Ms. Ellen D. Leonard, L.AC.

When I begin treating someone for any ailment - whether physical or emotional, I see them twice a week until the symptoms go down and stay down between treatments. Then I go into maintenance at once a week until those treatments hold, then once every two weeks, and so on. Once every few months is simply a tune up after the anxiety is taken care of, not a treatment schedule.

I have to tell you that emotional issues are my favorite thing to treat because acupuncture works so well. And in the case of stress, the acupuncture will not only help you feel calmer, but it will also be addressing the physical responses your body is producing as a result of the mental stress. So yes, don't walk, run to your nearest practitioner and start feeling better today!

Just be sure that you don't go hungry, stoned, or drunk as these things can adversely affect your response to acupuncture. Also, of course you want to be freshly showered, and wear loose pants or a skirt and a top so they can easily get to your back and legs. Otherwise, don't plan on doing anything strenuous after treatment as you will be very relaxed and your qi will be flowing well. You don't want to stop that with vigorous exercise or work.

Enjoy your treatment and be ready to feel fabulous!!

I don't believe a child can be too young for acupuncture. I have treated babies, so 9 years old is certainly old enough. Try to find someone who has treated children. Those who have have many techniques and tools so there is no discomfort at all for the kids. I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old patient, both of whom ask to be brought to see Dr. Ellen when they're not feeling well.

I have treated patients in the past to help them reach a healthy weight. Most acupuncturists should be able to help you and give you counseling on diet and herbs.

No, I'm afraid acupuncture can't decrease your body weight. It can help you not feel as hungry, and your acupuncturist should be able to give you nutritional counseling. When my patients come in for weight loss, I start them off with Isagenix's two-day detox cleanse, and then we talk about diet. Most of the time, people have the symptoms of gluten intolerance, and once they're off the gluten, the weight just falls away. And things with hidden sugars and complex carbs can be sabotaging your efforts, having someone sit down and shine a light on the hidden stuff can be very helpful. Also, keep in mind that muscle is heavier than fat, so pay more attention to your measurements than the scales; they can be misleading.

Good luck!

Acupuncture can most definitely help with both your stress and the fibromyalgia. In addition to the acupuncture, since fibro is an autoimmune disease, it would behoove you to consider removing gluten from your diet. You might be surprised at how much better you feel!

Good luck!

Sure. Acupuncture works by balancing the body's energies so everything can work as it should. So acupuncture could possibly help level out your thyroid so that it works more effectively. Sometimes people are able to lower their medications, so work closely with your doctor after getting treatments.

Cupping is a way to remove excesses and stagnation from the body, so it can help with pain. I've not heard of it working to help focus the mind, though acupuncture itself can certainly have that effect.

No, acupuncture has been used as the sole medical treatment for thousands of years and billions of people. Its approach to the human body is based on energy, not mechanics, and it's about balancing and then letting the body heal itself, not trying to overpower its mechanisms. So actually, the fewer medicines you are taking, the easier it is to get results with acupuncture.

Absolutely! And your acupuncturist will probably have herbal formulas that will bring great relief in the short term. But the acupuncture will balance your systems and organs to address the cause so you don't have the pain in the first place.

Yes, I treat chronic fatigue syndrome all the time. Acupuncture can help a great deal. But I find that the real clincher is getting off of gluten. Chronic fatigue is thought to be part of the array of autoimmune diseases, and gluten is one of the biggest triggers for the autoimmune response. So I would suggest you eliminate it from your diet completely (even a gram will cause the response), for at least a month and see how you feel.

It depends on what kind of acupuncture you have done. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture use bigger needles and are looking for a strong sensation - some call it a heaviness, some a painful sensation. Japanese style needles are much smaller and don't go in very far and are barely felt if at all. Having said that, a lot of TCM practitioners now use Japanese needles so the sensation is very light.

I treat very young children (I am a Japanese practitioner), and they ask to come back to see me, so you know it's not hurting them. So check with whoever you want to see and ask what style they use.

You betcha. It's usually pretty easy to treat.

There are many ways to treat people who want to quit smoking with acupuncture. I use a 3-week protocol where I have people come in every day for ear acupuncture, and I give them herbal forumulas, as well. I had someone say that it changed the desire for a cigarette from filet mignon to hamburger. It helps you get through the detox/withdrawal period, but after that, it's still up to you.

Yes, I treat a lot of people for digestive disorders. The most common cause is gluten intolerance, but I see many other causes, and between dietary changes, herbs, and the acupuncture, we can usually get things under control and your life back on track.

Good luck!

Hi,

Yes, acupuncture can treat and help arthritis. And they are likely to also have herbal formulas that can help a great deal, as well. But I practice functional medicine, which means I'm always looking for the cause of any ailment. Yours may be because of overuse, but the top cause of arthritis that I've seen in my practice is gluten intolerance. So, especially if you have arthritis in other joints besides your knees, you might want to think about going gluten free, as well. Regardless, I would encourage you to find an acupuncturist who has had success treating arthritis. A few phone calls should give you the information you need.

Good luck!

Yes, there are acupuncturists out there who can help you with that. You'll probably want to call around and ask them if they know how to treat it.

Yes and no. Yes, there are acupuncture points in the ears that can help with compulsive eating. But most of the patients I see need to do other things, as well.

I always start with the two-day detox cleanse from Isagenix to rid the body of the fat that's been surrounding the extraneous toxins that are floating around in our bodies that the liver couldn't handle.

And then we talk about diet. I don't believe in "going on a diet" because we always fall off of them. But there are usually things that you can eliminate that will naturally bring your weight back into line, like processed sugars and carbs.

We also talk about thyroid function and get levels checked.

And of course we talk about the necessity of exercise, not only to maintain healthy body weight, but for stress reduction and blood pressure control, as well. I like the 30 minute workouts that you can get at many gyms. They consist of a set of machines that will work out every major muscle group, are fast and mindless, and can therefore be snuck into a busy schedule 3 to 4 times a week.

As we age, our metabolisms slow down making losing weight even harder. Having a healthy gut and using supplements like probiotics and food enzymes can also make a huge difference, not only in our ability to properly digest and use the food we eat, but also in our immunity to sickness.

It's all part of the web that is our body, each part connected to and affected by all the others. So most problems don't have just one solution. It's a "community" effort.

Don't give up!!

I have had a lot of success treating eczema with acupuncture, but what seems to help the most is getting off gluten. So many people have an intolerance to the genetically engineered grains and it can lead to almost all of the common diseases we face in our society today, eczema being a very common one.