A Different Approach to Pain Relief with Balance Method Acupuncture
If you never had acupuncture before, you may be wondering what it feels like, how it works, and whether it could help with what you are experiencing.
Acupuncture is an important part of Traditional Chinese medicine. It uses extremely fine needles placed at specific acupuncture points to influence patterns of pain, tension, stress, and other symptoms.
But acupuncture is not simply about putting a needle where something hurts.
At Complete Oriental Medical Care in Edina, your treatment begins by looking at the larger pattern: what you are feeling, how long it has been happening, what seems to make it better or worse, what else may be going on in your body, and how you respond to treatment.
Because the symptom that gets your attention is not always the whole story.
Many first-time patients are also surprised by how gentle acupuncture can be. The needles are extremely thin, treatments are performed in a quiet, comfortable setting, and many people find the experience deeply relaxing.
Balance Method Acupuncture: A Different Way to Approach Pain
There are many styles of acupuncture.
Steven Sonmore, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., specializes in Balance Method Acupuncture, an advanced system also known as I Ching Acupuncture or Distal Point Acupuncture.
Rather than routinely inserting needles directly into an already painful or sensitive area, Balance Method Acupuncture frequently uses carefully selected points elsewhere on the body—often on the arms or legs—to influence the affected acupuncture channels.
That means someone seeking relief from back, neck, shoulder, hip, or knee pain may receive acupuncture at points located away from the painful area.
For many patients, that is one of the most surprising things about the treatment.
Where you hurt is not necessarily where Steven needs to place the needles.
The important question is not simply, “Where is the pain?”
It is also:
“What pattern may be contributing to it, and how can we influence that pattern most effectively?”
Steven brings more than 30 years of clinical experience to that decision.
Some people notice changes in pain, tension, or mobility during treatment itself. Others respond more gradually.
Either way, your response provides information.
Your body helps guide what happens next.
Your Treatment Begins with Understanding You
Two people can walk into the clinic with the same condition and still need very different treatment.
That is why Steven does not base your care solely on the name of your condition.
Your initial evaluation includes a detailed discussion of your symptoms and health history along with Traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic methods.
Steven uses advanced TCM tongue diagnosis and Chinese pulse diagnosis to recognize patterns that may be contributing to what you are experiencing.
Chinese pulse diagnosis involves much more than simply measuring your heart rate. Steven may evaluate as many as 28 distinct Chinese pulse qualities, paying attention to characteristics such as depth, strength, rhythm, and overall quality.
These findings are considered together with what you tell him.
Your symptoms matter.
Your history matters.
And how your body responds matters.
The goal is to develop a treatment strategy for you, rather than simply applying the same protocol used for everyone with the same diagnosis.
What Happens During an Acupuncture Treatment?
After evaluating your condition, Steven selects acupuncture points according to the patterns he finds.
Because he uses distal acupuncture, many points may be located between the elbows and fingers or between the knees and toes. Scalp or ear acupuncture may also be incorporated when appropriate.
Once the needles are placed, you rest comfortably while the treatment takes effect.
You may experience warmth, heaviness, tingling, relaxation, or a change in the symptom being treated. Sometimes the change is subtle. Sometimes it is more noticeable.
There is no single sensation you are supposed to feel.
Steven pays attention to what you experience and uses that information as part of the treatment process.
What Can Acupuncture Help With?
People seek acupuncture for many different reasons.
At Complete Oriental Medical Care, patients commonly seek help with:
- Chronic pain, back pain, sciatica, neck and shoulder pain, headaches, and joint pain
- Stress and anxiety
- Insomnia and sleep problems
- Digestive concerns, including IBS and reflux
- Vertigo, dizziness, peripheral neuropathy, and other neurological symptoms
- Menopause and other women’s health concerns
- Men’s health concerns, including prostate symptoms
- Fatigue and other persistent or overlapping health problems
You may recognize yourself in more than one of those categories.
That is often significant.
Pain can interfere with sleep. Poor sleep can make pain more difficult to tolerate. Stress can affect digestion. Digestive problems can drain your energy.
Your body does not necessarily separate symptoms into neat categories—and your treatment should not have to either.
Acupuncture Is Only One Part of the Process
Steven believes the best care is cooperative.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are not simply things a practitioner does to you.
Depending on your needs, Steven may also recommend Chinese herbal medicine or lifestyle changes involving sleep, eating habits, exercise, stretching, stress management, or self-acupressure.
These recommendations are not about being perfect.
They are about helping you recognize what may be supporting your progress—and what may be working against it.
What you do between treatments matters too.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
There is no universal answer.
Some people notice meaningful changes early in treatment. Long-standing, recurrent, or complex conditions may require more time.
How long you have had the problem, its severity, your overall health, your daily habits, your age and how your body responds can all influence the course of care.
Steven does not believe in promising a predetermined result or applying the same treatment schedule to everyone.
Instead:
Treat. Observe. Adjust.
That process allows your care to evolve as you do.
Is Acupuncture Painful?
For most people, acupuncture is much gentler than they expect.
Acupuncture needles are extremely thin and very different from the hollow needles used for injections or blood draws. We could fit 10 acupuncture needles inside one of the hollow core needles used for injections. So we are talking about the width of a cat’s whisker.
You may occasionally notice a brief sensation when a needle is placed, followed by warmth, tingling, heaviness, or relaxation.
Because Balance Method Acupuncture uses points away from the painful region, Steven does not need to insert needles directly into an area that is already tender or sensitive.
Many patients find that reassuring.
More Than 30 Years of Clinical Experience
Acupuncture is a tool.
What matters enormously is the experience and judgment of the person using it.
Steven Sonmore, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., brings more than 30 years of clinical experience to every patient evaluation and treatment.
Over those years, he has learned that good treatment is not about blindly following a formula.
It is about listening carefully.
Recognizing patterns.
Choosing the appropriate strategy.
Seeing how your body responds.
And being willing to adjust when necessary.
His approach combines Traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis, Balance Method Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and practical recommendations tailored to the individual patient.
Understand the pattern. Treat intelligently. Pay attention to how you respond.
Ready to Find Out Whether Acupuncture Is Right for You?
If you are looking for an individualized approach—and you want a practitioner who will listen, explain, observe, and adjust—Steven can help you determine an appropriate next step.
Schedule Your Initial Evaluation
Questions before scheduling? Call 952-831-8080