Holistic Family Practice

From newborns to grandparents, a family needs all kinds of care.
We offer care for your whole family.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you don’t see the answer you’re looking for below, please call our office.

FAQ - Our Clinic

We recommend that you call our office as soon as you can. If possible, have several available dates in mind, as we are often fully booked during peak times.

Although we cannot accommodate walk-in clients at this time, we encourage you to contact our office to see if we can schedule you for a same-day appointment. If you do have a flexible schedule, we can usually schedule an appointment for you within a week.

We are currently only accepting new patients on a limited basis. Due to our large client base, we encourage you to schedule your appointment as early as possible, to allow us to accommodate everyone who needs our help and health services. If you are undergoing acupuncture or TCM therapies, it is often important for sessions to follow a specific schedule. Please have your schedule available when you come to your appointment so we can book further appointments to ensure your place in our calendar.

Though many of our clients are from Missouri, people travel from all over the United States to visit our health clinic. Many have traveled as far as Oregon and New York to work with us to restore health and balance to their lives.

It might surprise you to learn that most tap water in the United States is not good for your health. Often, those who realize this turn to bottled water as a substitute, not realizing that, due to its acidity and chemicals leached from the bottle, it is not that much better than water from the faucet.

The Kangan Alkaline Ionized Water System was developed in Japan to treat the over-polluted waters in the cities and provide healthy water for hospital patients. The Kangen System produces pure water that works to restore the body’s pH levels by removing all of the contaminants while breaking down the large clusters of water molecules, retaining the important minerals, and changing the pH of the water. Kangen water is also a very potent anti-oxidant – boasting 7-10 times the antioxidant power of green tea. It is a fantastic way to detoxify and hydrate your body naturally.

We are pleased to offer Kangen water to our clients free of charge. We have installed the Kangen Alkaline and Ionization System in our office for the benefit of everyone, and to complement our health treatments.

FAQ - Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a complete medical system that has been practiced for over 5,000 years. TCM applies a deep knowledge of the workings of nature to the human body and its healing processes. TCM practitioners use herbs, acupuncture, and other methods to treat many of the conditions often treated by Western medicine. In the United States, TCM is considered an important complementary and alternative medicine.

At the heart of TCM is the idea that the root cause of illnesses must be treated for an individual to heal. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine take a holistic approach to health, as they take every aspect of a person – body, mind, spirit, and emotions – into account during the healing process.

Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine address the root causes of illness, as opposed to the symptoms an individual may be experiencing. Through a range of treatments including acupuncture, herbal medicines, and nutritional therapy, TCM health professionals treat the whole individual – mind, body, and spirit. This holistic approach to medicine restored balance, leading to greater health and vitality.

Traditional Chinese Medicine complements many forms of alternative health treatments as well as many Western medical practices. As TCM seeks to treat the root cause of illnesses and focuses on the person as a whole, therapies such as acupuncture, herbal medicines, and nutritional therapy support other medical treatments, and make the body stronger and more open to healing.

A TCM practitioner makes diagnoses by taking into account the patient’s past and present symptoms and complaints, personal and family medical history, a physical assessment of the body, the social and natural environment, lifestyle, thoughts and emotions, as well as an observation of facial and tongue characteristics and by reading the pulse.

Your first visit will take approximately two hours, and will consist of a thorough consultation with your TCM practitioner, followed by an individual treatment determined by your diagnosis. The consultation consists of a reading of your medical history, a discussion of your current state of health, a visual examination of your tongue, and a pulse assessment. After the initial consultation, your practitioner will talk with you about the best course of action for your health treatments. This may involve a series of acupuncture appointments, a suggestion on how to change your diet or nutritional intake, or a prescription for herbal medicines.

FAQ - Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient method of healing found in Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. At its most basic, acupuncture is the strategic insertion of fine needles into points on the body’s surface for the purpose of stimulating healing. This practice is believed to promote the healthy flow of “Qi”, or body energy, along the energy lines (meridians) located through the body.

Acupuncture was first introduced – quite successfully – to conventional medicine as a form of anesthesia and pain control in military operations in the field. Evidence for this can be found in many professional medical journals regarding the study of acupuncture-assisted surgery. It has been proven that pain can be blocked and pain-numbing endorphins can be produced with the aid of acupuncture.

Acupuncture needles are metallic, solid, and hair-thin. People experience acupuncture differently, but most feel no or minimal pain as the needles are inserted. Some people are energized by treatment, while others feel relaxed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners in 1996. The FDA requires that sterile, nontoxic needles be used and that they be labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only.

The nature of Oriental Medicine is such that it is used to treat a wide variety of conditions including: *muscular sclerosis * stroke *low back pain *neck pain *sciatica *sports injuries *facial pain *headaches & migraines *dental pain *TMJ dysfunction *rheumatoid arthritis *induction of labor *correction of malposition of fetus *morning sickness *nausea and vomiting *postoperative pain *hypertension *hypotension *adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy *allergies *depression, and many, many more.

During your first visit to our clinic, the acupuncturist may ask you at length about your health, medical history, lifestyle and diet. A complete picture of your current condition will help contribute to your treatment. It is important that you inform the acupuncturist about all treatments you are going through, medications you are taking, and all medical conditions you have. After looking at your tongue and feeling your pulses, the acupuncturist will determine a diagnosis and treatment plan. If acupuncture is the appropriate treatment, you will then lie down in a dimly lit room with soft music playing while the needles are inserted. Plan to spend 1 1/2 to 2 hours at our clinic on your first visit.

FAQ - Herbs & Nutrition

Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) has been practiced for thousands of years, beginning with the works of the Chinese emperor, Shen Nong in 2737 BCE. Considered the Father of Chinese medicine, he discovered many of the healing properties of over 300 herbal remedies. Though originating in China, CHM is now considered an important complementary medical practice in many countries. For hundreds of years, medical experts from around the world have contributed their knowledge and expertise to this growing compendium of herbal medicine. A skilled practitioner will have a working knowledge of hundreds of herbs, thousands of combinations and formulas.

Chinese herbs are an integral part of the healing process in Chinese medicine. Chinese herbs differ from Western herbs in that they will not build to toxic levels in your body. Drawing upon thousands of years of research, CHM practitioners are able to fully customize herbs and herbal remedies specifically tailored to your health needs.

Chinese herbs tend to work quite quickly in acute conditions and take a little longer for chronic illnesses. Their efficacy has been observed, tested, and proven time and again for thousands of years and many of the herbal formulas have now been defined and approved by medical practitioners in the Western world. As with any health regimen, much of their effectiveness is based on a person’s dedication to his or her health and the recommended healing therapies.

As with many of the health therapies that make up Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbal medicine can play an important role in the healing process – whether alone, combined with other alternative health treatments, or in conjunction with Western medicine. Chinese herbs have long been used to strengthen the body’s system, cleanse the body of toxins, expel disease, and heal the person as a whole. Your TCM practitioner will best be able to prescribe an herbal remedy for you that complements any other health treatments you may be undergoing.

Where Your Health is the Point.

(417) 869-3000

clinic@acupointhealth.com