Frequently asked questions
Because your nervous system finally got the memo to stop acting like it’s being chased by a bear.
That post-acupuncture drowsiness? The treatment shifts your body from fight-or-flight to repair-and-rebuild mode. We just improved your circulation, started flushing out metabolic waste, and gave your parasympathetic system a warm hug. It’s not a side effect...it’s a sign your system is recalibrating. A success indicator.
Translation: Your body’s been overworked. Now it’s rebooting.
Everyone reacts differently and that’s normal.
Some people feel calm, grounded, and zen’d out.
Others feel energized, clear, and alert.
Some feel little at all… until they sleep better that night, or realize their pain is gone the next morning.
Pay attention over the next few days. The effects often unfold gradually.
Take note of changes in sleep, digestion, energy, mood, and symptoms. This helps me refine your treatment strategy moving forward.
After treatment
• Hydrate well. Your body’s flushing waste.
• Avoid heavy exercise or alcohol the day of treatment.
• Get a full night’s sleep to lock in the benefits.
• If you feel drowsy, that’s a positive reaction. Your system is shifting. Rest, and it’ll pass.
Short answer? Almost everything
Long answer? Acupuncture doesn’t just chase symptoms. It rewires how your body responds to pain, stress, hormones, and inflammation. It taps into your nervous system, boosts circulation, regulates organ function, and reminds your body how to heal like it used to before it was burned out, inflamed, and full of caffeine.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of what I see most.
Chronic pain.
Hormonal meltdowns (PMS, perimenopause, PCOS, heavy periods)
Digestive disasters (IBS, bloating, reflux, guts that riot after salad)
Stress-related collapse: anxiety, burnout, panic, exhaustion masked as "high functioning"
Insomnia that doesn't care how many sleep apps you've downloaded
Nervous system overload (you're tired and wired)
TMJ, jaw tension, migraines, and other symptoms that don't show up on labs
Weird syndromes Western medicine gave up on
Translation: If your body's throwing tantrums and nobody's figured it out, you're probably in the right place.
Yes ..Like breathing better, sleeping harder, and finally pooping like a functional human.
But seriously, most people walk feeling calmer, clearer and slightly high on their own parasympathetic nervous system. Some feel tired (because rest is rare), a little emotional (because stuff moves), or a little sore where the body has been holding tension.
Occasionally:
You might get a tiny bruise. It heals.
Feel a bit lightheaded - if you skipped a meal.
You might feel something shift. That's the point.
Yes! Absolutely. I have other tools.
Acupuncture is the headline act, but it's not the whole show.
If needles make you squeamish, or you're just not ready for it, I've got options.
Cupping pulls stagnation and tension out like a vacuum for your fascia.
Gua Sha (scraping) melts down tight tissue, inflammation, and stress-induced rage.
The point is: Those tiny hair-thin needles are powerful but I'll work with you. And if you’re just needle-curious? We can start slow, one teeny-tiny painless needle at a time you’ll barely feel it, but your nervous system will throw a party.
Our body runs on electricity. not the kind that powers our phone or smart tv but bioelectricity: tiny currents that tell your muscles to contract, your heart to beat, and your brain to think.
The needles works by sending tiny, precise electrical signals through the body’s built-in wiring system like your nerves, fascia, and circulation pathways. They kind of remind your body how to communicate with itself. Think of it like resetting a glitchy device, once the signal’s clear, your body can do what it already knows how to do: heal, balance, repair.
The needles act like tiny engineers: they clear debris, re-route blood flow, and help your internal environment rebalance itself.
Depends on what you're dragging into the clinic.
If it's new or acute, you'll most likely feel a big difference right away.
If it's chronic, tangled, and been dismissed for years? We'll need a few sessions to unpack the mess.
Most people notice some shift, much less pain , better sleep, calmer, better digestion - within 3 to 5 treatments.
Great acupuncture works fast. Great medicine works deep.
Nope. Not even close to what you think.
Most people are surprised by how not scary it actually feels. They're nothing like the ones used for shots or blood work.
The needles are hair-thin. Most insertions you won’t feel at all. A few might create a mild pinch, but it’s more like someone flicked a single hair on your arm, not what most people imagine. A good acupuncturist knows how to get results without triggering pain.
That said, you will feel things shift, sometimes immediately.
Warmth. Release. Heaviness. Calm. That’s your body responding.
That depends. Do you have a good plan, or did HR pick the cheapest option available?
Most extended health benefits in Canada cover acupuncture under paramedical services often lumped in with massage, chiro, or physio. You’ll usually get $300–$500 a year, sometimes more if you got great benefits
• If your plan covers acupuncture by a Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac.), you’re good to go.