Acupuncture
that treats the
whole person

ACUPUNCTURE PRICING

Our Treatment Philosophy

At each acupuncture appointment, your treatment is fully customized to your needs. When clinically appropriate, your session may include therapies such as:

• Cupping -

  What it is:
  Cupping is one of the oldest healing therapies in the world, practiced across Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Egyptian medical traditions for thousands of years. It involves placing glass, silicone, or plastic cups on the skin and creating suction — either through heat (fire cupping) or mechanical means — that lifts and decompresses the tissue beneath.

  The science:
  Unlike massage, which compresses tissue, cupping decompresses it — lifting fascia, separating tissue layers, and creating negative pressure that draws blood flow to the surface and underlying layers simultaneously. Research has documented measurable increases in subcutaneous blood flow following cupping, which improves oxygen delivery, nutrient transport, and metabolic waste removal in treated tissue. Cupping has also been shown to stimulate the production of nitric oxide, which governs vasodilation and blood flow. Systematic reviews demonstrate statistically significant benefits for low back pain, neck pain, knee osteoarthritis, and migraine. In TCM, cupping moves stagnation of qi and blood — conditions that manifest as chronic pain, tightness, and restricted movement.

  The marks: Cupping often leaves circular (or Heart-shaped if desired) marks on the skin ranging from light pink to deep red or purple. These are not bruises — they are the result of blood being drawn to the surface from deeper tissue layers, revealing the degree of stagnation present. They fade within a few days to a week and reduce with regular treatment. Remember to keep them covered as much as possible until they fade

  What it treats:
  Musculoskeletal pain and tightness (back, neck, shoulders), myofascial adhesions, sports recovery, respiratory conditions, immune support, and stress. Often incorporated into acupuncture sessions when indicated.

• Gua Sha

  Gua sha is a therapeutic technique in which a smooth-edged tool is used to apply controlled, unidirectional pressure strokes across the skin — functioning more as a mechanical signaling therapy than a simple massage. The name translates roughly as “scraping sand” — a reference to the petechiae (small red dots) that can appear on the skin surface following treatment. Research has documented a fourfold increase in microcirculation in tissue treated with gua sha immediately following treatment. This surge in blood flow governs oxygen delivery, nutrient transport, cellular repair, and metabolic waste removal. Gua sha has also been shown to upregulate heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an enzyme with powerful anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties — which may explain its documented efficacy for chronic pain conditions including chronic lower back pain, where it has been shown to provide longer-lasting relief than heat therapy alone. Research also demonstrates benefits for neck pain, perimenopause-related hot flashes, and hepatitis B-related liver fibrosis. The mechanical stimulation of gua sha activates multiple healing systems simultaneously — circulatory, neurological, immune, and connective tissue — making it one of the most functionally comprehensive tools in the TCM toolkit.

• Moxibustion -

  What it is:
  Moxibustion is a thermal therapy in which dried mugwort (Artemisia argyi or Artemisia vulgaris) is burned near or on specific acupuncture points to warm the meridians, tonify qi and yang, and stimulate deep healing. It is available in several forms — loose moxa burned on the needle handle, moxa sticks held above the skin, or pre-formed moxa cones placed on ginger or salt. The sensation is one of deeply penetrating, radiating warmth that clients consistently describe as profoundly comforting.

  The science:
  The application of heat from burning moxa stimulates acupoints and promotes vasodilation, increasing local blood flow and delivering more oxygen and nutrients to affected tissues. Research demonstrates that moxibustion activates heat shock proteins (HSPs), critical regulators of cellular protection and repair that stabilize proteins, prevent cellular damage, and promote tissue recovery. Moxibustion has also been shown to modulate the local immune response by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Clinical research supports its use in IBS (where it has been shown to improve quality of life more effectively than pharmaceutical drugs), fertility support (improving clinical pregnancy rates, live birth rates, and endometrial thickness), breech presentation correction (when applied to BL67), and chronic pain management.

  In TCM theory, moxa is particularly indicated for conditions rooted in cold, deficiency, or depletion. The chronic, depleted, under-resourced patterns that often don’t respond as well to needling alone. The classical texts state: “A disease that acupuncture cannot cure, moxibustion will.”

  What it treats:
  Chronic fatigue, digestive weakness, cold extremities, menstrual irregularity, fertility support, immune deficiency, chronic pain rooted in cold or deficiency, and postpartum recovery.

• Electroacupuncture

  This modern evolution of traditional acupuncture pairs classic meridian therapy with gentle microcurrent or milliamp electrical stimulation. By targeting specific neuromuscular points, electroacupuncture deeply stimulates your body’s natural healing mechanisms, dramatically accelerates tissue repair, and provides powerful, long-lasting pain relief. It’s a safe, highly effective solution for chronic pain, athletic injuries, and stubborn muscle tension.

• Motor Point Needling

  Motor entry point needling targets the precise anatomical location where the motor nerve enters the muscle — the gateway through which the central nervous system communicates with that muscle. Needling this location produces effects that extend well beyond local trigger point release.

  1. Cascade release of multiple trigger points simultaneously

  By stimulating the motor point of a muscle, it is possible to simultaneously release multiple trigger points with only 1–2 needle insertions. This is more efficient, less traumatic to the tissue, and produces less post-treatment soreness than needling each trigger point individually. The motor entry point is, in effect, the upstream control center — address it and the downstream dysfunctions (trigger points) resolve together.

  2. Direct engagement of the neuromuscular junction

• The motor entry point is where the motor nerve terminals synapse with muscle fibers — the neuromuscular junction. Needling this location directly stimulates the nerve-muscle interface, producing a local twitch response that originates at the level of neural control rather than local muscle tissue. This distinction is clinically significant: the twitch elicited at a motor entry point represents a reset of the motor unit’s firing pattern — not just a mechanical release of a taut band.

  3. Proprioceptive re-education and the brain-body connection

  This is where motor entry point needling becomes genuinely sophisticated — and where it differs most meaningfully from trigger point dry needling in terms of lasting effect.

  Proprioception is the body’s ability to sense the position, movement, and state of its own tissues — the ongoing conversation between muscles, tendons, joints, and the brain that governs coordinated movement, postural control, balance, and neuromuscular efficiency. Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense movement and your body’s location in space. Injuries, chronic pain, repetitive use, and poor posture can disrupt these pathways, making movement patterns become inefficient. maven-pt

  When a muscle develops chronic trigger points, postural dysfunction, or movement impairment, the proprioceptive signals it sends to the brain become distorted. The brain receives inaccurate information about what the muscle is doing, how much tension it’s under, and where it is in space — and it responds by perpetuating the very recruitment patterns that created the dysfunction in the first place. This is why chronic pain and movement dysfunction so often feel “locked in” — the brain has learned the wrong pattern and is faithfully executing it.

  Neuromuscular re-education consists of training or re-training your muscles, your brain, and the nerves used for them to communicate with each other to improve movement, strength, balance, and function. The broad goal involves restoring a natural mind-body connection by coordinating mental perception with physical behavior. nesintherapy

  By needling at the motor entry point — the precise anatomical location where the central nervous system interfaces with the muscle — MEP needling interrupts this dysfunctional loop at its neurological source. The needle stimulation at this location:

  • Resets the resting membrane potential of the motor unit

  • Normalizes aberrant spontaneous electrical activity at the neuromuscular junction

  • Stimulates mechanoreceptors (muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs) that are embedded in the same tissue — the proprioceptive sensors responsible for communicating muscle length, tension, and position to the central nervous system

  • Sends a strong afferent signal up the sensory pathway to the spinal cord and brain — effectively “rebooting” the brain’s motor map of that muscle

  The result is not just local tissue release — it is a recalibration of the brain’s representation of that muscle and its relationship to surrounding structures. The muscle doesn’t just relax; it is reintroduced to the nervous system in a more functional, accurate state. Subsequent movement then occurs with better proprioceptive feedback, more efficient motor recruitment, and improved neuromuscular coordination — which is why the results of MEP needling tend to hold longer than trigger point needling alone.

  A 2024 randomized clinical trial comparing trigger point dry needling, trigger point electroacupuncture, and motor point electroacupuncture for myofascial pain syndrome of the trapezius concluded that electrical stimulation of motor points may be superior in terms of pain relief to dry needling and electrical stimulation of trigger points. sagepub

• Ear Acupuncture

  What it is:
  Auricular therapy is a complete microsystem of acupuncture practiced entirely on the external ear. Based on the principle that the ear contains a somatotopic map of the entire body — with the earlobe corresponding to the head, the antihelix to the spine, and the concha to the internal organs — auricular acupuncture uses fine needles or pressure to stimulate specific ear points that correspond to specific body regions, organ systems, and functions.

  The science:
  The ear has long been a vehicle for self-healing, with origins documented in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine as early as 500 BC. Stimulating specific points on the external ear triggers nerve impulses between those points and the brain, thereby communicating healing signals to the organ or body system in which a health problem manifests. The ear is richly innervated by multiple cranial nerves — including branches of the vagus nerve — which may explain its powerful systemic effects, particularly on the autonomic nervous system. A 2024 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found significant symptom reduction in PTSD patients after 12–15 weeks of auricular acupuncture, and a 2024 study in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that participants receiving auricular acupuncture experienced significant improvements in depression scores compared to a control group. usptoencircleacupuncture

  The NADA (National Acupuncture Detox Association) protocol — a standardized five-point auricular protocol — is used in addiction recovery, trauma care, and mental health settings worldwide, including in hospitals, VA facilities, and disaster relief programs.

  What it treats:
  Pain management, anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction recovery support, insomnia, stress, digestive disorders, and as a complement to body acupuncture for enhanced systemic effect.

• Tui Na

These therapies are included in your acupuncture visit when they are part of your personalized treatment plan—there is no additional charge.

For those who are looking for a focused treatment or prefer a specific therapy without a full acupuncture session, stand-alone appointments are also available.