peter Angelo, L.Ac., that I accomplished a dream of mine - to finally be rid of the chronic back pain that I had had for 15 years. I cannot sing Peter’s praises enough, but what I can say is that if you do have a qualified trigger-point acupuncturist treat you, relieving chronic pain is a realistic possibility.
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I was always sold that acupuncture worked even before I got my first treatment. I was just more interested in studying Herbology, Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. In the end, I ended up falling in love with treating patients with acupuncture.
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I will always prefer that a patient use food therapy and meditation-qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine and supplementation while they undergo acupuncture treatments - before, during or after. Wasn’t it Hippocrates who wrote “let food be thy medicine.”? I have nutritional therapy suggestions for patients so that they treat themselves using the proper foods with the appropriate functions. These foods, along with acupuncture, can help heal the body.
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Where did you study?
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I went to school at Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine, completing my degree in three years (from 2012 to 2015). After licensure, I studied Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine at Won Institute of Graduate Studies, for two years, where I became a diplomate in Chinese Herbal Medicine in 2019.
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How long did you study this for?
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I studied acupuncture for three years. I studied Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine for two years.
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How long have you been doing this?
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I have practiced as a licensed Pennsylvania acupuncturist for 6 years. I have been licensed to practice acupuncture since 2016, and I currently have a license to practice until 2022. I went to school at Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine (ESATM) in Montclair, NJ, completing my degree in three years (from 2012 to 2015).
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I began practicing acupuncture only after I completed a full year of acupuncture theory (from 2012-2013). I practiced treating my fellow students under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist for the following two years. In my third year of school, I interned at ESATM student clinic as well as the Veterans Affairs Hospital in East Orange, NJ.
After licensure, I studied Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine at Won Institute of Graduate Studies in Glenside, PA, near Philadelphia, where I became a diplomate in 2019. In Glenside, and in various locations in Montgomery County, PA, I began to treat patients. I began treating patients with acupuncture as a private sub-contractor with Allegheny Health Network Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine in January 2020. I began treating patients in February of 2023 at AHN Pain Clinics in Wexford Health and Wellness Pavilion in Wexford, PA, Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, PA, and an AHN Hospital in MacMurray, PA.
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Information about Acupuncture
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What is acupuncture?
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Acupuncture is an Eastern form of medicine. The insertion of the needles produces natural chemicals in the body called endorphins, which help decrease your perception of pain. The overall goal of acupuncture is to reduce pain while increasing blood flow and stimulating muscles and nerves throughout the body. Most importantly, it can relieve pain.
Pain is a sensation caused by signals traveling along the nerves to activate pain centers in the brain. Those signals can be stopped in their tracks by painkilling drugs, massage therapy, or well-placed needles.
Acupuncture activates local nerve fibers and then sends signals through the spinal cord to the brain, and it activates centers in your central nervous system. The nervous system, in turn, causes the release of the body’s opioid receptors to block pain signals, creating the sensation of painlessness.
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When did acupuncture get its start?
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Acupuncture has been practiced for approximately eight thousand years. Approximately eight thousand years ago, it was discovered that sharp objects (stones or twigs) could relieve discomfort and pain. Later, loci (certain points on the body) were intentionally punctured to treat illness and discomfort. Acupuncture meridian lines (pathways that acupuncture points travel down) were discovered before all of the individual acupoints. After identifying the path of a meridian, the ancient practitioners found the acupoints one by one. Later, with a bian-shi, a more refined needle held between two fingers, more points were discovered. Eventually outlines for the map of the human body’s loci (acupuncture points) were mapped.
What’s the purpose of acupuncture?
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The philosophy behind acupuncture is achieving balance throughout your body. Practitioners believe that if you’re in pain, your body is not in balance. In treating the pain, acupuncturists try to find the specific acupuncture point that will address your physical problem, thereby putting your body back in balance.
How does acupuncture work?
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The most commonly asked question I get is “how does acupuncture work?” This question can be answered in two ways. One is that the acupuncture meridians run through the body like rivers, and as acupuncturists, we are inserting points along those rivers, to reduce pain, bring balance to the acupuncture channel (meridian), and to heal the body. Most important of all, we are healing the spirit. I like to think of pain as leaves obstructing the flow of water through a stream. Once removed, the stream can flow smoothly without any obstacles.
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This question can also be answered in the following way: acupuncture regenerates cells. The new theory of acupuncture is that all pain is caused by a lack of electricity in the body. Acupuncture provides this much-needed energy by powering cells. If you study “cell theory,” you know that the powerhouse of the cell is the mitochondria. By treating acupuncture points, we are supplying power to the body by regenerating and repairing cells.
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How many acupuncture points are there?
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There are approximately 365-654 acupuncture points located within the human body, with approximately 200 auricular (ear) points.
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Do acupuncture points have different depths?
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Needle depths typically vary from .1 cun (approximately one millimeter) to 3 cun (approximately 3 inches) and can go as deep as 5-6 cun (approximately 5 to 6 inches based on personal experience). It all depends on how much adipose tissue (fat) surrounds certain points.
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*Disclaimer: only a qualified licensed acupuncturist or an acupuncture student in their second year of study, under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist can needle patients (in most if not all states in the U.S.).
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Information about Needles
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Will it hurt?
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The most common concern about acupuncture is the fear of the needles - the fear that it might hurt. However, the needles used are very thin compared to needles used for injections of medicine. You must understand that the treatment may cause short-term pain for long-term pain relief. You’ll feel a little pressure as the needle pierces the skin. Once the needle is in the fascia (spaces between muscles) there should be no pain.
The needling sensation, or de-Qi, is well documented by ancient practitioners. After a needle is inserted at a certain point in the body, the patient will first feel soreness, numbness, heaviness, and distention around the point. This is completely normal to feel. The sensation then travels up or down along a special line in the body called the acupuncture sensational line. These sensational lines are the meridian pathways or channels.
Why are the needles different colors?
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Different colors typically differentiate between needle gauges - meaning the difference in how thick a needle is.
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Is there anything in the needles?
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No substances are contained within the needles. Point injection therapy is popular in Florida, but it is not practiced in Pennsylvania, and is not common in the United States.
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* Did you know that 40 acupuncture needles can fit into the tip of one standard
hypodermic needle.
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Illnesses Treated by Acupuncture
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What illnesses are treated using acupuncture?
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Both acute and chronic illnesses (and pain) can be treated with acupuncture. Because everyone responds differently, the number of treatment sessions can vary for each individual. Remember, acupuncture treats the person, not the disease. Treating diseases is a dead-end.
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Can acupuncture treat _______________ (fill in the blank)?
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This is probably the second most commonly asked question I get. From the very start of schooling, this question was answered for me. As acupuncturists, we do not treat diseases - we treat the person. The answer “can acupuncture treat this?” for virtually any condition, is yes. For example, what if someone asked me the question “can acupuncture help treat someone with cancer?” The answer is that I am treating the person, not the disease. I am treating a patient undergoing cancer treatment.
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Getting Started
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I’m ready to try it! How do I get started with acupuncture?
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To make an appointment with Allegheny Health Network Pain Center Center at (412) 667-2311.
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What should I do before treatment?
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One should avoid exercising strenuously before they come in for an acupuncture treatment and should have a meal beforehand. They can brush their teeth, but they don’t have to brush their tongue. Why? Because tongue analysis is crucial to evaluating a patient’s disease diagnosis pattern.
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Patient’s should avoid using excess perfumes and colognes because smell is an important tool an acupuncturist uses to properly evaluate a patient.
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What should I do after treatment?
Rest and hydrate and avoid strenuous exercise.
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What if I bruise? -What should I do about it?
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Occasionally acupuncture needles can hit blood vessels as the acupuncturist tries to reach the proper depth, but don’t worry, after a few days of bruising, the area will heal.
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Information about Treatments
How many sessions are needed for acupuncture to be effective?
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The longer the patient has the condition, the longer the course of treatment before they experience substantial or lasting results. Acupuncture can be done as often as five times a week, or as little as once a month. To give you an example, for a patient who has had chronic pain in one location for 5 years, it may take 5 treatments to experience relief. However, a patient will feel results within 12 to 48 hours of the first treatment.
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How long should I wait before my next acupuncture appointment?
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Schedule an appointment for this week until we get to six treatments, then we can reevaluate - you can wait one to two weeks before your next treatment. Once you start to get the cumulative effect of acupuncture, you can come in for your monthly wellness visit - your tuneup.
When should I come back?
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Schedule an appointment for this week until we get to six treatments, then we can reevaluate.
How many acupuncture treatments do I need?
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You can’t get too many acupuncture treatments, but what you can have is too great a space between acupuncture treatments. There is a cumulative effect that happens with acupuncture, so the more treatments you get, the less you need. Patients across the United States average eight treatments, according to Acupuncture Today.
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I recommend six treatments as a base-level for how many are needed for every patient. I like to treat a patient once or twice the first week, once or twice the second week, and so on, until we reach six treatments. Then we can re-evaluate whether the conditions you came in with are better, the same, or worse. What we want is a patient who will go through the weak pain-and-symptom free. What we don’t want is a patient going through the week feeling great, and after 5-6 days go by, pain and symptoms return, and then we’re back at square-one. We want to continue to build on your progress until the only treatment you need, if any, is your monthly tune-up.
Information on Doctor Referrals & Insurance Coverage
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Why isn’t acupuncture more popular?
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Acupuncture is very popular. It generates approximately 240 billion dollars a year.
Why don’t more doctors recommend this to their patients?
The answer is - they do and more are doing it.
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Why isn’t acupuncture covered by insurance?
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The answer is that some insurance companies will cover acupuncture. Some already do. Acupuncture is covered by insurance in rare cases. Some Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans cover acupuncture for low back pain. For Veterans of Foreign Wars, acupuncture is covered by insurance, and Veterans do not require a referral from a doctor to receive acupuncture.
Ensuring Quality Care
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Do you know what dry-needling is?
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Dry-needling is a term that patients sometimes use when they don’t know what to call acupuncture. They may call it “dry needling” because they don’t know enough about it to call it acupuncture, but dry needling is dangerous. It is dangerous because it is done by medical acupuncturists who train for only a short time, but who typically have little to no background in acupuncture theory, at least enough to answer the question “Why I am I inserting needles into these points and what is the treatment principle behind inserting these points?”
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Every acupuncturist has to come up with a thorough reason why they use acupuncture points to treat a patient. Only by studying Traditional Chinese Medicine theory thoroughly could I come to the conclusion that healing comes from within. Dry needling has caused some significant injuries because some (not all) unqualified medical acupuncturists make mistakes.
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As a licensed acupuncturist, I am certain of how deep acupuncture points can go. When they are inserted, they are far from any organ, tissue or tendon. Acupuncture points are inserted into fascia (spaces between muscles), which coincidentally, is the most conductive part of the body, making it the perfect part of the body to recharge through acupuncture treatments.
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What is moxa, moxa soaks, moxibustion, or acu-moxibustion?
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Chances are that we’ll be having around six treatments together, so please tell me if you would like some free moxa soaks, because I can prepare them for almost anyone who’s interested.
The hospital disallows burning moxa on needles because it will set the fire alarms off, but the alternative is that acupuncturists can recommend moxa soaks. Made from the mugwort plant, moxa warms systemic cold, and has been proven effective for treating arthritis and other similar conditions.
