Acupuncture Specialist

What is acupuncture? 

Acupuncture relieves pain and helps your body heal by inserting specially designed needles into precise areas of your body called acupoints. Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that targeting specific acupoints restores your body’s natural energy and enhances its natural healing ability.

Acupuncture is one of the oldest pain management tools that we have. It has been around for two millennia. Acupuncture can also be used as a cosmetic treatment to naturally help the skin look younger and smoother and healthier.

Medical studies also show that acupuncture stimulates your central nervous system, leading to the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters, and hormones. These biochemicals relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and promote healing.

Facial acupuncture addresses the signs of aging and helps improve the overall health of the skin. Facial acupuncture can act in a similar way as microneedling. Collagen production is stimulated, lymphatic and circulatory systems are also stimulated. This acts to improve nutrient flow and increases oxygen delivery to the skin cells. And this way we are working from the inside out.

Your provider may also suggest complementing your acupuncture treatment with cupping. Cupping therapy uses warm glass cups that are positioned along your meridians, or energy pathways. When placed upside-down on your skin, the heated cup creates a suction effect inside the glass. This draws your skin into the cup, increasing blood flow and improving the healing response at the treatment site. 

What health conditions does acupuncture treat?

Acupuncture is so effective for a wide range of health conditions that the World Health Organization recommends it for problems such as:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Headaches and migraines
• Low back pain
• Neck pain
• Muscle spasms
• Fibromyalgia
• Acute and allergic rhinitis
• Gastritis
• Facial pain

Acupuncture is especially beneficial for treating musculoskeletal pain, including chronic pain. Ongoing pain changes your central nervous system, leading to disruptions in nerve communication and making nerves hypersensitive. Acupuncture helps to regulate and improve the connections between those nerves.

What is an acupuncture platelet-rich plasma facial?

Dr. Lanter combines the benefits of platelet-rich plasma injections with those of acupuncture to help stimulate new collagen production. This helps the repair and recovery of facial tissues which helps tighten and smooth and improve overall skin tone and appearance. 

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a medical procedure. It requires the drawing of blood. The blood is then prepared and the platelets are concentrated into a small amount of plasma. In the case of PRP facials, the prepared solution is injected into areas of skin damage and wrinkling. 

With the platelet-rich plasma acupuncture facial, acupuncture needles are used in these areas to help distribute the PRP throughout the affected areas. This procedure helps to produce a natural and healthy appearance.

What should I expect during acupuncture?

Before your first acupuncture session, the team performs a physical examination, evaluates your symptoms, and diagnoses the cause of your pain. This allows them to plan your acupuncture treatments.

During your acupuncture session, you lie down and relax while your acupuncturist inserts the needles into the appropriate acupoints.

Acupuncture needles are not the same type of needles as those used to inject medications. The needles used during acupuncture are flexible and thin. Though the needles are often compared to the width of a human hair, they’re all quite thin and come in different sizes.

The tip of an acupuncture needle is tapered, which makes it easy to slide into your skin. You may feel a momentary twinge upon needle insertion, but most patients don’t even feel that. Once the needle is in place, you may experience tingling sensations, but you should never have pain or discomfort.

After your provider inserts all the needles, you relax for about 10-20 minutes. During this time, your acupuncturist may twirl the needles or send a mild electrical current through the needle to enhance the effect.

To learn more about acupuncture or to schedule an appointment, call Robert B. Lanter, DO, or book an appointment online today.