Q: What’s the main difference between Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine?

A: Many people may hold the stereotyped assumption that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a totally different way of treatment from Western Medicine. This may be true two thousands of years ago, but in the last couple of centuries, the advances of TCM have well integrated Western Medicine as an indispensible component of its diagnoses and treatments. On the other hand, key components of TCM theories, including meridian systems and acupuncture points, have also been confirmed by using western medical research methodologies. Dr. Cao has solid training in both TCM and Western Medicine in his curriculum. He firmly believes that the integration of the two enables the most accurate diagnosis and the most effective treatments.

Q: What kind of needles is used for treatment?

A: We use hair thin, sterile, disposable needles only.

Q: Does acupuncture hurt?

A: Most people who have had acupuncture would describe it as virtually painless or far less painful than plucking out a hair. The sensations that follow range from nothing at all, to mild tingling, to slight numbness/achiness, to electrical pulsations in areas distant from the site of insertion. All these sensations usually subside once the needles are removed. The needles used for acupuncture are much smaller than the standard hypodermic needle, do not draw blood, and are solid, not hollow.

Q: I feel much better after the treatment, but the skin around the treatment area hurts in the next couple of days after visits. Why is that?

A: If you feel minor to mild pain when touching the skin around the treatment area, but the pain goes away if you do not touch it, we call it a “skin pain”. It is different from the original pain symptom that you had when coming for treatment, which is usually much deeper and sustains whether you touch it or not. Skin pain will naturally disappear in two to three days. If the symptom prolongs (which is very rare), please tell your doctor about it.

Q: I feel much better after the treatment, but the pain comes back in a few days. Why is that?

A: This may happen to some patients with chronic pain symptoms. For effective treatments, it’s important for these patients to have continuous treatments, with each treatment no more than two to three days apart. A typical misconception of patients is that they will come for treatment only when it hurts. The prolonged waiting period between treatments reduces their effectiveness as it does not allow subsequent treatments to build on top of the effects of prior treatments. Our treatment packages are designed for these patients for best results.

Q: Why is preventative care so important?

A: In traditional Chinese medicine, balance in our body is the key to our health. People get sick when such balance is broken. Imagine our health as a bowl of water. When the bowl is in perfect balance, we have full health. When the bowl is tilted, either due to stress or injury, we will lose some of the water. If you ignore the symptoms that your body gives you, then the tilted bowl may eventually turn over and you will lose your health. Preventative care works on restoring the balance of your body when the bowl is only tilted. Unfortunately, many people will not go to see a doctor until the bowl is upside down, in which case it would be much more difficult to restore the balance and regain health. The effectiveness of acupuncture on restoring balance of one’s inner body has been well documented and supported by over two thousand years of practice in China.