Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Questions and Concerns Before Your First Acupuncture Treatment


When I introduce myself as an acupuncturist to other people, they usually ask me what acupuncture is. My answer to this question is: I insert thin sterile needles into the specific acu-points along the meridian on your body. This promotes vital energy to clear blockages you may have which then improves your health. Some listeners, including those who have tattoos on their arms, will react with a horrified expression that implies “Oh no, not needles!” I think people who react in this way are associating needles with the syringe needles used to withdraw blood. When I explain that the needles are less than 1/100 of syringe needles in size, the next question that pops up most is, “Will I feel pain?” Most of the time, you may not even know when I have inserted the needles. The feeling of inserting the needles on your hands and feet may feel like a tiny bee sting at most, because you have less flesh there which causes them to be more sensitive areas.
 Many people who come for acupuncture treatment may be using it as a last resort. Although acupuncture has been used for up to 5,000 years to treat disease, many still do not know how incredibly powerful it is. They may not know how needles actually can help them heal the body and improve health conditions. As practitioners, we are like “detectives” who get clues from your gait, pulse quality, tongue color and coating. Sometimes even the smell your body exudes can help us figure out what is happening. Is this weird? No! These aspects of a person’s body show a lot of information that may be easily overlooked. Reading these signals can help you better understand your body and the symptoms you may be experiencing. When the practitioner finds out where and why your body is out of balance, needles become the tools that are used to guide the vital energy to clear the blockage and to recall your own ability to heal your own body. Thus, allowing your body to return to its balanced state.
 Usually the patient then asks, “How long will it take for me to get better and how many sessions will I need?” Well, don’t expect your body to heal itself by one magic click. (Although in some situations, this may be the case.) Usually, the longer you’ve been suffering with your symptoms, the more sessions you will need for treatment and the longer time it will take for your body to heal. These were a few of the most frequently asked questions and concerns patients have before they come for visits. I truly hope my answers can help erase some of the needle phobia that may hold people back from receiving acupuncture treatment, as so many can greatly benefit from it. Next time, we will post what patients normally ask during their visits. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Traditional Medicine Delivered with Modern Knowledge

Acupuncture, Nutritional Guidance, Cupping Therapy, Gua Sha Therapy and Herbal Formulas, are just some of the Services offered by Karen Lin,  L.Ac. (NJ, NY); M.S; MD(China) in Cranford New Jersey.

 Karen Lin graduated from the Eastern School of Acupuncture in New Jersey.  After excelling as a student, she subsequently became a faculty member teaching the clinical research class to third-year students. As an acupuncture practitioner, she helps people change their lifestyle and improve their overall health. 

She established Harmony Acupuncture and Wellness, LLC in Cranford, New Jersey, as her own clinic to treat people with various conditions. Long before working in this field, Karen earned her M.D. degree from Guangzhou Medical University in China in 1992 and worked as a physician in the affiliated hospital. Later she came to the United States to continue her education and obtained her Master’s degree in biochemistry in 1996. Since then, she has been working in the biomedical research field. With her medical background and knowledge in science, her career as an acupuncture practitioner finally took off. 



Truly, Karen has always had a passion for Chinese medicine since she was a child as she witnessed her mother, who was also a doctor, using traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture to successfully and effectively treat numerous patients with complicated diseases. 

Karen believes that as a practitioner it is important to understand the patient and to build trust between herself and the patient. In working with the patient, we will adopt and utilize different methods to customize the treatment plans for each individual. By keeping these points in mind, one can successfully not only treat the symptom but the whole person. Karen also sees the importance of acupuncture and herbal medicine; for they both improve  overall health, mentally and physically – as Plato once stated, “The part can never be well unless the whole is well.” 

"Please don't take chances with your health. A wellness plan that's easy to understand and follow through on is key to good health all throughout your life. Make acupuncture a cornerstone of that plan, and you're well on your way to living a life that's balanced, active and free from pain" -Karen Lin