Acupuncture for Sciatica: A Chinese Medicine Approach to Sciatic Nerve Pain If you’re dealing with sciatica, you already know it’s more than just “back pain.” It’s that sharp, shooting sensation down your leg that can stop you mid-step. It’s the numbness or tingling that makes sitting unbearable. It’s the way it takes over your daily…
Acupuncture for Neck Pain: A Chinese Medicine Approach to Chronic Tension and Stiffness You’ve probably tried everything for your neck pain by now. The stretching videos, the ergonomic pillow, the ibuprofen that takes the edge off for a few hours before the tightness creeps back. Maybe you’ve done physical therapy and it helped temporarily, or…
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome — or you suspect that’s what’s behind the random flushing, the sudden food sensitivities, the brain fog, the gut problems that seem to come out of nowhere — I want you to know something: you’re not crazy, and there is a path forward. As a…
Acupuncture for Constipation: When Fiber, Laxatives and Water Aren’t Enough If constipation has become your normal, you know it’s about so much more than just not going. It’s the bloating that makes your clothes uncomfortable by noon. The heaviness that drags down your whole day. The frustration of trying fiber, MiraLAX, magnesium, prune juice, and…
Is it time for an acupuncture podcast interview? Maegan Hodge, from Centered: Richmond Acupuncture & Wellness, recently appeared on Dr. Aaron Hartman’s podcast to discuss the effects of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). They discussed how these time-honored methods integrate with medicine to address health issues in a holistic, evidence-based manner. The chat focused…
Exploring the Main Contrasts Between Dry Needling and Acupuncture. When it comes to dealing with pain and physical discomfort, you might have encountered two treatment options that appear similar: dry needling and acupuncture. Even though both methods entail the insertion of needles into the body, they vary significantly in terms of their core beliefs and…
Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Beyond Medication and Injections If chronic pain has become the backdrop of your entire life — the thing you plan around, push through, and quietly grieve — I want you to hear something that might surprise you: your body is not broken. It’s stuck. And there’s a difference. As a licensed…
Interested in home remedies for sinus ailments? In both literal and metaphorical senses, sinus infections can be excruciating. If you struggle with these, you have probably tried a wide range of therapies. However, have you ever thought about taking a relieved look in your spice cabinet?
Acupuncture for Depression: It’s Not Just a Chemical Imbalance If depression has been running your life lately, I want you to know something: you are not broken, and there is more going on in your body than a simple chemical imbalance. I see it in my practice every week. As a licensed acupuncturist in Richmond,…
Acupuncture is a Powerful Tool for Fertility Have you been thinking about acupuncture for fertility? For centuries, people have turned to acupuncture as a safe and reliable method to boost fertility and ensure a successful pregnancy. The combination of modern scientific research and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) results in a holistic method that improves…
Quick Tip for Side Sleepers with Neck, Shoulder, or Back Pain If you are a side sleeper with neck, shoulder, or upper back pain, I want you to watch this video. It’s short, I promise. Inside, I will go over one of two reasons that your side sleeping can be causing your pain and what…
Acupuncture for Occipital Neuralgia May Delight You! Occipital neuralgia can feel like lightning around the base of your skull or the back of your head. It can come on quite suddenly and happen multiple times during the day. For many patients, it is a living nightmare. The pain can be continuously aching, burning, or throbbing…
Acupuncture for Low AMH: Can Chinese Medicine Help You Get Pregnant? If you’ve just gotten your AMH results back and the number is lower than you expected, I want you to take a breath. I know how that moment feels — the fear, the frustration, the sense that time is slipping away. As a licensed…
Jaw Hurting? Acupuncture for Jaw Pain? Does your jaw hurt a lot? Is it hard to open or close your jaw? Do you get headaches or have some kind of facial or dental pain? Have clicking or popping? There are some of the most common symptoms of TMJ, or tight jaw muscles. They can be…
Acupuncture For Frozen Shoulder Have you ever rolled out of bed in the morning only to realize that your shoulder muscles are not working properly? Now, imagine this has been going on for months or years. Then, add in a nagging, achy pain that wakes you up at night and prevents you from being active….
Can Acupuncture Help with Neuropathy? Neuropathy can range from annoying to outright debilitating. If you’ve been suffering from neuropathy and you’ve seen a doctor about it, you’ve likely been through a lot already! If you don’t like the medications or are tired of constantly feeling this way, keep reading. What is Neuropathy Really Like? Neuropathy…
Acupuncture for Back Pain: What Your MRI Isn’t Telling You If back pain has been dictating what you can and can’t do, you know it goes far beyond the pain itself. It’s the way you brace yourself getting out of bed. The activities you’ve quietly stopped doing. The frustration of feeling like your body has…
Acupuncture for Insomnia: Why Your Brain Isn’t the Problem (And What’s Really Keeping You Up) You’ve tried the melatonin. You’ve put your phone away an hour before bed, darkened the room, run the white noise machine. Maybe you’ve done a round of sleep medication, or your doctor mentioned Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Some…
Can Acupuncture Help With Anxiety? Yes — and often more effectively than people expect. Looking for acupuncture for anxiety is one of the most common reasons patients walk through our doors, and it responds remarkably well to acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. But here’s what most people don’t realize: not all anxiety is the same….
Fertility Acupuncture in Richmond, VA: A Chinese Medicine Approach to Getting Pregnant If You’re Struggling to Get Pregnant, You’re Not Alone If you’ve been trying to conceive and it’s not happening the way you expected, I want you to know something: your body is not broken. Fertility challenges are more common than most people realize,…
Maegan N. Hodge Speaks On Lyme Disease Last summer, our Principal Acupuncturist, Maegan N. Hodge, took some time to sit down with her colleague Andrew Miles, DOM of the Botanical Biohacking podcast to discuss the modern treatment of Lyme disease and how traditional practices of “witchcraft” in ancient southern China unwittingly contributed to advances in…
Fluid Circulation and the Gut: The Two Most Important Systems for Health One of my teachers says something that is very obviously true but also quite helpful to think about: “The basic requirement of health is to have highly oxygenated, highly nutritious blood flowing to all of the tissues in the body.” This means you…
Acupuncture for Headaches: Why the Type of Headache Changes Everything If headaches have become a regular part of your life, you already know how exhausting it is. The pain itself is bad enough, but the way it steals your focus, your patience, and your ability to show up fully for the things that matter to…
Acupuncture for Hormone Balance: Why Your Hormones Are Off — And What Chinese Medicine Does Differently If Your Hormones Feel Like They’re Running the Show, You’re Not Imagining It You know the feeling. The bloating that shows up like clockwork a week before your period. The mood swings that make you feel like a completely…
What is Chinese Medicine? Chinese medicine, which includes the acupuncture modality, is a nature-based healing modality that has thousands of years of rich history. It is still being used today in clinics and hospitals throughout China and most of Asia as a primary medical modality, and its popularity has been increasing in Europe and the…
My job is mostly detective work. I dedicate a lot of time and energy towards helping people figure out why they have the problem(s) they have. We also focus on solutions. Most people get caught up in the basics – they don’t drink enough water, or they have a poor diet, etc. My running theory…
Can Acupuncture Treat Chronic Injuries? Many patients ask, “How does acupuncture work?” It’s a tricky question to answer because terms like “qi” and “yang” aren’t what most people are looking for right out of the gate. They want to hear the question answered in a way they can understand, which means explaining things from a…
Acupuncture for Stress: What *Your* Nervous System Is Actually Asking For If stress has become your default setting, not something that comes and goes but the background noise of your entire life, I want you to know something: your body is keeping score. The tight shoulders you can’t unclench. The sleep that never quite restores…
What is Chinese Medicine? What is Acupuncture? Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are poorly understood terms. In the Western world, we have developed an unfortunate nomenclature for practitioners of Oriental medicine. We call nearly all practitioners of this fully developed medical system “acupuncturists”, despite the fact that acupuncture is only one of the many tools available…
Why Acupuncture Is Fun & Not So Scary! After living in Portland, Oregon for five years where an acupuncture or naturopathic clinic is practically on every corner, and people seem almost bored if you tell them you’re an acupuncturist (only because they have one already, and 2.5 of their friends are acupuncturists), coming back home…
How to Pick An Acupuncturist Through conversations I’ve had with some folks lately, I’ve come to a fresh state of awareness regarding how overwhelming it can be when it comes to picking the right healthcare practitioner. It’s hard enough to find a doctor or a dentist that you like, and you don’t even really have…
Acupuncture for Scar Tissue Opinions on scars tend to vary pretty widely. Some people hide them, some wear them proudly, and some even seek them out. A random smattering of famous quotations about scars gives us some scope regarding just how widely viewpoints can vary. Rose Kennedy, J.F.K.’s mother, once stated, “It has been said,…
R.I.C.E. – Ice for Injuries? There are two divergent trains of thought in medicine today regarding acute injury & illness. On one side is the belief that the immune system largely tends to get in its own way, and thus suppressing the acute immune response, i.e., reducing acute inflammation and lowering fever, is the best…
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs for Allergies It’s that time of year again! The trees are starting to bud out, and bulbs are coming out of the ground (never mind the periodic snows we were still getting in Richmond in mid-March this year). Folks are already pouring into the office with the beginnings of their seasonal…
Acupuncture for Flu (And Colds, Too!) It’s that time of year again in Richmond – the time when everyone around you is dropping like flies with the flu or some such – so it seems like a perfect time to write about what Chinese medicine can offer us in terms of avoiding getting sick. Have…
Acupuncture for Bloating: 7 Root Causes and How We Treat Each One If bloating has become a regular part of your life, you probably feel like you’ve tried everything. Maybe you’ve cut out dairy, taken probiotics, tried elimination diets, or been told to “just eat more fiber.” And yet the bloating keeps coming back. As…