Common Questions

Keahi Health Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic is a community resource center dedicated to providing concierge health care to you and your family. I strive to create an environment of peace and beauty where you can breathe deeply and know that you are going to be well taken care of. I enjoy sharing the history, the applications, and the effectiveness of Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and I encourage your questions. I am dedicated to providing the most gentle and effective treatments possible while valuing the unique needs of my patients. I address individual patient concerns, provide ongoing education, individualize treatment modality options, and help patients to participate in their own healthcare decisions.

Acupuncture is the insertion of FDA-approved, hair-fine, sterilized medical-grade stainless steel needles into specific places in the body. The over-arching goal of an acupuncture treatment is to stimulate the body’s natural healing response.

Come as you are. We provide extra large and extra soft Turkish towels as body coverings or drapes. You may also choose to wear or bring comfortable, loose-fitting clothing to your visit. Some of the most powerful acupuncture points lie below the elbows and knees and I will need access to these areas while assuring your comfort.

We will begin with a brief chat and an evaluation of your overall health and desired goals. I may ask you questions that you may feel do not relate to your concerns. Chinese medicine is holistic and I consider the whole person, not just one isolated symptom. When systematically viewed together, the various symptoms that you are experiencing reveal patterns of imbalances that must be addressed in order to achieve the best results. Next, I will create a customized treatment plan that will allow us to achieve the best outcome. While you will undoubtedly feel the benefits from this treatment, I may recommend additional sessions for optimum results. After ensuring your comfort, I will insert 10-15 thin acupuncture needles into areas of your body to treat your chief concern and rebalance the underlying root causes of illness.

The insertion of acupuncture needles is nearly painless; most patients report either feeling nothing at all or a light pinch. Once all of the needles are inserted, I may make delicate adjustments in order to “activate” the needles. This “activation” is known as achieving “de qi” in Chinese and oftentimes feels like a dull, ache, heaviness or deep relaxation. If any of the points are uncomfortable, I will adjust them or remove them. Your relaxation and comfort are more important than any point!

We will chat briefly every time I see you so that you can update me on your condition and the entire session will likely be less than an hour, around 45-50 minutes. Needles are typically retained for about 15-20 minutes depending on the patient and the condition. You can choose to rest for 20 minutes or less. It's completely up to you and what you are most comfortable with. I value your time and your comfort!

I always want you to feel better after your visits. Relief of symptoms varies on a case-by-case basis: it can be immediate or can be delayed by a few hours or one or two days. Improvement might last for a few hours on the first visit and typically lasts longer with each successive treatment. Acupuncture, just like building up strength from weight lifting, is a cumulative process.

I've had a patient tell me that she was "too relaxed" after the treatment. But joking aside, adverse events resulting from acupuncture treatment are rare, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), making it a good choice for safe care. However, in a few cases, patients may actually feel an aggravation of their symptoms before getting better. This is typically seen as a “healing response” and could take 24-72 hours to resolve. After the healing response resolves, patients usually report feeling much better than before they had their acupuncture treatment.

To be effective, acupuncture often requires a series of consistent treatments. The number of treatments recommended will depend on your particular condition. Although it is difficult to predict the exact number of treatments you will need, at the time of your initial visit I can usually provide a general idea of the time necessary for you to experience positive results from your treatments. And, according to the latest research, the benefits from your acupuncture treatment can last 3-5 years.

The ideal approach to achieving wellness through acupuncture and Chinese medicine is to be as proactive as possible. For example, in China, people seek treatment every day until they are completely healed. This is oftentimes difficult or impossible to schedule here in the West. The best we can do is to begin treatment as quickly as possible with as little time in between treatments as possible. The sooner you seek help, the faster and easier it is to see positive results. After each treatment I will assess your progress and examine your treatment plan. If you are a candidate for Chinese herbs, supplements, and/or topical medicine, I typically recommend a one to two-month prescribed course of treatment. Your response to the products provides valuable information I use to monitor and evaluate your treatment. As you start feeling better and your symptoms diminish, your acupuncture and herbal treatments will change, too.

When I was working on the cruise ship, most of my patients got "magical" results. I explain this by the fact that most patients were relaxed and could continue to relax after their treatments. And, they were motivated to come in as frequently as possible and they were good at taking their supplements. They had nothing better to do AND they wanted to be able to enjoy their vacation by moving more freely, having less pain or relieving their motion sickness. As part of your course of treatment, I will make customized recommendations regarding herbal medicine, diet, and lifestyle. The more consistently you are able to follow through with these recommendations, the better the results you will achieve.