Lincoln Square Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, Chicago

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine may seem like a mystery to you, if you have not read about or studied it. We have answered some basic questions about acupuncture here, as well as about the services available at Lincoln Square Acupuncture. If you have additional questions, please call us at 773. 878.3888 or email us at squarenergy@gmail.com.

Does acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture needles are much thinner than the needles used for injections. If you feel them at all, it will be a sensation similar to someone pulling a single hair. Most patients don't even feel them go in. Once they are inside, you may experience warmth, tingling, numbness, distending or a heavy feeling at the needle site. This is normal and even desired. In some cases, the needles will be placed at sensitive areas of the body like the hands and feet, which some people may find uncomfortable. Other patients feel so relaxed during treatment that they fall asleep on the treatment table.

What kinds of things can your clinic treat besides pain?
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in China to treat things like asthma, high or low blood pressure, colds/flu, digestive disorders like constipation or diarrhea, dizziness, chronic fatigue, gynecological disorders, headache, insomnia, anxiety, depression and a host of other disorders.

Even things that might not be considered disorders in Western medicine may be treated by Chinese medicine, like cold hands and feet, night sweating, feeling flushed or a bitter taste in the mouth. Acupuncture was originally a preventative medicine, so chances are there is something regarding your health that acupuncture can address. And it's easier to nip any potential problems in the bud before they start to manifest themselves in more obvious ways. The easiest way to see if acupuncture can help is to come in for a consultation. It takes about 20 minutes and doesn't cost a thing. Give us a call at 773.878.3888 and book an appointment.

Do you treat smoking addiction?
There are a number of acupuncture protocols for treating nicotine addiction. Some are successful for some people, while the same treatment might not work on others. Keeping this in mind—yes, we treat smoking addiction—but we can only do part of the work. The success of treatment is dependent on the willpower of the patient combined with the actual treatment. Acupuncture can only help curb the cravings. Ultimately, choosing to not light up is the patient's decision.

What else do you do there?
Besides acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine the other treatment modalities we offer are: cupping, moxibustion, scraping, electrical point stimulation, traditional Chinese massage and herbal elixirs.

How does what you do differ from what my chiropractor does?
In the State of Illinois, Chiropractors, Osteopaths and MDs are able to practice acupuncture with no additional training. Only a small number of these professionals take additional training to become Diplomates of Acupuncture (NCCAOM). Others may be trained in weekend classes of a couple hundred hours that make them a "Certified Acupuncturist." Unfortunately, those with inadequate training don't know or understand the theories behind acupuncture point selection, Chinese medical diagnosis, the pathogenesis of disease and the functions of individual points—not to mention Chinese Herbology. Practitioners who are Diplomates of Acupuncture have spent an average of 1200 hours of training in theory, techniques, Herbology and diagnosis, as well as completing a clinical internship to hone their skills and provide you with safe acupuncture treatments.

How does Chinese herbal medicine differ from homeopathy or western herbal medicine?
Chinese herbal medicine uses formulas consisting of several herbs that address a patient's symptoms as well as the disease pattern, or cause. The formula balances the body; if there is heat, cool; if there is dryness, moisten; if there is excess, reduce, etc. Homeopathy works on the principle that in order to treat disease, you should ingest an extremely minute amount of a substance that causes a similar reaction in the body. The substance is normally a single herb that addresses a patient's symptoms only. Western herbal medicine uses herbs either singly or in groups that treat the same symptom or disease. This philosophy is similar to Chinese herbal medicine in that it focuses on balancing the body. But again, it treats symptoms more than the cause of disease.

How long do acupuncture appointments take?
Your first appointment will take about one hour. This includes the initial intake and the acupuncture treatment. Subsequent visits generally last between 45 minutes to one hour.

How many treatments will I need?
This depends on several factors: how long you have had your disorder, how often you come in for treatment, the accuracy of the diagnosis, how well you respond to the treatments and how compliant you are with the Chinese Herbal Medicine. Chronic conditions are generally treated in courses of eight to twelve week treatments, with one visit per week. Please keep in mind that for chronic conditions, recovery may take several treatment courses, but you should feel a gradual improvement after each visit. For acute conditions, you should see positive results almost immediately and treatment should be complete within two or three visits. It is generally more effective to come in several times in one week than to come in once a week for a month.

Do you take insurance?
We do not accept insurance, however if your insurance company reimburses for our services, we will gladly print up a superbill for you to submit to them.

Do you make house calls?
Not unless it is a special case where the patient is immobile or is otherwise unable to come up the stairs. Contact us at 773.878.3888 if you have a concern about whether you can visit our office.