What happens during an acupuncture treatment?

"Am I going to look like the guy from Hellraiser?"

"I don’t know about acupuncture - What if I’m afraid of needles?!"

"Do I have to lie as still as a board when the needles are in?"

These are just some of the common questions people ask me when they’re in my office for their first acupuncture treatment.

Yeah, acupuncture is getting more and more commonplace nowadays (even my Grandpa had acupuncture for a painful hip almost 10 years ago), but it’s still a pretty bizarre thing for many, many people.

Today I’m going to demystify an acupuncture treatment for all y’all. Help you to see what my devoted patients see. Understand why I can have a new patient going from being a nervous wreck about the thought of needles in their body one second, to blissfully snoozing away on the table 30 minutes later.

Does acupuncture hurt?

Wanna know the #1 question I get asked when people find out I'm an acupuncturist?

"Does it hurt?"

OK, I get it. I say "needle" and the first thing that pops into your head is "pain." But acupuncture is known to treat pain, not cause it!

The simplest answer to your question is, "No." In fact, many of my patients fall into such a deep state of relaxation that they will often fall asleep on my massage table. A handful of them even snore! The rest of them get so zoned out during treatments, they get up afterward and feel like they've been at a Grateful Dead concert for way too long. Yep, they're acu-stoned.

Natural cold remedies: ginger-scallion tea

You know when you suddenly have that achy feeling in your neck and shoulders, slight chills, a light fever, fatigue, and a slight headache? Maybe you start sneezing uncontrollably, and your nose starts dripping. Ah yes, you’re “coming down with something”! Oh no!

With the right self-care, you can often kick that cold out before it starts developing into something nasty. Thankfully, ginger and scallion are the perfect herbal allies for those early-onset cold symptoms! Ginger and scallion work together to warm you up from the inside out, produce a light sweat, and kick that cold from the surface of your body. Take that, cold!

We value and serve people of all gender identities and sexual orientations, cultures and races, sizes, abilities, beliefs and religious backgrounds, socio-economic classes, political leanings, immigration statuses, and ages.

Read our commitment to racial equity and access in healing here.

Checking the weather report, it looks like these colder temps are here to stay for awhile in good ol’ Minnesota! Last week, we shared some of the ways our staff stays fashionably warm. Today we want to share with you WHY and also give you a few
PSA from your friendly neighborhood acupuncture clinic: don’t forget to cover your neck and your ankles!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ As the temperature fluctuates and drops, the back of the neck and the upper back are particularly vulnerable to invasion by wind and c
This past weekend, clinic co-owner @amykuretsky had the opportunity to lead group breathwork for the Rise + Revitalize urban wellness day retreat at the @hewinghotel in Minneapolis. This event featured local practitioners leading participants in yoga
✨ Start the New Year well-rested. ✨ Join us in depths of the season of the Water element (mid-winter) for a restorative day retreat along the stunning banks of the Mississippi River. ⁠ ⁠ The Water element is all about recharging our batteries and con