Acupuncture Pittsburgh
Acupuncture is a therapeutic modality that has stood the test of time due to its low risk and clinical effectiveness.
Using one's body mechanics, needle stimuli reset the body back to a state of health. At IHG, we maximize what acupuncture can provide by using a range of effective techniques.
Healing Through Acupuncture
We draw from multiple styles of acupuncture to best support each patient's treatment goals.
Sports Medicine Acupuncture
Sports Medicine Acupuncture uses specialized techniques to improve neuromuscular function, restore more efficient muscle activation, and support recovery and performance.
Neurofunctional Acupuncture
Neurofunctional acupuncture uses electrical stimulation with acupuncture needles to decrease pain signaling and produce an analgesic effect through the nervous system, partly by activating the body’s own pain-relieving opioids in the spinal cord and brain, while also helping restore normal communication and function between nerves and muscles.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture
While acupuncture continues to evolve with modern science, its spirit and tradition remain as powerful and transformative today as they were centuries ago, guiding the body's innate healing process with both insight and reverence.
- Musculoskeletal Pain
- Spine and Disc Pain
- Post-Surgical Pain
- Radicular Pain
- Tendinopathy
- Paresthesia
- Headaches
- Fertility
- General Health
Your Guide to Booking
At our practice, we understand that every individual has unique health needs. To help make our treatments both effective and accessible, IHG offers both self-pay and health insurance to support your journey to better health.
Invest in Your Health
Adopting a broader approach to healthcare aims to address not just your immediate well-being but your fundamental health trajectory over a sustained period. Investing in your health today establishes a strong foundation for lifelong resilience, producing lasting changes that compound over time. This proactive investment ensures peak performance and function throughout all life domains, ensuring continued vitality for years to come.
Your Coverage, Our Care
Upload Insurance Benefits
All insurance patients must add insurance information on file prior to booking.
Await Confirmation
Allow up to 24 hours to receive an email notification to proceed with online booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Acupuncture has been most recognized for the following therapeutic responses:
Stress reduction
Anti-inflammatory response
Accelerates tissue healing
Pain relief
Changing our body functions is cumulative and happens over time. Acupuncture treatments equip you with a therapeutic tool to incorporate into your lifestyle to promote the longevity of your health by stimulating your natural ability to self-regulate and heal.
The NIH states, "Results from a number of studies suggest that acupuncture may help ease types of pain that are often chronic, such as low-back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis/knee pain, tension headaches and prevent migraine headaches. Therefore, acupuncture appears to be a reasonable option for people with chronic pain to consider."
Acupuncture has been identified to treat a wide variety of conditions and strengthen our overall response to ongoing stressors. Depending on your condition, Acupuncture may be used as a stand-alone or adjunct therapy along with primary care and or other therapeutic interventions.
On occasion, as the body is adjusting and becoming healthier, side effects may include fatigue, soreness, dizziness, and emotional release. Typically, this lasts 24 hours. Yes, acupuncture is safe when performed by a qualified and licensed practitioner. Board-certified licensed acupuncturists adhere to the highest standards of professional conduct to ensure the safety and efficacy of your treatment. Acupuncture is generally not painful. Patients may feel a slight sensation when the needles are inserted, but this is typically not painful.
It is recommended to wait and do acupuncture if you have the following:
1. Blood pressure higher than 160
2. In the midst of a health crisis
3. Under the influence of drugs and alcohol
4. Feeling sick or excessively tired
All cautions such as age, cancer, pregnancy, chronic diseases, blood thinners, surgeries, medications, are considered, and the treatment is adjusted accordingly.
Acupuncture jump-starts our self-healing ability by delivering precise mechanical signaling in the body that induces a physiological response. Acupuncture needle stimuli promote the release of endorphins and blood flow, move lymph, boost homeostasis, and improve the integrity of tissues. Research has found some acupuncture treatments to produce an analgesic effect (decrease pain) mediated partly by endogenous opioids in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and spinal cord.
The central mechanism behind acupuncture needling is it helps to normalize and balance the way our body functions by stimulating the part of the brain that controls several systems, such as the musculoskeletal, nervous, endocrine, immune, and cardiovascular systems. Research shows that the brain and spinal cord react positively to acupuncture stimulation, which induces systemic benefits.
Clinical evidence shows that acupuncture stimulation normalizes the activities of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems to restore optimal homeostasis, a state of balance among all the body systems needed for the body to survive and function correctly.
It is recommended to have something light to eat 1-2 hours before getting treated.
After an acupuncture session, you may feel relaxed or energized. You may feel some soreness, similar to working out. For some, there is instant relief; for others, improvements are more noticeable as the days progress. In the first 48 hours, the body is adjusting the most; it's recommended to take it easy. Drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of rest can help maximize acupuncture's benefits.
Acupuncture during pregnancy should be performed by a qualified, licensed practitioner with experience in treating pregnant patients. With a high success rate in assisting with IUI, IVF, and natural conception, IHG provides care that optimizes fertility while ensuring safety throughout pregnancy.