Frequently Asked Questions

Community acupuncture is like brushing your teeth, it is a therapeutic upkeep. Private treatments are like going to the dentist for a deep clean. In a private session we will do a thorough Eastern diagnostic check-up and a “deep clean”. If this is your first visit with Dynamic Dao I highly suggest an hour long private treatment. This allows us more time when completing the initial intake which translates to a deeper understanding of your life/health ecosystem and leads to more effective treatments.

Acupuncture needles are hair thin and because of this are not always felt upon insertion. If a patient does feel the insertion they will typically experience a little pinch. Often confusing to new patients is the following sensation of “de qi” or the “arrival of qi”. While potentially unsettling at first this is actually a terrific sign and is evidence of an effective treatment. 

Possible sensations include:

• Full – achy, distention, throbbing, heavy
• Electric – tingling, cooling or warming, burning
• Traversing – moving, shooting, radiating

The range of sensations felt in acupuncture are not only part of the “magic” but are also diagnostically significant, so remember to relay what you are feeling to your practitioner. If a sensation is painful or too intense please relay that information as well and the needle will be adjusted expertly.

For thousands of years people have sought to answer this vital question and I look forward to spending my life exploring this mystery.

Eastern perspective: The body is made up of pathways called meridians. In a state of health these pathways flow freely and carry virtuous fluids. In illness these pathways are congested or empty lacking flow and nutritious fluids. Our medicine balances and revitalizes these pathways allowing the body to heal itself.

Western perspective: There are many partial explanations for acupuncture in western medicine. Broadly these include:

• Nerve activation/deactivation
• Fluid exchange and transportation
• Bio-chemical – stimulating the body’s creation of secretion of drugs like opioids, dopamine, endorphins.
• Fascia communication – the ability of the body’s fascia to communicate and regulate the body

Of these my favorite is the fascia. It is one of the newest trends of research and reflects the language and ideas presented in our classical texts. A compilation of these functions are responsible for the “magical” effects of acupuncture.

A treatment plan is dependent on how severe the issue is and how long the condition has been present. Long-term complicated illness may take months of regular treatment to fully resolve while mild short-term issues can resolve after the initial or a few treatments. Read more about how Acupuncture functions.

Preparation: Before your visit make sure you are wearing loose and comfortable clothing that can be rolled up past knees and elbows.  Make sure you don’t come with a full or empty stomach. If in doubt, have a nutritious snack 40 minutes to an hour before coming. If coming for community acupuncture feel free to bring headphones with appropriate media player. Give yourself plenty of time to commute!

Diagnosis: We will ask you to describe the symptoms that are bringing you in. We will likely ask you seemingly unrelated questions. We will check your pulse and palpate the meridians on the arms and legs in order to listen to the body.

Treatment: We will discuss treatment options including acupuncture, manual, movement and heat therapies and come up with the right fit for you.

Acupuncture is a moving and detoxifying therapy. For this reason, people sometimes feel slightly out of it after treatment just like after a deep tissue massage. Patients should refrain from greasy/fatty foods, tobacco, alcohol, post treatment to allow the body time to clear toxins that were released during treatment. And remember to tell your friends and family about your experience at Dynamic Dao so we can achieve our goal of sharing this medicine with all of East Hawaii.

East Asian Medicine is a complete medical system with a holistic focus. This means not only can we treat certain illnesses directly but we help manage many health conditions through increasing the body’s natural health ecosystem. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that East Asian medicine is an effective route to health. The western understanding of acupuncture is constantly expanding as more research is published. WHO published a list of conditions treatable by acupuncture in 1979 which includes:

Mental-Emotional:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Insomnia

Upper Respiratory Tract:
Acute sinusitis
Acute rhinitis
Common Cold
Acute Tonsillitis

Respiratory System:
Acute bronchitis
Bronchial asthma (most effective in children and in patients without complicating diseases)

Disorders of the eye:
Acute conjunctivitis
Central retinitis
Myopia (in children)
Cataract (without complications)

Disorders of the mouth:
Toothache, post extraction pain
Gingivitis
Acute and chronic pharyngitis

Gastro-intestinal disorders:
Spasms of the esophagus and cardia
Hiccough
Gastroptosis
Acute and chronic gastritis
Gastric hyperacidity
Chronic duodenal ulcer (pain relief)
Acute duodenal ulcer (without complications)
Acute and chronic colitis
Acute bacillary dysentery

Constipation
Diarrhea
Paralytic ileus

Neurological and Musculo-skeletal Disorders:
Headache and migraine
Trigeminal neuralgia (TMJ)
Facial palsy (early stage, i.e. within six months)
Pareses following a stroke
Peripheral neuropathies
Sequelae of poliomyelitis (early sage i.e. within six months)
Meniere’s disease
Neurogenic bladder dysfunction
Nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting)
Intercostal neuralgia
Cervicobrachial syndrome

“Frozen shoulder”, “Tennis elbow”
Sciatica
Low-back pain
Osteoarthritis

If you have any questions if East Asian Medicine can help you please contact us.