• Abdominal bloating

• Acne/Rosacea

• Addiction treatment (Smoking/alcohol/prescription drugs/cocaine/heroin/food.etc.)

• Allergies/Sinusitis

• Alopecia

• Anorexia nervosa/bulimia

• Arthritis

• Asthma

• Bell's palsy/Trigeminal Neuralgia

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

• Common Cold/Flu

• Constipation, chronic diarrhea, digestion problems

• Depression

• Facial rejuvenation/facial acupuncture (wrinkles and lines, sagging skin, puffiness)

• Fatigue

• Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Epstein Barr/Lyme disease sequelae

• General wellness and balancing/acupuncture tune-up

• Headache/Migraine

• Hypertension

• Immune System Deficiency including HIV/AIDS

• Infertility in women and men/Support for Western Medicine intervention (IVF, IUI, etc)

• Insomnia

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crone's disease, colitis

• Musculo-skeletal pain (sprains, strains, bursitis, tendonitis, stress injury)

• Neck and Back pain

• Numbness/tingling/burning

• PMS, painful menstruation, endometriosis/fibroids, menopause symptoms/hot flashes

• Poor Circulation

• Post-partum difficulties including depression, insufficient milk production, etc.

• Problems in pregnancy including miscarriage and morning sickness

• Prostatitis

• Sequelae of stroke (paralysis/weakness/numbness)

• Sexual Dysfunction

• Shingles/Eczema

• Stress, anxiety, palpitations, nervousness

• Supportive treatments for patients undergoing chemo and radiation therapies

• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease

• Tourette's

• Urinary Tract Infections, frequent or painful urination, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

• Vulvodynia

• Weight loss/Obesity

We can't list all ailments that can be treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. Please call or email to discuss your situation. Below are notes from Nils Erickson L.Ac.on some of the above listed conditions:

Stress Although Western medicine has within the past several decades accepted a mind/body connection, Chinese medicine has recognised the interplay of mind and body in wellness and disease processes for several thousand of years. As Eastern and Western practitioners, we now know that stress can contribute to, exacerbate or cause anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure/coronary artery disease, stroke, irritability, depression, tension and migraine headaches, pain intensity and frequency, gastrointestinal issues, infertility in women, and suppression of the immune system making us more prone to everything from colds and flues, to developing the symptoms associated with otherwise quiescent immune system disorders such as Crone's disease, Herpes Simplex and Zoster, AIDS, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, just to name a few. Research studies has clearly demonstrated that reduction of stress leads to improvements in health and significant decreases in stress-related symptoms. 

According to Chinese Medicine, stress is the cause of, or is caused by stagnation of Liver Qi. Anger, anxiety, nervousness, palpitations and panic attacks further affect secondary organ systems within the body, such as the Heart, Kidneys or Spleen. Chinese Medicine treats stress by "soothing" or "moving" the stagnated Liver Qi, calming the mind (Shen) and by treating any secondary effected organ systems. Treatments for stress can include acupuncture, massage and the use of Chinese Herbs. Nearly everyone who receives a first treatment of this type leaves the office feeling as though the stress has been stripped away. This correction lasts anywhere from several hours to several days depending on the severity of the individual. During the course of a series of once or twice weekly treatments, the liver qi becomes more compliant and other organ systems reverse their negative trends, until a complete re-balancing of the body and mind has taken place and the patient becomes peaceful and relaxed. If the patient lives or works within an externally or internally stressful environment, once or twice a month "maintenance" treatments are often needed to keep the Qi free-flowing in order to remain balanced with an improved sense of well being.

Depression Excessive worry and emotional depression impair the Heart and Spleen and their ability to control and generate blood. A blood deficient Heart results in insomnia, excessive dreaming and impaired memory. Pent-up anger and other strong emotions affects the Livers ability to smoothly convey and regulate Qi within the body. The result is that Liver Qi becomes blocked or stagnant, which can hinder the Heart Qi and Blood and thereby also cause depression. To treat depression often requires that the Liver Qi be unblocked, the Spleen Qi and be invigorated, and the Heart Blood soothed. This is accomplished using very specific acupuncture points on the head, limbs and/or body, and oftentimes the ears, and sometimes herbal patent pills or a Chinese Herbal Decoction.

Insomnia The process of sleep is regulated by the Protective, or Wei Qi. During the daytime, the protective Qi flows through the Yang channels and wakefulness predominates. At night Wei Qi flows through the Yin channels and sleep follows. When there is a Yin weakness, the Yang becomes excessive and overflows into the Yin channels, creating an imbalance between Yin and Yang making sleep difficult or impossible. Treatment for insomnia involves nourishing the weak Yin to reestablish a balance between the Yin and Yang so that the protective Qi can flow properly through its channels.

Headache/Migraine The Yin Yang theory as it applies to Chinese Medicine diagnoses headaches as having external or internal causes. Headaches with an external origin typically have sudden onset and sometimes include cold or flu-like symptoms. Headaches with interior origins typically have slow onset and long duration and are caused by disturbance of the interior organs. Depending on the etiology, headaches with interior origins can characteristically feel like: stabbing pain, throbbing pain, heaviness of the head and can additionally include dizziness, tinnitus, fatigue, digestive disturbances, fullness of the chest and others. Because headaches can be complex in nature, careful diagnosis and treatment are key to successfully treating your headache.

Infertility Most fertility difficulties seen in clinic focus on treating women. Most often these women are attempting conception toward the end of the reproductive phase of their lives, and experience time consuming difficulties. Often there is no functional barrier to conception. Statistically, healthy women at the age or 25 years have on average, a 25% chance of conceiving each month they try, whereas a 40 year old woman on average has a 5% chance of successfully conceiving. It has been well demonstrated that Traditional Chinese Medicine using acupuncture, herbs and massage can significantly decrease the number of months required to achieve natural conception. The New England Journal of Medicine has reported that acupuncture can increase the chance for pregnancy by about 50%. When time is a factor, Chinese medicine can be especially important in these cases. Nils has a concentrated interest in treating difficulties in fertility in women. TCM treatments have been demonstrated to increase the number and quality of eggs and sperm, the incidence of successful fertilization, and have been shown to decrease blockages in the reproductive tract, positively effect hormonal imbalances, and reduce the inhibiting effects of stress. 

It is typical for a course of treatment to last from two to six months before the occurance of successful conception. Patients typically receive treatment six to eight or more times per month. And because during the course of a month, a woman's body goes through reproductive changes, so the treatment course adjusts for these differences in the cycle. Almost always, patients are asked to take herbs (Chinese Medicinal tea or "patent pills") two or three times everyday. This herbal formula will change during the progression of a woman's cycle. In some cases, it will be necessary for the patient to make changes in her lifestyle - most often when a woman leads a particularly demanding and stressful lifestyle (see below). 

Deep Abdominal Chinese Tui Na massage influenced by Mayan fertility and Japanese Hara massage may also be utilized to increase blood flow to the reproductive structures and minimize blockages. This type of treatment should be used for anyone who has had an abdominal surgery such as laparoscopy, Cesarean section or appendectomy to help reduce scar tissue blockage that may be obstructing the pathway between the ovaries and the uterus. Also if the patient is older with higher FSH levels there is evidence that this technique stimulates blood flow to areas such as the ovaries and uterus. 

Stress and Infertility  It has been widely demonstrated in both human and animal models that stressed individuals have a profoundly decreased chance for successful fertilization and full-term pregnancy. And more than ever, individuals attempting conception experience stress in their day to day lives from the challenges of work and responsibility, relationships or simply from concerns that they will not be successful at having a child. Chinese Medicine is particularly effective at reducing the chronic or acutely stressful state of mind. In a large federally funded study (Fertility and Sterility 2000, 73:805-11), it was demonstrated that women who were trying to conceive that participated in stress-reduction had a 55% "take home baby rate" compared to 20% in women who did not participate.

General Wellness Many healthy individuals as well as individuals with disease come to Chinese Medicine to help keep them healthy through constitutional diagnosis and treatment that focuses on keeping the body in balance, normalizing the body's Qi energy and strengthening the immune system. Often this preventative treatment will be coupled with a "tune-up" full-body tui-na Chinese massage, leaving the recipient balanced and relaxed. Tune-up treatments are a great way to keep your mind and body "tuned" and balanced. A typical balancing treatment takes an hour for the first interview and treatment, and about 45 minutes for follow up treatments. Add 45 minutes to an hour if you choose to include the "tune-up" massage.