Frequently Asked Questions About Acupuncture

Please try to wear or bring comfortable clothing to your treatment. This will allow our practitioners to be able to access the acupuncture points with ease, and it will help you to feel relaxed. Please try to avoid eating a heavy meal or skipping a meal before coming to your appointment.

If you are to receive ATP Resonance BioTherapy™, it is recommended that you drink 1-2 quarts of water within 2 hours of your appointment time to maximize the benefits of the treatment.

The idea that acupuncture only works as a placebo is one of the most common misconceptions about acupuncture. You are not required to believe in acupuncture for it to work. Studies have shown acupuncture to be very effective in treating a number of conditions in humans, as well as animals such as horses, dogs, and cats. Animals are incapable of “believing” in acupuncture, yet it is still rather effective for them. Testing for an acupuncture placebo effect in humans is much more challenging. However, there have been studies conducted at major universities that suggest that acupuncture's effects are more than that of a placebo. For more on this subject, please review the following articles:

• Acupuncture 'more than a placebo'
• New Studies Confirm Acupuncture Relieves Pain
• University of Vermont Study First to Confirm Acupuncture's Effect

Acupuncture is traditionally viewed as a treatment modality that sparks the body's ability to heal itself. From a traditional perspective, all physical and emotional health issues are simply signs that the body is out of balance. Acupuncture, along with dietary therapy and herbal medicine, can help reestablish homeostasis. When the body is in balance, it can heal itself appropriately and efficiently.

Acupuncture points are not randomly located on the body. A majority of them are located along mostly longitudinal connections in what are traditionally referred to as channels, and there are classically a number of different types of channels (Primary, Sinew, Connecting, Divergent, etc). Similar to the nervous and vascular systems, as well as fascial planes, channels connect different parts of the body with one another. In fact, there is significant overlap between these systems and certain types of traditional channels.

When provided within close enough succession, the effectiveness of each acupuncture treatment typically builds upon the previous one. Depending on the nature of the health concern and the individual response of the patient, the total number of treatments needed can vary quite a bit from patient to patient.

Acute conditions tend to resolve more quickly with an intensive series of treatments. Chronic conditions may require a longer and more consistent course of treatment. The number of required treatments will also be determined bu the severity and underlying cause of the health concern. Once a patient has obtained their desired outcome, maintenance treatments may be required in order to sustain optimal results.

At Charlotte Acupuncture and Wellness Center, our practitioners will check your progress throughout your treatment plan. We strive to provide you high quality care and will refer you to another healthcare practitioner, if we are unable to help you.

No, absolutely not. We do not reuse needles. The Charlotte Acupuncture and Wellness Center only uses FDA-approved, single-use needles that have been sterilized by the manufacturer prior to packaging. After your treatment, the needles are disposed of in a “Sharps” medical waste disposal container. Furthermore, all of our acupuncturists are nationally certified in Clean Needle Technique by the CCAOM (Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine). This is the only national organization that certifies practitioners in Clean Needle Technique for acupuncture. Clean Needle Technique is the standard way in which acupuncture is practiced in order to keep patients and practitioners safe. You can always expect to receive the highest level of care available each time you visit the Charlotte Acupuncture and Wellness Center.

Licensed acupuncturists are regarded as the experts in therapeutic needling. It is their primary tool in their toolbox. The difference when compared with other healthcare practitioners that offer acupuncture typically involves the amount acupuncture specific training that the practitioner has completed. Licensed acupuncturists are required to complete a program of training that is highly specialized in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. To become a NC Licensed Acupuncturist, the North Carolina Licensing Board requires the completion of at least a 3 year postgraduate program in acupuncture that is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). Additionally, Licensed Acupuncturists must pass the national acupuncture exams administered by the National Certification Commission in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). 

Each acupuncturist at the Charlotte Acupuncture and Wellness Center has completed more than 3,000 hours of postgraduate training (Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine) that has included over 1,000 hours of clinical experience. About 80% of that training focused on acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine and 20% was devoted to conventional medical studies. Moreover, our acupuncturists have passed the national NCCAOM exams in acupuncture, medical theory, Chinese herbal medicine, and biomedicine. They also completed hospital internships in China and received training in traditional Japanese acupuncture. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are their areas of expertise.

The acupuncture training of most Doctors of Chiropractic, Doctors of Naturopathy, Doctors of Osteopathy, and Medical Doctors is often basic. It typically consists of 50-300 hours of combine didactic and clinical instruction, and these practitioners generally use acupuncture only as an adjunct to their typical treatment approach. You should always feel free to ask your practitioner about the extensiveness of their acupuncture training. For more information on this subject, please see Know Your Acupuncturist.