Details of Services
All of our treatments are patient centered and based in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine. Our goal is to provide you with the highest level of care to make you feel better as quickly as possible.
Click on an interest below to see the details of how we can help.
- Arthritis
- Depression
- Digestive Disorders
- Headaches and Migraines
- Immune System Deficiency
- Infertility
- Insomnia
- Menopause and Hot Flashes
- Nutrition
- Pain Management and Muscle Spasm relief
- Smoking Cessation
- Stress Reduction
- Weight Loss
Arthritis
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Arthritis is a condition that causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. Each type of arthritis is characterized by joint and musculoskeletal pain, often the result of inflammation of the joint lining.
Acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis can ease the discomfort while waiting for surgical procedures to be performed and may even serve as an alternative to surgery. We treat knee osteoarthritis mainly with acupuncture and electro-acupuncture. After completion of the initial treatment sessions, single treatments can be scheduled whenever pain recurs.
Depression
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For many people with depression, one of the difficulties of living with depression is depending on anti-depressants. People with depression often suffer from poor sleeping habits, crying spells, anxiety, worry, poor memory, inability to concentrate, body aches and a lack of interest in activities previously enjoyed.
At Mission Viejo Acupuncture we don't recognize depression as a particular illness. We treat the specific symptoms that are unique to the person using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and energetic exercises to restore the imbalances found in the body.
Patients can experience relief in 3-6 visits. When patients with depression receive acupuncture, they generally experience a reduction of anxiety, improvement in symptoms of insomnia, as well as more energy, and over all well-being.
Digestive Disorders
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Constipation
Constipation is generally an infrequent, difficult and painful bowel movement. Some people also feel bloated, uncomfortable, and sluggish. We use acupuncture to effectively treat constipation. Within 3-6 treatments you should have more regular and softer bowel movements. -
Diarrhea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) has become synonymous with a digestive problem that Western medicine simply can't explain. Our treatment is designed at restoring harmony between the physical and psychological parts of our body, and bringing the body into state of balance. The treatment course for IBS is usually between 12-24 visits, once per week.
Headaches and Migraines
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Acupuncture is effective for both migraine and tension headaches. Careful evaluation is necessary to differentiate between these two conditions since the acupuncture treatment is different for each. Treatment and management of migraine is generally more complicated than tension headache. A series of treatments using an individually-designed approach to harmonize a person's unique physiological and emotional balance is essential for the long term success.
Immune System Deficiency
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Weaknesses in the immune system can set a person up for recurrent colds and flus, infections, and more serious conditions like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus, Mononucleosis (Mono), and host of other conditions.
Signs of a Depleted Immune System:
- Recurrent colds and flus
- Allergies year-around
- Severe fatigue including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Sinusitis
- Unexplained neurological symptoms
- Recurrent infections
Where you are in your cycle of illness will determine the immediate course of acupuncture treatment necessary. If you are currently sick, the symptoms of your illness will need to be sufficiently addressed before you can begin to address the underlying immune system issues. Later on, the focus of treatment can be shifted towards building the immune system.
Infertility
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As a complementary form of therapy for women undergoing other fertility treatments, acupuncture has been proven to be especially beneficial. Acupuncture also helps women stay more relaxed through stressful fertility treatments. In particular, studies have shown that acupuncture definitely increases the rate of pregnancy in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).
A German study done in 2002 showed that of the 80 women that underwent IVF and received acupuncture, 34 women got pregnant, a success rate of 42.5%.
Acupuncture can have an effect on sperm production and quality. A recent trial published in Fertility and Sterility has shown just how effective acupuncture can be in the treatment of this condition, leading to significant increases in the number of normal sperm and equally significant reductions in structural defects.
Insomnia
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The definition of insomnia, according to the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA), is difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Perhaps the most important point to realize about insomnia is that it is not a disease, but rather a symptom. This discomfort may arise from many different types of illnesses or conditions. In the majority of cases, underlying causes exist for the insomnia.
Insomnia may have a number of causes, including stress, depression or anxiety, irregular work schedules, medications, drugs or alcohol abuse, major life changes, chronic pain, hyperthyroidism or arthritis. Acupuncture and herbs for insomnia have high success rates with each insomnia symptom and can therefore treat insomnia at its root.
We combine acupuncture and herbal medicine for the treatment of insomnia. Each patient receives a customized treatment according to their signs and symptoms. Patients usually see improvement in their sleep after 5-10 treatments.
Menopause and Hot Flashes
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Menopause is the permanent cessation of menses and marks the end of the reproductive years. Although menopause is an event common to all women, each woman's menopausal experience is unique. Acupuncture and herbal medicine alleviate the symptoms of menopause by nourishing the essence within the body.
At Mission Viejo Acupuncture we use acupuncture and herbs to address hot flashes, irritability, night sweats and other menopausal symptoms. The principle of acupuncture is to strengthen and harmonize the individual's body, physically and emotionally. Acupuncture treatment can help regulate unstable hormone levels during menopause.
Nutrition
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We take great pride in helping our patients and making sure they obtain their health goals. All too often people are told that because their complaints do not fit into the customary medical framework there is really nothing wrong with them despite the fact they feel awful. We use acupuncture, nutrition and herbal medicine to keep people healthy so that they don't have to wait to have a named clinical condition. These treatment modalities can detect imbalances and correct imbalances long before they become an identifiable health crisis.
We find that patients who eat well for their body type and needs respond quicker to acupuncture treatments. Nutrition is an important foundation and if one doesn't eat well, often an acupuncture treatment is less effective. We believe nutrition is a key to physical health. We also believe that acupuncture helps with emotional health and facilitates the process of self-care. Each of these treatments has its individual merit of treating at a different level in addition to their synergistic effects. Most patients do a combination of nutrition and acupuncture as together they are very powerful modalities for healing.
Pain Management and Muscle Spasm Relief
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Neck and Shoulder Pain
Acupuncture can be a very effective solution when treating most neck and shoulder problems. Neck and shoulder muscle tension and stiffness are very common concerns, especially for people who work in an office. Sitting in front of a computer and typing for extensive periods of time causes a lack of circulation in the tissue and fatigue of the muscles involved. Neck stiffness can be also aggravated by other common reasons, many of which can be effectively treated with acupuncture. -
Muscle Spasms
Acupuncture can treat muscle spasms over the entire body. The treatment is very effective for spasms of the large muscles between the neck and the shoulder joint (the upper trapezius ) and the muscles between the shoulder blades. Muscle spasms of the low back also respond well to acupuncture.
Smoking Cessation
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If you are seeking out acupuncture for smoking cessation, you are probably highly motivated to quit smoking. The reasons for wanting to stop smoking are varied. The diseases associated with smoking are widely known. You have to be self-motivated. Every person who chooses acupuncture to quit smoking has a strong desire to quit now, rather than putting it off indefinitely.
The acupuncture program for smoking cessation consists of five to ten visits. Acupuncture can reduce the cravings and lessen the withdrawal symptoms associated with your efforts to quit smoking. You must stop smoking the night before your first acupuncture treatment. The acupuncture treatments for your quit smoking program are spaced out over three to four weeks, usually two treatments the first week, and then two treatments in the following two weeks. If you are having difficulty quitting, the program will be modified to fit your needs.
Stress Reduction
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Research has indicated that acupuncture can have a therapeutic value in the management of stress, anxiety, depression and associated health problems. After your initial consultation we will select the most appropriate treatment. The answer lies not only in eliminating the causes of stress, but also in managing the side effects of stress.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are very useful in the management of stress. Your lifestyle changes can help with the causes.
Weight Loss
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Acupuncture weight loss has no harmful side effects and no chance for addiction. It is a perfectly natural means of boosting your weight loss efforts. Acupuncture weight loss treatments need to be performed on a regular basis in order to be successful. However, we will educate you that the treatment on its own is not likely to be enough to result in long term, permanent weight loss.
Acupuncture is an ADJUNCT therapy. It is not a wonder cure or a magic bullet in the treatment of weight loss. But, acupuncture is effective in making it easier to lose and maintain that loss if you are willing to change your lifestyle.
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