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:
The foregoing list is absolute concerning acupuncture's effectiveness; however the report continues with three more categories:
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:
I started seeing Pamela for headache treatment. For the past 10 years, I have had tension headaches with migraine-like symptoms that Pamela was easily able to prevent with gua sha. As she and I worked together, we discussed my desire to have children. My husband and I had been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for 7 months. Pamela started performing fertility acupuncture treatments and eventually started me on a course of herbs. Within two to three months of starting the herb concoctions, I became pregnant with our son.