Services Offered

Acupuncture is a technique that is part of a really, really old (4,000 years is the going number, though it may be older) type of health care, that has been standardized and made accessible to people like myself under the name Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM includes acupuncture, herbalism, dietary and lifestyle guidelines as a field. All of these are based in a large, diverse body of knowledge, which includes a specific mode of diagnosing imbalance based on the five elements (embedded in Taoist philosophy), and how these elements can be recognized in the human body. Within this diagnostic method, there are techniques that vary widely based in myriad theories, but almost all of them use some aspect of channel theory to locate acupoints, stimulating them with needles, moxibustion, cupping and/or electro-stimulation. Channel theory refers to the detailed mapping of energy pathways throughout the body, and how the points on these pathways can be utilized for healing. The stimulation of these points, in acupuncture, has been used effectively to support the transformation of people’s health for long enough to be recognized by the World Health Organization as a valid supportive treatment in many ailments. That list is included at the bottom of this page for you, though this list might feel more accessible:

Health conditions commonly treated by licensed acupuncturists:

allergies/asthma, anxiety/depression, arthritis/joint problems

back pain, bladder/kidney problems

constipation/diarrhea, colds/influenza, cough/bronchitis

dizziness, detoxification, drug/alcohol/smoking cessation

fatigue, fertility support

gastrointestinal disorders, gynecological disorders

headache/migraine, heart problems/palpitations, high blood pressure

immune system deficiency

knee pain

menopausal discomfort, musculoskeletal injuries, neuropathy

pre-menstrual syndrome, paralysis/numbness

rhinitis, reynaud’s

sciatica, sexual dysfunction, side effects of chemotherapy, sinusitis

skin problems, stress/tension, stroke rehabilitation

tendonitis

Side effects can include a general sense of well being, feeling centered, or calm. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have, and I will do my best to make what I know informative, accessible, and helpful as possible.

Individual Acupuncture
treatments are given in a private room, needles are placed on entire body as needed for 20-30 minutes. Herbal consultation, cupping, moxibustion, and lifestyle advice are included as needed or requested by patient. This option is useful if you prefer needles in any place unreachable in community acupuncture, or prefer one-on-one attention for your healing path. Masks are required, though I will be sharing the room for approximately 30 minutes for intake, needle placement and needle removal. Intake may be performed outdoors if this is preferred to reduce exposure risk.

$65 per treatment, plus $15 intake fee on first visit

Community Acupuncture
treatments are given in a group setting, and needles are placed on arms, legs, and head only while you remain clothed. Payment is on a sliding scale, pay what you can with no questions asked. This option is useful if you prefer casual, easily accessible treatments, or if you prefer the collective healing experience. Space is arranged to be generously socially distant and face masks are required (and can be provided if needed).

$15-35, plus $10 intake fee on first visit

Mobile Acupuncture
treatments are given in your home, or at an agreed location, such as a farmer’s market or community health fair event. In-home treatments are individual acupuncture, public locations are community style. Also may arrange a community acupuncture event at your home, or a location you designate. This option is useful if you are unable to leave your home for any reason, cannot come to any of the times available at clinic locations, or are composing your own creative version of accessible healing options. Rates are consistent with individual and community acupuncture prices, with .58/mile added, based on distance travelled, for in-home treatments. Contact Amber directly to arrange this type of appointment, via phone or email.

The World Health Organization commissioned a review of the evidence basis for acupuncture treatment from the University of Birmingham (UK) in 2006, and offers the following conclusions:

WHO list of indications “for which acupuncture has been proved through clinical trials to be an effective treatment:” 

  • Respiratory: allergic rhinitis

  • Gastrointestinal: biliary colic, dysentery, epigastralgia (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis and gastrospasm), morning sickness, nausea and vomiting

  • Pain: facial pain, headache, knee pain, low back pain, neck pain, dental and temporomandibular pain, periarthritis of the shoulder, postoperative pain, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, sprain, tennis elbow

  • Gynaecological/renal: colic, primary dysmenorrhoea, induction of labour, correction of malposition of fetus

  • Cardiovascular: hypertension, hypotension, strokePsychiatric: depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)

  • General: adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, leukopenia


WHO list of indications for which “a therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown, but further evidence is needed:”

  • Respiratory: asthma, post-extubation in children, whooping cough

  • Ear, nose, and throat, eye and mouth: eye pain, epistaxis (nose bleeds), herpes zoster, Menier’s disease, sore throat, Sjogren syndrome

  • Gastrointestinal: cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, gastrokinetic disturbance,
    hepatitis B carrier status, ulcerative colitis

  • Neurolo-psychiatric: anxiety, Bell’s palsy, depression, facial spasm, neuralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, dementia, schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome

  • Pain: abdominal pain, cancer pain, earache, fibromyalgia, gouty arthritis, osteoarthritis, radicular pain, spinal pain, pain due to endoscopic examination, stiff neck, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, Tietze syndrome

  • Skin: acne vulgaris, neurodermatitis, pruritus

  • Gynaecological/renal: female infertility, female urethral syndrome, hypoovarianism, labour pain, overactive bladder, polycystic ovary syndrome, premenstrual syndrome, urinary tract infections

  • Male sexual dysfunction: prostatitis, , bladder infections, recurrent lower urinary tract infection, urolithiasis, retention of urine

  • Cardiovascular: cardiac neurosis, hyperlipaemia, pain in thromboangiitis, Raynaud’s syndrome

  • General: alcohol dependence, competition stress syndrome, craniocerebral injury, diabetes (non-insulin dependent), haemorrhagic fever, obesity, insomnia, lactation deficiency, opium, cocaine and heroin, dependence, post operative convalescence, tobacco dependence