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Why Chinese Herbs

During your time at MCA your acupuncturist might have brought up adding Chinese Herbs to your treatments. Why? The simplest answer is, sometimes acupuncture isn’t the only or best way to address various health concerns.

Chinese herbs are the medicine that makes Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM as it is commonly referred to) a complete system of healthcare. It is the yin to the yang of acupuncture. There are thousands of traditional formulas of herbs, all of them based on a system of understanding that combines taste (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, & bland) and temperature (cold, warm, hot) of a plant material (leaves, twigs, bark, roots) to create a desired effect on the chemistry of the body. An easy analogy for Chinese herbs is food. We eat certain foods to have certain effects inside the body. For example, lemons are bitter and sour and create the pucker that helps to create saliva, while bone broths would be considered sweet and bland and help to repair tissue after illness. Chinese herbs are used to help the body to repair itself over time instead of masking the symptoms like an over the counter medication would.

Chinese herbs can be used to address a variety of symptoms and conditions. They are not recommended for everyone, especially those on certain medications like blood thinners, but in the right circumstance herbs can help improve conditions faster than acupuncture alone. At MCA we like to use acupuncture first and then add herbs as needed (or desired) on a patient by patient basis. All of our acupuncturists are board certified in Chinese Herbology, and during their training spent many hours studying Chinese herbs and formulas. All of the Chinese herbs at MCA are tested for safety and efficacy, and come as a pill similar to a supplement. We carry a wide array of formulas that address everything from constipation and menstrual issues to the common cold and sinus congestion. Chinese herbs range in price, and can cost anywhere from $10-15 for a two week supply.

So the next time you see your acupuncturist, ask how Chinese herbs could benefit you!

Okay, let’s face it, the fact is every day each of us gets slightly older. As experience teaches us this is both a good and a bad thing. While we gain wisdom, we lose some of our youth and with that some of our youthful beauty.

For centuries acupuncture has been used to treat a multitude of conditions including growing old gracefully. In order to keep women (and some men) looking as great as they feel acupuncturists can treat the face. The treatments include points to balance and enhance the entire health of the body as well as local points on the face to work on “problem” areas. Fine lines disappear while deeper wrinkles soften. The skin becomes more elastic to fend off dreaded sagging.

Are the results like plastic surgery? No. Will people ask you what you are doing? Yes! Acupuncture is a safe, natural, gentle way of rejuvenating the face and allowing you to look as good as you feel without surgery or drastic changes in your appearance. It also has the positive side effect of making you feel more relaxed, balanced and rested.

For best results in the community acupuncture setting I would recommend doing a series of ten treatments spaced out at one per week. It is also best if you focus on one area of the face for those ten treatments and then do subsequent treatments for any other areas you would like to address. You will notice results after about four treatments and those results will increase as you continue your series. Maintainance of one treatment per month or every other month is suggested. For more information about the type of facial treatments given at MCA go to www.chiakra.com/treatments.htm.

Susan Johnston specializes in facial rejuvenation treatments. To set up an appointment for facial rejuvenation please schedule an appointment with Susan on Monday evenings 4-8pm, Wednesdays 9am-4pm, or Thursday and Friday mornings from 9am-12pm.

Clinic Updates!

Donate to MCA

Donations to MCA help fund our pay-it-forward program and are tax deductible. For every $20 donated to MCA, we will give 1 free acupuncture treatment to a community member.

New Patients

Please call to schedule your first visit. You will be able to schedule subsequent appointments online.

Acupuncture for Veterans

MCA is a Community Care Network provider through the VA. Veterans can request a referral from the VA and receive acupuncture treatments at no cost to them with an active referral.

COVID-19 Appointment Guidelines & Illness Guidelines

Masking is optional

We provide surgical and KN95 masks at the front desk free of charge

Patients can request that their acupuncturist wear a mask while treating them

Please reschedule if…

You feel ill or have any symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, headache, or new loss of taste or smell. Even if you have tested negative, please wait until your symptoms have subsided to come in for an appointment.

You currently have allergies and can’t control coughing or sneezing.

At your appointment:

Check in with the receptionist.

If you are new to our clinic, please fill out our online paperwork before your appointment time or arrive early to fill it out in the office.

Pay for your appointment before heading back to the treatment room.

Sliding scale is $20-$50.

Enter treatment room, choose a chair with a Ready sign in the seat.

Blog

Facial Rejuvenation

Milwaukee Community Acupuncture

Clinic Updates!

Donate to MCA

New Patients

Acupuncture for Veterans

COVID-19 Appointment Guidelines & Illness Guidelines

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