Acupuncture
What Conditions Do You Treat?
Even long-standing or chronic conditions are often worth trying three treatments to see how your body responds. I have witnessed meaningful changes using just a few needles—sometimes immediately.
The World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as effective for a wide range of conditions, including:
General Health
- Headaches, TMJ
- Back pain, sciatica, musculoskeletal pain
- Insomnia, anxiety, depression
- Digestive disorders
- Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia
- High blood pressure
Women’s Health
- Menstrual irregularities
- Menopause
- Fertility challenges
- Pregnancy and postpartum care
Men’s Health
- Prostate health
- Infertility
- Sexual health concerns
Preventive Care
- Stress management
- Wellness and longevity
- Seasonal health support
Areas of special clinical interest include digestive disorders, anxiety, gynecologic imbalances, fatigue, maternal health, pain management, and men’s urogenital health.
One honest note: tinnitus alone has not been a strong area of success in my practice. However, when tinnitus occurs alongside other health concerns, patients often experience overall improvement.
What Makes Our Acupuncture Different
While many acupuncture styles rely on large numbers of needles or standardized point prescriptions, my approach is precise, minimalist, and highly individualized.
Saam Korean acupuncture, a classical system designed to restore balance by identifying the root pattern behind your symptoms rather than chasing symptoms one by one. Most treatments use just four needles, carefully selected based on how your body and nervous system are functioning that day.
Key differences in my approach include:
- Fewer needles, greater impact Using a small number of powerful points allows your body to respond clearly and efficiently, without overstimulation.
- Pattern-based diagnosis We look for connections between physical symptoms, emotional state, energy, digestion, sleep, and stress—often revealing patterns that don’t fit neatly into a single diagnosis.
- Every treatment is customized Even if two people share the same diagnosis, their treatments are often completely different. I rarely repeat the same prescription twice.
- A calm, focused treatment experience Treatments are designed to quiet the nervous system, allowing your body to shift into a state where healing can occur naturally.
This approach is especially helpful for people who:
- Haven’t responded well to other forms of acupuncture
- Feel overwhelmed by aggressive or overly stimulating treatments
- Have complex or chronic conditions
- Value a thoughtful, mind–body approach to healing
Practical Details
- Initial comprehensive visit: ~90+ minutes $160
- Follow-up visits: 45–55 minutes $80-90
- Insurance: Accepted for almost all plans that cover acupuncture.
As a licensed dietitian, I often incorporate nutrition and lifestyle guidance into treatments when appropriate.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a thoughtful, precise approach to healing. Acupuncture is a time-tested, clinically proven medical therapy used to treat a wide range of health concerns. It is a branch of Chinese medicine practiced for more than 2,000 years—and it continues to evolve today.
At its core, acupuncture uses very fine, sterile needles placed at specific points on the body in precise combinations. These points send signals that help regulate bodily functions, relieve pain, calm the nervous system, and support the body’s natural healing ability.
It may sound surprising at first—how could inserting tiny stainless-steel needles make a meaningful difference? Yet the effects can be profound. Even after years of practice, I still find it remarkable that gentle input can create deep, lasting change.
Not All Acupuncture is the Same
There are many styles of acupuncture, each with its own philosophy, techniques, and strengths. George compares an acupuncture needle to a paintbrush: the results depend not only on the tool, but on the person using it.
You wouldn’t say, “I saw one painting and didn’t like it, so all paintings are bad.”In the same way, when someone says, “I tried acupuncture, but it didn’t work,” it usually means they tried one style, with one practitioner, at one moment in time.
What makes acupuncture effective for you depends on several factors:
- The practitioner’s skill, training, and experience
- The style of acupuncture being used
- The quality of the patient–practitioner relationship
- Your own body’s responsiveness
The style George practices is a Korean system called Saam acupuncture, and it is quite different from what many people expect.
What is Saam Acupuncture?
Saam acupuncture is a classical Korean style developed more than 400 years ago by a Buddhist monk and physician known as Saam—a name meaning “cave dweller.” Through deep meditation on the classical Chinese medical texts, Saam created a unique system that pairs the Five Elements with the Six Conformations, forming a diagnostic and treatment method distinct from modern Chinese medicine.
Saam acupuncture is rooted in classical sources such as the Huang Di Nei Jing, Nan Jing, and Yi Jing, and is deeply informed by yin–yang and five-phase theory. The diagnostic approach I use was passed down orally through generations of teachers, emphasizing careful observation and pattern recognition rather than rigid protocols.
Saam acupuncture is based on a simple but powerful idea: mental and emotional states influence physical health, and physical symptoms influence the mind.
Patterns such as up/down, inward/outward, hot/cold, and dry/wet appear throughout the body and across the lifecycle. By recognizing these patterns, Saam acupuncture connects seemingly unrelated symptoms and addresses the underlying imbalance.
This mind–body connection is now widely discussed in modern medicine, but it was clearly understood in Chinese medicine 2,000 years ago and in Korean medicine centuries later. Saam acupuncture is highly effective for emotional concerns, physical pain, chronic illness, and complex conditions that don’t fit neatly into one diagnosis.
Fewer Needles, Highly Targeted
One of the most surprising aspects of Saam acupuncture is how few needles are used.
Most of George’s treatments involve four needles, and rarely more than eight. All points are located below the elbows and knees, using classical transport (shu) points that have strong representation in the brain’s sensory cortex.
By carefully selecting these points, Saam acupuncture activates specific body systems through the nervous system with remarkable efficiency. I rarely repeat the exact same treatment, because each session begins by observing how you are doing—physically and emotionally—that day.
Do the Needles Hurt?
All needles used are FDA-approved, sterile, and single-use. They are thin, solid (not hollow), and nothing like hypodermic needles used for injections.
You may feel the needle as it passes through the skin. Once you settle on the table, there should be no ongoing discomfort. Most patients relax deeply and report sensations such as:
- Warmth
- Heaviness
- A gentle spreading or flowing feeling
- A sense of calm or groundedness
Because Saam acupuncture uses points below the elbows and knees, the risk of injury—such as pneumothorax—is zero.
How Many Session Will I Need?
We can never predict how long a condition will take to resolve. But should be able to give a more accurate answer after the third session.
- Acute issues: 1–2 visits per week for a few weeks
- Chronic concerns: Weekly treatments followed by reassessment
Ten people with the same diagnosis may receive ten different treatments. Saam acupuncture focuses on restoring balance and function—not just treating a disease label.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re curious whether acupuncture—and specifically Saam acupuncture—can help you, the best way to know is to experience it. Saam acupuncture is precise, subtle, and deeply effective when applied thoughtfully. It respects the body’s intelligence and supports its natural capacity to heal.
Your initial visit is unhurried and comprehensive. We’ll talk through your health history, current concerns, and goals, and design a treatment tailored specifically to you. Many patients notice meaningful shifts within the first few visits, whether in pain, sleep, digestion, mood, or overall resilience.
If you’ve tried acupuncture before and felt underwhelmed, this may feel very different.If you’re completely new, you’ll be guided through every step in a calm, supportive setting.