Dear Patients!
Some exciting news….we are reopening the clinic the week of May 18th. 

Based on guidance we have received from a variety of professional and governmental agencies that include the CDC, OSHA, the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), the Oregon Association of Acupuncturists (OAA) and others, we will begin seeing patients in person at our office, performing evaluation, acupuncture and herbal medicine. To do this we will be implementing strict protocols to ensure the safety of ourselves and our patients. 

These protocols will include:

• A pre-screening phone call the day before your appointment to assess your health status.
• Seeing one patient at a time with no one waiting in the reception area.
• ​​Wait in your car outside of the clinic at the time of your appointment for a signal from us to come in that will be either a text, phone call or visual cue. 
• ​Our insurance underwriter is requiring an additional informed consent related to the coronavirus pandemic that will need to be signed by everyone being treated.
• A requirement that everyone wear a mask while they are in the clinic, this includes providers. Please bring your own mask.
• ​Patients must wash hands or use hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the clinic.
• We will take your temperature prior to treatment
• ​Personal items that do not fit in your pockets should be left in your car. Essential items such as coats, purses, etc. will be placed in a tote inside the treatment room.
• If you wake up the day of your appointment and don’t feel well, please cancel. There will be no late cancellation charges at this time.

What you can expect when you come to the office:

• All surfaces that our patients may come into contact with will be cleaned with disinfectant solution.
• Disposable barriers such as table paper and paper face cradle covers will be used in place of towels and linens.
• Consultation and evaluation will be done from a distance and/ or with minimal contact
• Payments and rescheduling will be completed in the treatment room with minimal to no contact with payment devices.

As healthcare providers, the well-being of our patients is our top priority. We recognize that this is a uniquely unprecedented and challenging time for everyone and that information and attitudes about the pandemic are variable. It is with this in mind that we are implementing these protocols and procedures. We feel that they represent a “best practices” approach, based on the current scientific understanding of the coronavirus and it’s transmission. We greatly appreciate your trust and support in following them.

Please get in touch via phone, email or text if you would like to schedule an appointment. Because we will be operating on a more limited schedule, we will be giving preference to current and established patients first. There may be a waiting list, so we ask for your patience during this time of transition. Get in touch with any questions or concerns that you may have. We look forward to seeing you!

Best Regards,

Rob Mills and Emden Griffin

Hello, we have been busy setting up our home office to better serve you! We are available by phone, email or video chat to answer any questions you may have during this time. If you are currently taking herbal medicine prescribed by us, we will still be in touch regularly to check in. Arrangements can be made for you to pick up herbs at our office, from our home or we can mail them to you. We will continue to be in touch as things evolve but please don't hesitate to reach out in the meantime. Take care and we look forward to hearing from you!
Rob Mills, L.Ac. & Emden Griffin, L.Ac.

Rob Mills, L.Ac. & Emden Griffin, L.Ac. of Bend Community Acupuncture, LLC have been providing affordable and effective acupuncture to the community for over 13 years! And did you know that we offer herbal medicine as well? We utilize the finest patent and custom formulas available from trusted companies like Mayway, Blue Poppy, Golden Cabinet, Dr. Dave’s and many more. All of the herbs we use are rigorously tested to ensure potency and purity. Give us a call today and find out how we can help you feel better!

The best way to understand the difference between the modalities of acupuncture and herbal medicine is to focus on how each one influences or balances Qi. 

Acupuncture works in the same way that a teacher or coach works; it provides instructions and cues as to how Qi should change, but it does not do the work directly. Instead, the body balances itself based on the instructions or encouragement that it is given. And just like working with a good teacher or coach, one becomes more familiar with how change is supposed to happen and more capable of creating change over time.

Herbs, on the other hand, have a direct influence on physiology and actually do something to create a change. That change lasts as long as the herbal remedy is in one’s system. Over time, changes can become more lasting.

Acupuncture by itself can do many of the same things that herbal medicine can do. It often has to be received several times a week to make this kind of impact. This can make it cost prohibitive for many people. In comparison, herbal medicine can often influence change on a daily basis and can be more cost effective. Greater results can be seen if both are done concurrently for at least the first couple of weeks of treatment.

If treatment is not appropriate, acupuncture has very few if any lasting side effects. Where as herbal medicine can have side effects that are more pronounced and longer lasting. Both modalities are very safe when compared to pharmaceuticals.

A good practitioner of acupuncture and herbal medicine can guide you to an appropriate course of treatment.

Under the broad umbrella of Chinese medicine there are a handful of treatment modalities that a practitioner can utilize to treat disease. Among them are the two most prominent which are acupuncture and Chinese herbs. In this two part post, we will first explain each one and then provide some context for how each is used and why.

First an overview of the energetics involved in Chinese medicine...

The human body is seen as a holistic being, meaning that all of it’s various systems are part of a greater whole that must be energetically and physically balanced to achieve maximum health and prevent disease.

Energetic balance can be defined as the relative balance of Qi (pronounced ‘chee’) throughout the body. Qi is the “life force” that flows freely within us. It animates us, protects us from illness, pain and disharmony. Our health is determined by the quality, abundance, availability and balance of our Qi.

Qi moves through the body via pathways called meridians or channels that connect the organs and glands to the rest of the body. Meridians can be compared to rivers or stream-flows that must be abundant and free from blockage to maintain health.

ACUPUNCTURE

Practitioners can use acupuncture to restore the free-flow of Qi. Acupuncture involves the insertion of thin, sterile needles into specific points along the meridians. Stimulation of these points can restore the balance of energy in the body, allowing it to overcome disease.

HERBS

Herbs are another means of balancing Qi. Over the past 2-3 millennia, scholars, physicians and farmers in China have harvested, cultivated, energetically categorized and become proficient at formulating herbs to treat disease. The Qi of each plant was recognized as having specific effects on human health and disease by way of it’s taste and temperature. Using the same theories as acupuncture to diagnosis energetic imbalance, an herbalist would prescribe a formula of herbs to address that imbalance and bring the body back into health. Modern science has confirmed that each plant or herb does have specific energetics which can be described by the active constituents found in that herb. 

​Next time we will compare and contrast these two different modalities.

The de facto standard of education for acupuncturists these days is a Master's degree...And many choose to pursue their doctorate.

There is a rigorous national board examination that has to be passed before an acupuncturist can apply for licensure...
And acupuncturists must complete 60 hours of continuing education every four years to maintain their license.

Acupuncturists in the state of Oregon are licensed by the medical board…This is the same board that licenses physicians.

Most acupuncturists have a general practice and see patients for many of the same things that doctors do….
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be either a complement or an alternative to western medicine.

Ultimately, the measure of a good acupuncturist can be based on the clinical results they achieve for their patients. If one is trying to choose an acupuncturist or has just begun seeing one, then what indicators can one look for to decide if the practitioner they are considering is any good?

•Have they completed any advanced training beyond their schooling and clinical training? Extended and focused study in a particular style under a master acupuncturist is a good indicator that someone has made an effort to become a better practitioner. 150-200 hours of such training is a minimum to achieve any competence in an individual style, where 350-500 hours is even better.

•The ability to provide a traditional diagnosis based on the theories of Chinese medicine and a comprehensive treatment plan after the first or second visit, is a very positive sign that a practitioner has a good understanding of one’s disease pattern and what would be involved in treating it. 

•Can they achieve noticeable and meaningful change in one’s symptoms in 4-6 treatments or less? This doesn’t mean a cure should be expected in that time, but improvement in one’s main complaint should be obvious in a short period of time. This should provide confidence that a practitioner has the understanding and competence to successfully treat one’s condition.

•The fewer needles the better. The use of less than 4 or 5 points, (8-10 bilaterally) is a sign that a practitioner has a good understanding of the properties of individual points and that they have confidence in their treatment approach.

The above points are a great starting place to finding a good practitioner or to evaluate the acupuncturist you currently see, but in the end, results are what count!

Many people don’t realize that there are many different styles of acupuncture out there. In fact, there are almost as many different styles as there are practitioners who offer them; similar to the variety of cuisine offered in restaurants where each chef prepares the food just a little bit differently. 

Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, German and even American styles of acupuncture are common. Under those broad headings, individual styles include: Five Element, Meridian Therapy, Traditional Chinese medicine and Classical Chinese medicine just to name a few. Then there are the myriad of systems based on and named after famous practitioners like: Kiiko Matsumoto style, Tung style, Tan style and Worsley style. When we add in the preferences each individual practitioner has when studying and implementing these styles it is easy to see just how varied the offerings of acupuncture really are.

There are no “right” or “wrong” styles, only good and better practitioners and just like with cuisine, the goal is to give the customer exactly the type of experience they are looking for, namely relief from their symptoms. Clinical results are always the best measure of whether a particular style is being performed appropriately.

Coming next week: How to tell if an acupuncturist is any good
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Have a great week! :)