Balance Method Acupuncture: Balance Method Acupuncture is an advanced system of Acupuncture that is over 2500 years old.  Its foundations are based upon the philosophies of the Ba Gua, an eastern philosophy based upon mathematics; and the I Ching, one of the oldest books in the world that utilizes the Ba Gua philosophy.  The concepts introduced by the I Ching & Ba Gua philosophy allow mathematical systems to be fully integrated into our view of reality.  Balance Method Acupuncture is also known as, I Ching Acupuncture, Distal Acupuncture, & Dr. Tan Style Acupuncture.  Oriental medicine is based on an energetic model rather than the bio-chemical model of Western medicine. Consequently, this energetic model relies on a check and balance system to keep the body in optimum health. Each one of the body’s organs and corresponding channel or meridian is connected to others via a complex network of inter-relationships. Utilizing the knowledge of these relationships, your practitioner of Oriental medicine is able to achieve stronger, more effective treatments using either acupuncture, herbal medicine or both.

What makes Balance Method Acupuncture unique is that it provides the following:
A sense of Balance in your life.
85% success rate through a series of treatments.  
Individual specific attention to your problem.
Needling done on Arms, Legs, & Head.
Patient remains fully clothed.
Faster overall recovery times.
Pain relief within seconds of needle insertion.

Japanese Acupuncture: is a highly refined form of acupuncture that was developed by blind acupuncturists in Japan.  Compared to Chinese style Acupuncture, the needles are smaller & finer and thus less ‘pain’ is often experienced.  The needles are also inserted a lot shallower, often only a few millimeters into the skin if inserted at all.  The “de qi” sensation is often much milder, if experienced at all in comparison to Chinese style needling.  In Japanese Acupuncture it is more important for the practitioner to feel the sensation at the point then the patient.  Touch is very important in both diagnostics and treatment in the Japanese Style.  The pulse is taken on both wrists, the abdomen may be palpated and the channels of the body are palpated for diagnostics and for locating the proper points for your treatment. 

Orthopedic Acupuncture: is a more local direct treatment. Muscles are assessed for where the pain, dysfunction and injury are located. Needles are inserted often into motor points for the muscle which can sometimes elicit a muscle twitch sensation. There can be some similarities between orthopedic acupuncture and what is called dry needling in other professions. The purpose of local orthopedic acupuncture is to help reset the muscles and get them firing correctly. Sometimes electro-stimulation is hooked up to the needles to speed up healing and increase stimulation in the muscle.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Chinese Herbal Medicine is one of the great herbal systems of the world, with an unbroken tradition going back to the 3rd century BC.  Yet throughout its history it has continually developed in response to changing clinical conditions, and has been sustained by research into every aspect of its use. This process continues today with the development of modern medical diagnostic techniques and knowledge.  
Chinese Herbal Medicine, along with the other components of Chinese medicine, is based on the concepts of Yin and Yang. It aims to understand and treat the many ways in which the fundamental balance and harmony between the two may be undermined and the ways in which a person's Qi or vitality may be depleted or blocked. Clinical strategies are based upon diagnosis of patterns of signs and symptoms that reflect an imbalance.
There is a growing body of research which indicates that traditional uses of plant remedies and the known pharmacological activity of plant constituents often coincide. However, herbal medicine is distinct from medicine based on pharmaceutical drugs. Firstly, because of the complexity of plant materials it is far more balanced than medicine based on isolated active ingredients and is far less likely to cause side-effects. Secondly, because herbs are typically prescribed in combination, the different components of a formulae balance each other, and they undergo a mutual synergy which increases efficacy and enhances safety. Thirdly, herbal medicine seeks primarily to correct internal imbalances rather than to treat symptoms alone, and therapeutic intervention is designed to encourage this self-healing process.

Moxibustion: a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort (moxa), a small, spongy herb, to facilitate healing. There are two types of moxibustion: direct and indirect. In direct moxibustion, a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. The patient will experience a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin, but should not experience any pain, blistering or scarring unless the moxa is left in place for too long. In indirect moxibustion, a practitioner lights one end of a moxa stick, roughly the shape and size of a cigar, and holds it close to the area being treated for several minutes until the area turns red. Another form of indirect moxibustion uses both acupuncture needles and moxa.

Dietary Therapy: In Traditional Chinese medicine proper diet is an important component of health. All foods are categorized into temperature, from hot to cold and flavor, pungent, spicy, sweet, sour and salty. Different temperatures and flavors of food influence the body in specific ways. One should try to include all flavors and a balance of temperatures in every meal. If too much of one type of food is consumed it can create an imbalance with in the body.  In chinese medicine food is the number one form of medicine & healthcare.