Our Treatments

Electroacupuncture uses gentle electrical charges and paired sets of needles to stimulate healing and restore balance to the body’s internal systems. Because electroacupuncture can accelerate recovery time, it can be an effective option for patients seeking relief from chronic conditions, acute pain, or debilitating injuries.

Electroacupuncture has been proven to loosen muscles, increase blood flow, alleviate pain, and improve neurological issues. Studies also suggest that electroacupuncture can stimulate a larger area surrounding acupuncture points compared to single needles, resulting in a greater release of endorphins—our natural painkillers. And when electrical stimulation is used on the body’s motor points (the areas of a muscle or tissue near the nerve innervation, or where our nerves connect to our muscles), it can help “reset” musculoskeletal functioning—the crucial synergistic interactions among our bones, muscles, cartilage, and connective tissue. Consequently, electroacupuncture is often used by acupuncturists who specialize in pain relief, orthopedic conditions, athletic injuries, and paralysis.

Dry needling therapy, also called “trigger point acupuncture,” is applied to specific muscular and musculoskeletal junctions, or “trigger points,” to stimulate muscle reflex and alleviate muscle- or joint-related pain, tension, or weakness. Trigger points can not only cause local pain or fatigue in specific muscles and joints, but they can also cause “referred pain,” or aches, soreness, cramping, or stiffness caused by pain that originates in another part of the body. During a heart attack, for example, referred pain or numbness is often felt in the arms, back, or jaw.

By applying needles at precise trigger-point locations, acupuncturists are able to restore balance, function, and range of motion in muscles, joints, and connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons. At Village Acupuncture, we often recommend dry-needling therapy as a complement to traditional acupuncture because it can help jumpstart the healing process and accelerate relief for patients experiencing acute pain or challenging orthopedic problems.

Dry needling is sometimes practiced by physical therapists and treatment techniques will vary by practitioner. However, licensed acupuncturists spend a large amount of time education and training learning precise needling techniques that keep the experience as comfortable and pain-free as possible. When dry needling is performed in other professions, patients often report that it can feel overly aggressive or painful.

Moxibustion (or “moxa”) is a form of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine that utilizes the burning of dried mugwort leaves to warm meridians, expel cold, and increase blood and energy flow throughout the body. It can be particularly helpful when treating pain, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, gynecological disorders, and other specific conditions. Moxibustion can be administered independently or in conjunction with acupuncture. When used as part of acupuncture treatment, the moxa is often burned near or above acupuncture points.

Cupping therapy (or “cupping”) is the application of heated glass cups, or vacuum-pumped plastic cups, to specific areas on the body—typically, on the back or legs—to create suction points that can clear blockages, restimulate stagnations, and encourage the healthy circulation of bodily fluids. During a treatment, the cups are left in place for several minutes, and many people describe the feeling as a “reverse” deep-tissue massage.

Cupping can be particularly effective in treating chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain or alleviating symptoms such as muscle spasms and tightness due to strains and other injuries. It can also be helpful in the treatment of lung disorders, such as asthma or emphysema, that cause strain and fatigue in the back muscles.

Unlike bruises, which result from trauma to our deep tissue, cupping marks—the signature reddish or purple circles left behind after a cupping treatment—are both desirable and painless. The cupping marks indicate that blood stagnation in the superficial tissue has been brought up to the surface where it can be cleared by the lymphatic system.

Gua sha treatments utilize a small flat tool—usually made out of jade or porcelain—that is moved across the skin to unblock stagnation in different areas of the body. Similar to cupping, gua sha can clear blockages, alleviate tension, and improve circulation. Using a lubricating oil, the practitioner applies firm pressing and stroking techniques across the skin and underlying tissue that cause petechiae, or “sha,” to appear on the surface of the skin.

Like cupping marks, gua sha marks are painless skin colorations that can last up to a week. Gua sha can help to alleviate ailments such as the common cold, flu, or headaches, and it can relax and loosen up soft tissue to reduce symptoms such as muscle or joint pain, stiffness, and tension. It can also be used to treat conditions such as scar-like tissue or fascial adhesions that can restrict blood supply or damage nerves.