Acupuncture

View and Print Acupuncture Intake Packet PDF

Acupuncture is remarkable for its ability to return the body to a state of balance, whether by calming the spirit, clarifying the mind or relaxing the body. At Open City I see this every day.

Sleep improves, energy returns, mental fog lifts. Sometimes the change is very specific and measurable – for example in the relief of muscular pain, asthmatic breathing or migraines, and sometimes it is more subtle. Many times patients return to me at the suggestion of a partner who says “Go see Laura. You do better when you are seeing her.”

Acupuncture as a system depends on the fact that in the body, everything is connected. The muscles of the body are woven together in a richly multidimensional structure. We treat the back of the skull and see the achilles tendon relax. We treat the shoulder and see the gluteus maximus release. As the body responds, the mind and spirit follow. Understanding the pathways of the meridians gives the acupuncturist a map of the body, and many ways to design an effective treatment. It may seem mysterious in some ways, but it is no more mysterious than the way everything is connected.
Used regularly, acupuncture improves a person’s ability to cope with stress and strengthens the immune system. How acupuncture works, despite all kinds of research, remains a subject of debate. That acupuncture is useful is clear. And that it happens in the context of a relationship between the practitioner and the patient is also very clear. I look forward to getting to know you as you come in for care.

Fees

Initial Acupuncture appointment: $123

Acupuncture treatment: $103

There is a $3 discount for payments in cash or check.

Call (215) 545-7040 for a free consultation.

Conditions Treated

Muscular & Neurological Pain

Arthritis
Back Pain
Neck Pain
Bell’s Palsy
Tendonitis
Bursitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Migraine
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Multiple Sclerosis
Plantar Fascitis
Sciatica
TMJ
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Complex Pain Disorder

Internal Conditions

Hypertension
Thyroid Imbalance
Indigestion
Chronic Fatigue

Mental & Emotional Issues

Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Insomnia

Immune System Support

Allergies
Asthma
Colitis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Frequent Colds & Flu
Sinusitus
Hepatitis
HIV/AIDS

Reproductive Health

Infertility
Menstrual Disorders
Morning Sickness
PMS
Prostatis
Vulvadynia

Acupuncture Case Studies

Case 1 – Branch Treatment Acupuncture

A man came to see me complaining of severe pain from chronic tendonitis in his elbow. He had been suffering from it for over two years. The pain disrupted his sleep and he was no longer able to play golf.

I tested a series of points in the patient’s knee while asking him to extend and flex his painful elbow and report the degree of relief experienced. At the points on his knee where my pressure caused the greatest relief in his elbow, I inserted thin, sterile needles. He was surprised and relieved that I did not treat his painful elbow directly.

Within 3 to 4 treatments he was relieved of his pain and returned to playing golf and sleeping through the night. I also included some points to address the patient’s adrenal system, which had been depleted by chronic pain and poor sleep. This is a good example of a branch treatment, the efficient return to well-being of a generally healthy man. In this case, injury to the patient’s elbow caused the tendonitis rather than the tendonitis arising from an underlying imbalance.

Case 2 – Root Treatment Acupuncture

A woman came to see me with the goal of addressing the migraines she experienced with her periods. In her intake she mentioned significant bursitis in her hip and severe neck pain from an old injury, a complex pain disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. My examination revealed a strong tendency toward inflammation, and my initial treatments addressed this root cause of her various symptoms. In the first month of weekly treatments, which the patient followed up with home care, her migraines diminished, her bursitis disappeared and her neck pain began to improve significantly. When the body returns to balance, this is what we would expect to happen, but it is always exciting to see.

For the remaining neck pain, I treated a series of points along relevant acupuncture pathways. I also treated points around a poorly healed scar along one pathway. In 8 to 10 further treatments the patient experienced complete and ongoing relief of this complex pain disorder that had lasted for over ten years. She recently returned from a long camping trip and said she had no pain despite roughing it. Through root treatment we inspire the body to correct imbalances which are causing a variety of symptoms.

Testimonials

Laura Hawley is amazing. I have been attending Open City Healing Arts for over a year now. I first came with lower back pain – and after my first visit, I felt a difference. My pain did not disappear immediately, but what I did experience was an amazing sense of calm and a zen-like feeling that I could cope with anything that was thrown my way. In the year that has followed, being treated by Laura has resulted in many fewer relapses of my back pain and an ongoing ability to stay calm in the face of crises! The treatment is gentle but extremely effective – and I always have a great laugh with Laura who has a fantastic sense of humour.
-Leonie Rynn

Laura was my first experience with acupuncture and I couldn’t be happier. She is truly a wise woman and healer. She has been able to help me with my uterine fibroids as well as daily stresses like street harassment. I thought periods were supposed to be painful and miserable before coming to her!
Laura explains all the treatments before you receive them and takes the time to have a chat before your appointment. It is a back/forth and collaborative experience that put me in charge of my own healthcare. I found it to be an empowering alternative to my experience with Western medicine. I have never floated out of a doctor’s office but I float out of Open City Arts every week.
-Aylor Brown