Therapies & Conditions

Is Sustain Community Acupuncture right for you? Read more here.

Conditions Treated by Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine:

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine are used to treat a wide range of disorders. The World Health Organization (WHO) has compiled a list of over 100 conditions for which acupuncture is demonstrably effective. Commonly treated conditions are included below:

Acute and Chronic Pain	Fatigue/Energy	Liver Disease & Hepatitis
Allergies & Sinusitis	Female Reproductive	Male Reproductive
Arthritis & Joint Pain	Fertility Therapy	Menopause
Anxiety & Insomnia	Fibromyalgia	Menstrual Disorders
Asthma & Bronchitis	Gastro-Intestinal Disorders	Muscle & Joint Pain
Back, Neck, Shoulder Pain	General Health & Wellness	Peripheral Neuropathy
Bursitis & Tendonitis	Headache & Migraine	Premenstrual Syndrome
Cardiovascular Diseases	Hip/Leg & Sciatic Pain	Smoking Cessation
Chronic Fatigue	Hemorrhoids	Sports Injuries
Common Cold & Flu	Hypertension	Stress & Tension
Cystitis	Incontinence	Stroke & Paralysis
Depression	Infertility	Substance Abuse

Practitioners:

Our acupuncturists are highly educated and compassionate individuals dedicated to working with our patients to see them get the best results from their treatments. Acupuncturists licensed in the state of California have a minimum Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine, with four years of education and internship under senior acupuncturists. Each practitioner is highly trained to select the correct points and methods of therapy for you.

Meet your acupuncturists here.

Acupuncture:

Acupuncture works on many physiological levels and patients often experience an instantaneous change upon insertion of the needles. Acupuncture blocks pain gates in the brain, releases endorphins (natural pain blockers) and serotonin (natural mood enhancers). It also increases circulation to the area being treated and lowers inflammation. Many patients feel completely relaxed and report a significant improvement to their condition in only a few treatments. At Sustain Community Acupuncture, only the thinnest, single use sterilized needles are used to ensure your comfort, safety and relaxation. The master practitioners at the clinic choose the most effective points for your condition and pair acupuncture therapy with herbal prescriptions for better results.

Herbal Medicine:

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete medical science with its own theory of physiology that in many ways mirrors western scientific thought. The cornerstone of Chinese herbology, which has a 2,000 year history of successful clinical use, is the identification of the patient’s unique individual constitutional pattern. Diagnosis includes observing the tongue and pulses and inquiring about pertinent contributing factors. After analyzing the pattern of symptoms, the Chinese medical practitioner is able to prescribe a formulation that is effective at guiding the body back to balanced health.

Chinese herbology combines multiple herbs to treat the condition as well as correct the contributing factors to the disorder. The compounding of herbal medicine is unlike Western medicine and herbology, which uses single herbs with singular benefits. The practitioners at Sustain Community Acupuncture are aware of drug and herb interactions and can customize a formula that will avoid potential risks.

Custom Therapeutic Massage: We believe that therapeutic massage can greatly enhance the benefits of acupuncture, and can also serve to correct certain physiological disorders for those who do not wish to receive acupuncture. Massage can be used to address musculoskeletal issues as well as help headaches, digestive disorders, boost the immune system, release emotional trauma imprinting in the tissues and others. Sustain offers the following services to aid in your healing:

Therapeutic Massage focuses on corrective treatment of various musculoskeletal issues and internal disorders to restore the body to a natural state of health. Your practitioner may draw on a variety of therapeutic disciplines tailored to your needs, such as:

• Deep Tissue/ Sports Massage
• Circulatory Massage
• Shiatsu
• Thai Yoga Therapy
• Prenatal Massage
• Chi Nei Tsang or Hara work
• Craniosacral
• Lomi Lomi
• Reflexology

Meet your massage therapists here.

Chinese Myofascial Release: Myofascial releases therapy are often employed in traditional Asian healing arts to address a wide variety of conditions. Sustain employs two unique manual therapies, gua sha and cupping, which can be added to your acupuncture or massage service or be used individually as a therapy.  Patients receiving either of these therapies must keep the treated area protected from the elements and may develop temporary bruise-like discolorations on the treated areas, so please avoid situations requiring the exposure of treated skin for at least 24 hours after treatment.

Gua Sha: Gua Sha means “scrape sand” and uses a flat, thin tool with a smooth edge (such as a piece of polished horn or a coin) to apply friction to the skin.  When patients exhibit stagnation problems, such as poor circulation or chronic muscle tension, scraping will result in petechiae, or a bruise-like discoloration, of the skin.  This discoloration is called “sand” for its dotted appearance. Gua sha strongly promotes circulation, which in turns oxygenates the tissues, aids in elimination of metabolic wastes and activates the lymphatic reason. This therapy is excellent for many types of chronic pain as well as to treat the beginning stages of a cold or flu.  Most patients experience this as intense, but generally pleasant, massage.

Cupping: Similar in function to gua sha, cupping is often compared to a “reverse” deep tissue massage. Glass cups are heated, then quickly placed on the skin to create a vacuum. The cups may be slid across the skin or placed strategically on acupoints.  This therapy is recommended for very stagnant conditions, such as long-standing intractable pain, or more advanced stages of a respiratory infection. Because of the intense nature of this treatment, it is not recommended for patients with bleeding disorders, taking Coumadin or with frail constitutions.

Other Therapies Offered at the Clinic:

Auricular Acupuncture	Moxibustion
Nutritional Therapy	Detox Programs
Stop Smoking Therapy