Acupuncture

Dr Young is a certified medical acupuncturist from the UCLA Helms Medical Institute since 2000 and member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture since 2001.

He practices French energetic acupuncture, auricular(ear) acupuncture, Korean hand therapy acupuncture and needless/laser acupuncture.

Dr Young has been using acupuncture in the treatment of the following conditions:

  • Dysmenorrhea / menstrual cramps
  • Incontinence/Urgency/ Overactive Bladder
  • Infertility
  • Insomnia
  • Irregular menstrual cycles
  • Menopausal symptoms: insomnia/hot flashes/anxiety/incontinence
  • Pain (chronic and acute)
  • Pelvic pain/Pelvic pressure (pelvic congestion syndrome)
  • PGAD Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder
  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
  • Tendonitis
  • Shoulder/Tennis elbow /Golf elbow

About Acupuncture

Acupuncture facilitates the regulation of energy called Qi through pathways(meridians/channels) in the body by the placement of small needles at specific points on the body: acupuncture points. There are over 400 acupuncture points in our body which act like switches that regulate the movement of Qi. Qi flows along our body's 14 main meridian/ channels . The channels are energetically connected with each other and with the internal organs. When Qi energy is slow , it causes stagnation that results in pain and imbalance. Regulation of Qi helps the body rebalance itself and leads to healing.

There are different styles and theories for manipulating Qi, reestablishing meridian/channel flow, and resolving organ dysfunction. Of these, Dr. Young has studied Helm's French Energetics acupuncture , Master Tung’s methods, Korean hand Therapy , and French physician Nogier's auriculotherapy.

Acupuncture needles being small in diameter, parts tissue rather than cuts through tissue . This may occasionally results in pinhead amount of bleeding right after needle removal or small bruises at the acupuncture site.

Because the needles push tissue aside rather than cutting through it, many people do not experience pain with acupuncture needles. Often the sensation is described as “a heavy sensation " followed by a dull/achy sensation called "De Qi " as the acupuncture needle contacts the Qi of the channel. If the needles do elicit any pain, Dr. Young will immediately manipulate them to alleviate the discomfort. An alternative to needles is laser acupuncture which utilizes laser light source in lieu of needles to activate the acupuncture points.

Electro-Acupuncture

At times, when energy (Qi) is particularly lodged or stuck in an area of the body, electrical stimulation in addition to acupuncture needles is applied to move the Qi. This is simply effected by attaching metallic clips to the inserted acupuncture needles. These clips are attached to an electronic device that delivers very small, gentle, electrical pulse through the needles. Patients may experience mild tingling created by the current, oftentimes, the current is so gentle that one may not feel it.

Patients often report experiencing " a jogger's high "and relaxed feeling, during and post treatment.

Contraindication to electro-acupuncture are history of seizures, epilepsy, or heart conditions and presence of pacemaker.

The AcuGraph Exam

The AcuGraph system is a diagnostic tool that provides real-time insight into a patient’s meridian energetics thereby increasing effectiveness of acupuncture treatments. It tracks historical trends that demonstrate patient's progress over time by measuring electrical resistance at representative acupuncture points. Dr Young may utilize this tool in addition to his medical examination.

AcuGraph is based on the historic practice of Ryodoraku acupuncture, pioneered over 60 years ago in Japan. For more information, please refer to https://ryodorakuresearch.com/

What to Expect During Visits

During your first visit, Dr Young will take your medical history and perform a physical examination and present a treatment plan. Acugraph may be used as an adjunct diagnostic tool to provide real-time insight into a patient’s meridian energetics and condition. He will partner with you to decide on the treatment plan.

Cash Paying Patients: Acupuncture treatment can be performed during the first session.

Insurance Patients: For patients planning to use their insurance benefits, please check with your insurance plan to make sure that Dr Young is an in-network provider. If so, your first visit will be billed as an office visit. In most cases, this first visit is covered by your health plan subjected to co-pays, co-insurances and deductibles as per your insurance plan.

Please be aware that for many insurance plans, acupuncture visits require pre-authorization by your health plan. As such, acupuncture sessions can begin after authorization has been granted by your insurance plan.

Peninsula OBGYN Integrative is in the process of finalizing participation in PPO insurance networks. As such, we are currently not in-network for many insurances and can only treat cash paying patients. If you wish to utilize your insurance benefits, kindly check back with us in the first 2 weeks of September 2019 to determine if Dr Young is in your network.

Sessions needed

Some acute problems can be treated in 1 or 2 sessions. Severe or chronic problems may require upwards of 6 to 8 sessions.

More information about medical acupuncture is available at the website of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.

Application of Acupuncture to Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain is a common condition in which Dr Young applies acupuncture to provide relief/resolution. Patients commonly express that they experience dull, nagging chronic/acute pelvic pain. The source of pain can be narrowed down with a history and physical examination, and if medically necessary, lab tests and/or an in-office ultrasound.

Possible etiologies of pelvic pain:

  • muscle and/or fascia region of the abdomen, hip and pelvis
  • pelvic support problems
  • ovarian cyst/uterine etiology (PID Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, endometriosis)
  • bladder pain/IC interstitial cystitis/Chronic UTI urinary tract infection
  • Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and Qi imbalance

Pelvic congestion and Qi imbalance can be addressed using acupuncture treatment. If the etiology is determined/suspected to be due to tissue adhesion, Dr Young has found FSM (frequency Specific Microcurrent) to be particularly effective in alleviating pain of this nature.