FAQ’s

Does acupuncture hurt?

Acupuncture needles are extremely fine (approx .2 mm); they feel nothing like a hyperdermic needle doctors use for injections. The patient generally does not feel the needle being inserted. What you may feel is a mild dull sensation as the needle touches the energy of the point.

How long are the needles left in?

Once needles are inserted, they are generally left in for approximately 20 minutes. This, of course, varies depending on the patient and the condition being treated.

Are the needles sterile?

Yes. All needles used are individually packaged, sterile, and disposed of after single use.

What should I expect in the initial visit and follow-ups?

There are two options for Initial Evaluations and Treatments at the Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine:

The first option offers patients a unique opportunity to take advantage of an hour long comprehensive evaluation and consultation with Ross Rosen, Founder and Clinic Director at the Center for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. The depth and breadth of this evaluation is unmatched within Chinese medicine and focuses on highlighting the underlying root causes of your symptoms and medical concerns as well as providing an understanding of how those causes are contributing to the medical problems you are experiencing. During this time the following will take place:

1. A detailed questioning of your current medical concerns, signs, symptoms, onset, duration, severity, prior treatments, including western medical therapies or diagnoses, etc.;

2. A detailed past medical history, including birth history, childhood illness, traumas, accidents, surgeries, etc.;

3. A detailed family medical history, including the health of your parents (both now and when you were young);

4. A detailed review of all bodily systems, and all other symptoms, signs or discomforts you are experiencing;

5. Tongue inspection (the tongue offers clues about the general state of health in the body through it’s size, shape, demarcations or marks, geography of signs, coating, sublingual veins, etc.);

6. A detailed Pulse evaluation. The pulse evaluation, the hallmark of Chinese medical diagnosis, is the most sophisticated means for diagnosis available. The pulse identifies the root causes of all physical and mental-emotional ailments. Ross Rosen is one of a handful of leading experts and certified teachers world-wide in Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis and will feel your pulse for at least 30 minutes in order to uncover the wealth of information from the subtleties at the radial artery regarding all of the systems and organs of the body. It is this part of the evaluation that uncovers the root causes of your ailment and allows for the synthesis and deeper understanding of how to specifically tailor treatments to you. Ross Rosen is the only certified practitioner of the pulse in New Jersey and one of only 15 world-wide.

7. Once your evaluation is completed, time will be spent explaining the diagnoses to you.  Should you decide to proceed and pursue treatments, on future visits, a Report of Findings based on Contemporary Oriental Medicine® and Classical Chinese Medicine will be prepared and discussed with you followed by any questions and answers to ensure that it is fully understood. At this time, recommendations may be made regarding lifestyle modifications, eastern nutritional advice, etc.  For patients just seeking the consultation and pulse diagnosis and wishing a Report of Findings or consultation with their acupuncturist/herbalist, a fee is charged for such service.

The second option is a streamlined visit for those individuals who are either experiencing acute pain, emergent conditions, or those who are looking for symptomatic relief without a more detailed treatment and management plan. In these circumstances, the above evaluation is more concise and an acupuncture treatment will be performed and included within the visit. At any time during the treatment process for this second option, one can decide to switch options and have the remaining parts of the more exhaustive evaluation performed with the additional benefits that provides.

Follow-up acupuncture visits consist of reviewing any changes from visit to visit, discussing signs, symptoms and any and all concerns. Your pulse will be felt once again to determine changes/progress and to check-in regarding compliance with herbal formulas, nutritional recommendations and lifestyle modifications. The acupuncture needles will be placed in and you will be allowed to rest while listening to soothing, relaxing music for approximately 25 minutes.

How many treatments are needed?

The number of treatment needed varies from patient to patient. Factors to be considered are the severity of the disease, length of disease, patient lifestyle, patient compliance, etc. Typically, treatments are given once per week, but it is often recommended for many to begin with a short duration of two treatments per week. As the patient improves, visits are reduced to once every ten days, two weeks, once a month, and so on. While Chinese medicine is an internal system of medicine capable of addressing current disorders, it is also a preventative system of medicine. Thus, it is advisable for those patients who are not manifesting illness to come in for periodic check-ups and maintenance, as the diagnostic tools utilized can reveal future disorders long before it manifests itself as visible symptoms.

Can acupuncture treatment help with non-physical problems?

Yes. Chinese medicine views the body, mind, and spirit as an interrelated whole. Thus, disorders of any one of these three will produce disorders in the others. As is commonly the case, mental and emotional stresses and imbalances precede physical symptomatology. Thus, it is advisable to address non-physical problems at an early stage. By doing so, we are treating the non-physical and physical alike.

May Chinese medicine be used with medication and other medical care?

Chinese medicine may certainly be used in conjunction with other medical care. Patients should always provide information as to what medications or medical care they are employing. This will be taken into account. Furthermore, as acupuncture treatment progresses, the need for certain drugs typically decreases and it may be appropriate to reduce or discontinue medication (with consent of patient’s treating physician).

Will acupuncture benefit the skeptic?

Yes. Acupuncture is not a placebo. Its effects will be noticeable even in the skeptic.

Is acupuncture effective on children?

Yes. Often times children respond quicker than adults to acupuncture and herbal medicine. Many respond to the use of moxa alone or with the simple contact of needles without insertion. There are also special pediatric acupuncture devices which merely tap the skin surface and are quite painless.

Cancellation policy:

Patients needing to cancel or reschedule an appointment are asked to provide at least two business day’s notice. In the absence of an emergency, the patient may be charged the full fee for not keeping the scheduled appointment.