Dawn uses high-quality, ultra-thin acupuncture needles and has a very gentle technique. Typically, people are surprised by how little needle sensation they feel during their acupuncture session and how relaxed they are. Some feel absolutely nothing.

Acupuncture needles are not like the hypodermic needles used to draw blood or give injections. Acupuncture needles are filiform, sterile stainless steel single use needles that are thin like a strand of human hair. As many as thin 40 acupuncture needles can fit inside of a hypodermic needle!

Statistically, acupuncture is a safe treatment with rare complications. Dawn is certified in Clean Needle Technique and uses only sterile, single-use acupuncture needles that are properly disposed of.

Dawn has been an RN for over three decades and knows how to safely needle the human body due to her in-depth knowledge of your body’s anatomy.

The National Institute for Health (NIH) consensus panel stated that “adverse side effects of acupuncture are extremely low and often lower than conventional treatments.” They also stated: “the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs or other accepted medical procedures used for the same condition. 

An initial visit lasts about an 1 ½ hours and includes a thorough medical history and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) assessments, such as looking at your tongue and feeling the quality of your pulse, to make a TCM diagnosis. In contrast to other medical providers, Dawn considers herself a “Holistic Detective”, looking deep and holistically for the hidden causes and relationships of your symptoms and disease diagnosis.

Hydrate by drinking a good amount of water before your treatment, and don’t come hungry. A light meal or snack an hour or two before your session is best.

Also, wear or bring with you, loose, comfortable clothing that give access to your arms and legs.

Your privacy, modesty and comfort will be maintained at all times.

Acupuncture is a process. It is very rare that a problem can be resolved in one treatment. In China, where they practice socialized medicine, a typical protocol for any chronic condition is acupuncture is every other day for three months!

Our patients hardly ever need that many treatments, but because acupuncture treatments build off one another, cumulatively, virtually everyone requires a course of treatment to get their desired outcome from their acupuncture sessions.

On your first visit, Dawn will suggest a course of treatment, which can be anything from once a week for six weeks, to every two days for a week. This suggestion is based on Dawn’s experience with treating your condition. If you don’t come in often enough or long enough, you may not achieve the full benefits. 

When symptoms resolve and stay away, most people end up coming once a month or every two months, for a “tune up”.

Most health insurance plans cover at least a portion of acupuncture for people who use in-network providers. We at Common Sense Healing are not signed up as an in-network provider with insurance plans. As out-of-network providers, you pay us for your services, and we can provide you with an invoice to request reimbursement of the money you paid us. Benefits vary, so we recommend you call your health insurance provider and find out what benefits you are entitled to.