Acupuncture

Choice Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
When it comes to your health, you do have a choice.

Frequently Asked Questions About Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture/oriental medicine focuses on gently helping your body heal itself (rather than merely suppressing the symptoms) without the harmful side effects that often accompany stronger western therapies like pharmaceuticals or surgery. When it comes to your health, you do have other choices.

How Does Acupuncture Work? Does it Hurt?

Sterile, single-use, stainless steel, acupuncture needles are about the width of a hair and about an inch long (very different from the needle used to draw blood at your doctor’s office). Most people feel a quick prick or nothing at all when the needle is inserted at specific acupoints on the body and, occasionally, a mild heavy, electric, or numb sensation after insertion. This feeling is called the “arrival of qi.” Qi, or energy, is constantly circulating in meridian pathways in our bodies. Recently, these meridians have been visualized using infrared imaging technology. When the smooth flow of qi gets disrupted or “stuck” due to emotional things like stress or anger or physical things like trauma or overeating, disease or pain can follow. Inserting the tiny needles into the acupuncture meridians can aid the smooth flow of qi and blood circulation, restoring the body’s homeostasis.

What Conditions can Acupuncture Help?

Not only does acupuncture/oriental medicine aid overall well-being by boosting immunity and preventing illness, but it can also be effective for a number of common health conditions including:

Headaches
Acute/chronic neck/back pain
Weight loss
Smoking cessation
Insomnia & sleep disorders
Women’s health & infertility
Stroke, bell’s palsy, & cardiovascular rehabilitation
Allergies
Sub-clinical disorders in which lab values are normal but you know you just don’t feel your best

To find out more about acupuncture and how it might benefit you, call to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation. 630-898-8900

How Long Does a Session Last? A session typically lasts 30 to 45 minutes, depending on individual conditions and treatment plans. The first session, which includes a detailed medical history, usually lasts a little over an hour.

About the Acupuncturist

Margaret Thompson-Choi is a Licensed Acupuncturist and board-certified Diplomat in Oriental Medicine. She received a Master of Science degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois. The 4 1/2 academic-year curriculum, including both western and eastern diagnostic science, has equipped her to communicate and work with other medical professionals, knowing when to refer or co-manage a patient with a condition outside an acupuncturist’s expertise.

She completed post-graduate training at Kyunghee University Medical Center, a 300-bed, fully-integrated Western and Eastern Medicine hospital in Seoul, South Korea. While there, she had the privilege of studying with world-renowned oriental medicine physicians specializing in areas such as

Women’s Health Issues & Infertility
Stroke & Cardiac Rehab
Weight loss
Allergies
Insomnia & Sleep Disorders
Depression & Anxiety
Acute/Chronic Pain

How does Acupuncture Work?

A Biological Perspective:
Used in Asia for over 3000 years, a system of medicine was developed based on empirical evidence. Recently, a number of scientific studies have helped explain the possible mechanisms of acupuncture.

Gate Theory of Pain

Stimulation from acupuncture needles jams the lower nerve bundles in the central nervous system (CNS) so that other pain signals can’t reach the brain. Nerve fibers such as C fibers, the part of the CNS that carries these impulses, have been found to close during acupuncture. Imagine a telephone system in a large city: if too many individual lines are in use at one time, it’s difficult for a telephone user to tap into the main line to make a call.

Increased Endorphins

Insertion of acupuncture needles may stimulate the release of endorphins, powerful natural painkillers produced in our brains.

Immunity Boost

Levels of prostaglandin, white blood counts, and antibody levels are increased during and following acupuncture.

Neurotransmitter Release

Levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and nor-adrenaline (the same natural, feel-good chemicals that are released after eating a piece of chocolate or aerobic exercise) have been proven to increase with acupuncture.