Treatable Conditions

How can an Acupuncturist help?

Acupuncture and Classical Chinese Medicine complements conventional medicine. They are not substitutes for any conventional medical advice, medications or treatments. As a complement to conventional medicine, acupuncture can treat both acute and chronic problems such as insomnia, digestive and elimination problems, headaches, sleeping disorders, chronic pain, smoking and eating disorders, and much more.

Acupuncture can help to reduce or eliminate the need for medications for many conditions including narcotics and other pain-relievers, but your family doctor must always be consulted in such instances.

Classical Chinese Medicine looks at illnesses from a different perspective than conventional medicine. The basic tenet of Chinese Medicine is that we have a life force that energizes all the metabolic activity in our bodies, and this life forces (often referred to as "qi") is always moving and flowing. When qi flows unimpeded, we are healthy. When qi is blocked, we get pain and ultimately disease. The strategy of the Practitioner of Classical Chinese Medicine is to find the areas of blocked energy, and help remove those blocks, which in turn helps the body return to its natural healthy state.

When you first enter an the office of an acupuncturist, the practitioner will sit with you and do an intake. We are interested in all your symptoms and medical history which helps, which helps us start to determine our treatment strategy. The Chinese medical model is often very effective at treating hard to diagnose problems since it does not rely on having to know the biochemical reason for your condition, which is not known in most cases, particularly where blood tests and MRI's are normal. Even when blood tests show imbalances, it is not usually known why this is happening.

This difference in perspective means that Classical Chinese Medicine can often make sense of illnesses that Western medicine has difficulty treating. In cases where Western medicine may be limited to prescribing medication for symptom management, acupuncture may be able to intervene and encourage the body in a self-healing process. Acupuncture/Classical Chinese Medicine is currently the fastest growing healing modality in the country.

The NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture

In 1997 the U.S. National Institutes of Health published a Consensus Statement on the use and effectiveness of acupuncture for a variety of conditions.

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. While there have been many studies of its potential usefulness, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors. The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebos and sham acupuncture groups. However, promising results have emerged, for example, showing efficacy of acupuncture in adult post-operative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in post-operative dental pain. There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofacial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma where acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful. 1

View the full Consensus.

The World Health Organization

In the hands of a well-trained practitioner, acupuncture has much broader applications beyond pain relief. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a wide range of common illnesses including:2

  • Upper Respiratory Tract
    • Acute sinusitis
    • Acute rhinitis
    • Common Cold and Flu
    • Acute tonsillitis
  • Respiratory System
    • Acute bronchitis
    • Bronchial asthma (Most effective in children and uncomplicated conditions.)
  • Eye Disorders
    • Acute conjunctivitis
    • Central Retinitis Myopia (in children)
    • Cataracts (without complications)
  • Mouth Disorders
    • Toothache
    • Post Extraction Pain
    • Gingivitis
    • Acute and Chronic Pharyngitis
  • Gastrointestinal Disorders
    • Spasms of esophagus
    • 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
  • Neurologic and Musculoskeletal Disorders
    • Headache and Migraine
    • Trigeminal Neuralgias
    • Facial Palsy (early stage, i.e., within 3-6 months)
    • Pareses Following a Stroke
    • Peripheral Neuropathies
    • Sequelae of Poliomyelitis (early stage, i.e., within 6 months)
    • Meniere's Disease
    • Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction
    • Nocturnal Enuresis (bedwetting)
    • Intercostal Neuralgia
    • Cervicobrachial Syndrome
    • Frozen Shoulder
    • Tennis Elbow
    • Sciatica
    • Low Back Pain
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
    • Back and Knee Pain
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Chronic Fatigue
    • Sports Injuries and Pains
  • Reproductive & Gynecological Conditions
    • Premenstrual Syndrome
    • Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps)
    • Spotting and Excessive Bleeding
    • Amenorrhea (Loss of Menstrual Period)
    • Impotence
    • Infertility
    • Incontinence
    • Prostatis
  • Mental & Emotional Problems
    • Stress
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
    • Insomnia

The World Health Organization Interregional Seminar compiled the above list of illnesses that may benefit from acupuncture treatment. The list is only a partial list and is based on clinical experience, and not necessarily on controlled clinical research. The inclusion of specific diseases are not meant to indicate the extent of acupuncture's efficacy in treatment, since all conditions may vary in severity and response.

Sources: 1. NIH, Acupuncture, Nov. 3-5, 1997, Vol. 15, No. 5 2. World Health Organization. Viewpoint on Acupuncture. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 1979.



  • "I've had IBS my entire life. ... I didn't really have much faith that he could help, because I had seen acupuncturist for IBS in the past (both local and out of state) and had no real luck. Wow was I wrong! After 4 acupuncture treatments my symptoms are gone!"
    --Tina F.
  • "I was experiencing low back and hip pain. ... I really didn't want to start down the path to surgery. I decided to try acupuncture. Stacy is awesome! I went to see him once. Both my pain and my limp went away after my first session. I've been pain free ever since."
    --Sally M.
  • "After two acupuncture treatments with Stacy, I no longer wake up at night and feel like someone has sprayed me down with a water hose. Also all the problems I had with hot flashes during the day causing me to be embarrassed because I would start randomly sweating for no reason. Gone!"
    --FP
  • "After the birth of my first child, I could never shake feeling really fatigued. ... I really started to struggle to find joy in my life. It just seemed that my fatigue and mood kept getting worse. A friend recommended Stacy to me. After several treatments I'm starting to feel like my old self. I have so much more energy and my mood has improved exponentially! It's so amazing to feel the zest of life again!" --LK
  • "Over the past year a combination of work stress and family tragedy has left me finding myself to be really anxious and to constantly worry. I... Stacy has a really great way of listening and is a very compassionate person. ... After a few treatments and an herbal formula, my mind seems more calm, I don't seem to worry as much, and my job stress doesn't bother me as much. I feel more at peace." --TY
  • "I started receiving Acupuncture from Stacy Hewitt at Acupuncture Health Company in January after having had the flu. My IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) was really giving me a hard time, probably due to the antibiotics I had to take, and my general state of health. Stacy gave me several treatments. After the first one I had relief and even more with each consecutive treatment." --Sharon
  • "I’m a bargain shopper at heart. When I was diagnosed with IBS, I called around trying to find the best deal on acupuncture. ..Stacy was very knowledgeable, but I went with another acupuncturist because they were cheaper…. That was a mistake…. After 8 sessions with the cheaper acupuncturist I had no relief…. Because Stacy was so highly recommend and my stomach was so painful, I went back to Stacy to give acupuncture one last try. 4 sessions later I felt great…… I learned Value really is getting quality health care, not the cheapest price " --F.S.
  • "Our 7 year old son was diagnoses with c-dif. He was experiencing constant diarrhea, extreme bloating and abdominal pain… After three additional rounds of antibiotics and that doctor wanting to do a fourth, we said enough. We had heard Stacy specialized in digestive issues and also worked in pediatrics… On the first visit Stacy gave us an herbal formula to give to our son…A week later our sons stool sample came back pathogen free…. Just simply amazing!" --Marry H
  • "I suffered from hip bursitis for over a year and, despite p.t. and prescribed exercises, the bursitis continued to interfere with my life. Four acupuncture treatments with Stacy has me back on track and out of pain!"
    --Belinda L.
  • "Sleep. Life is miserable without sleep. .... Over the past few years my job has become very stressful. I started having problems sleeping. I tried everything. Chiropractic, massage, western medicine, pills. ... [Stacy] was very informative and professional. ... It took a few treatments, but they were worth every penny. Now I sleep like a baby in a crib. Currently, I like to see him once a month to help with my job stress. Acupuncture has really been a great benefit!" -- BD