FAQs

Office visits are by appointment. You may schedule an appointment via online scheduling.

First visits are approximately 90-120 minutes, while sessions thereafter are usually an hour. The length of a treatment course varies according to the Meridian system, the individual and the condition. After a course of treatment is completed, the practitioner and patient re-evaluate to see whether the condition has resolved or another treatment course is advised. Many people feel a considerable effect in 1-3 treatments, which tells us we are moving in the right direction, and acute conditions may resolve completely within a few treatments. Chronic conditions require consistent therapy over a period of time.

Don’t brush your tongue on the day of your treatment, since the tongue coat is part of the diagnostics. Wear comfortable clothing that can easily pull up to the elbows or knees. Thank you for leaving off fragrant lotions, cologne or perfume.

Adapting quickly to change is a sign of wellness. Quarterly appointments for a check-up assist your ability to adapt to new weather and temperature. By the same measure, treatments can support transitions across time zones (jet lag), changes in life (puberty, menopause, moving to a new job or city), and unforeseen change (loss).

Acupuncture treats a wide variety of conditions, as Chinese medical doctors have used this modality to treat most human conditions for thousands of years. The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a review of clinical acupuncture trials and categorized the results in a special report. Here is an excerpt by John Amaro from the article, “What Conditions Does Acupuncture Treat (According to the World Health Organization)?” in Acupuncture Today, October 2004, Vol. 05, Issue 10:

WHO has listed the following symptoms, diseases and conditions that have been shown through controlled trials to be treated effectively by acupuncture:

  • low back pain
  • neck pain
  • sciatica
  • tennis elbow
  • knee pain
  • periarthritis of the shoulder
  • sprains
  • facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
  • headache
  • dental pain
  • tempromandibular (TMJ) dysfunction
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • induction of labor
  • correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation)
  • morning sickness
  • nausea and vomiting
  • postoperative pain
  • stroke
  • essential hypertension
  • primary hypotension
  • renal colic
  • leucopenia
  • adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy
  • allergic rhinitis, including hay fever
  • biliary colic
  • depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
  • acute bacillary dysentery
  • primary dysmenorrhea
  • acute epigastralgia
  • peptic ulcer
  • acute and chronic gastritis

The foregoing list is absolute concerning acupuncture's effectiveness; however the report continues with three more categories:

  1. Diseases, symptoms and conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown, but further proof is needed (68 specific conditions). These conditions are effectively treated as in the first category; it's just that more trials are necessary to establish the proof scientifically.
  2. Diseases, symptoms and conditions reporting some therapeutic effects for which acupuncture is worth trying (nine conditions).
  3. Diseases, symptoms and conditions in which acupuncture may be tried, provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment (eight conditions).

Most people find that acupuncture is very gentle and relaxing. Acupuncture needles are thinner than a hair, and insertion may cause no pain or simply feel like a quick “little pinch,” as a 7-year old patient once said.

Full Well Acupuncture operates in compliance with Federal and OSHA regulations for patient and practitioner safety and uses sterile, disposable single-use needles for each patient. Pamela is a highly trained acupuncturist with more than 1,400 hours of formal clinical training and 2,400 hours of coursework at the Masters and Doctoral levels. She is licensed to practice from the state of New Mexico and the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and has a second board certification from the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine.

Full Well Acupuncture ensures the highest quality standards in all herbal inventory. The herbs are GMP-certified (Good Manufacturing Process) and screened for heavy metals and pesticides to ensure patient safety. The following companies meet the high standards: Legendary Herbs (www.legendaryherbs.com) provides the ‘granular’ herbs (made from dehydrated decoctions) that are mixed with hot water and drunk as a tea. Golden Flower (www.gfcherbs.com) is an Albuquerque-based, practitioner-founded company with its own formulations based on classical recipes in an extra-concentrated tablet. Evergreen (www.evherbs.com) and Mayway (www.mayway.com) provide Plum Flower ‘teapills’ (teas in pill form) that are based on classic formulas. Conceivable (www.conceivable.com) offers herbal tinctures, which are specifically designed for fertility, but may be applicable for other conditions.

For more information about these products, please see: 

Testimonial

Full Well Santa Fe

The first time I did acupuncture, was because of a spider bite. It was swollen, it hurt, and it was really itching. I was a little bit scared of the needles, but once Pamela did them, I understood that they weren’t very bad and that they helped, it stopped getting swollen, the redness went away, and it felt a lot better.