WHAT WE TREAT

 
 

Mental + Emotional Support

 
 
 

Proud Supporters of Nonbinary, Transgender, and Queer community

 
 

Skin CARE + Weight Loss

 
 
 

pain

 

Read our Journal for more information on what we treat.

 
 

Auto + Bike Accidents

Acupuncture on patients upper back

Car accidents happen. In this city, known for its biking prowess, so do bike accidents. Auto insurance pays for your medical expenses, including acupuncture and massage, no matter who is at fault.

Acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage are very effective at treating pain by increasing circulation and stimulating the immune system. Typically we treat clients one to three times per week, depending on the injuries and pain level. Additionally, it's common to have anxiety about driving or riding after an accident. Acupuncture is impactful in reducing anxiety to help you get back to driving and riding with confidence.

An MD or chiropractor can write you a referral for your massage appointments. For acupuncture, this is not necessary. Bring your referral, claim number, and auto insurance name to your appointment, and we will handle the rest.

 

FERTILITY

Moxibustion for fertility

According to Chinese Medicine, difficulties with fertility are impacted by your consciousness, diet and lifestyle, organ systems, and hormone levels. To become pregnant, all of these systems must be attuned to support natural fertility. In other words, promoting optimal health overall is the most effective way to attain a healthy pregnancy.

Acupuncture helps to regulate hormones and ovulation, improve ovary function, and thicken the uterine lining in preparation for conception and pregnancy. Since our bodies require 90 to 120 days to develop healthy follicles with mature eggs, it is strongly recommended that you seek treatment for a minimum of three to four months. The reward of this commitment might last a lifetime. Additionally, it is imperative when choosing an acupuncturist for infertility that you select a practitioner who specializes in herbal medicine.

Chinese Medicine is exceptionally effective at assisting your body to achieve pregnancy. It is our greatest joy to support you in overcoming your fertility challenges.

 

MEN’S health

Man sitting on the table, holding his lower back talking to his practitioner

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have been well researched for the following common ailments of men, including:

  • premature and delayed ejaculation

  • sperm count, motility, and quality

  • sexual relationship concerns

  • low libido and decreased sensitivity

  • erectile dysfunction and impotence

  • frequent, difficult, and/or painful urination

  • inflamed or enlarged prostate

The use of acupuncture and Chinese medicinal herbs increases circulation, relaxes the central nervous system, and stimulates immunity, all of which assist in treating pain, mood disorders, physical injuries, and sexual concerns—worried about where needles might go for some of the above ailments? Not to worry, for many of the above conditions, needles are not placed in the area of origin. Specifically, in the case of sexual concerns, no local needles are used, and no physical examination is required. Local needles are also used to treat pain, muscle tension, and injury.

 

PAIN

Chiropractic adjustment on a man after feeling pain

Trigger point therapy, also known as dry needling, is a type of acupuncture focused on the anatomy of your muscles. It's our job to identify the muscle or muscles that are leading to your pain and then stimulate them to cause a muscle twitch response. This twitch forces the muscle to release the tension and lactic acid that has been causing your pain. Like all acupuncture, it is rare for clients to feel one hundred percent better after one treatment. Often they feel at least fifty percent better after one treatment and one hundred percent better after four to ten, depending on the severity, location, and length of time they have been suffering from pain.

Imaging involves the use of acupuncture at the wrist, ankle, knee, and elbow joints, though other joints may also be used, along with additional needles used on the legs and forearms. The placement of the needles depends on the area of your pain. We will often avoid needling directly into your pain site, instead using acupuncture points on other areas of your body or the other side of your body. Imaging increases circulation, stimulates the nerves and central nervous system, and restores the body's homeostasis.

Therapeutic massage, focused on the specific area of your pain, is an effective option often recommended in conjunction with an acupuncture treatment plan. Instead of a whole body spa-style massage, we will spend the majority of your visit on the specific area(s) of your discomfort and pain. This intensive approach involves the superficial facia layer (the thin muscle layer right under your skin), which contains more nerves than the deeper muscle layers. This style of massage also utilizes trigger points (in this case, with pressure).

 

PREGNANCY SUPPORT

Close up image of a woman with her hands on her pregnant belly

Choose to make your pregnancy an experience you can look back on with great joy by treating yourself well with acupuncture. Acupuncture and herbal medicine are gentle modalities to support you through your pregnancy. We support healthy development and fetal growth with carefully chosen acupuncture points and Chinese herbs.

During pregnancy, many experience discomfort and find it difficult to balance safe choices for their baby while achieving relief from physical pain or other ailments. Our pregnancy care has had great success in treating morning sickness, heartburn, swelling, numbness and tingling, lethargy, difficulty sleeping, pelvic pain and discomfort, low back and sciatic pain, and breech presentation. We recommend coming in for treatment in the weeks leading up to your guess date to prepare the body for birth by opening the hips, ripening the cervix, and clearing mental blockages.

 

SPORTS INJURIES

Dry needling after sports injury while patient lays peacefully

In the first 24 hours after injury, acupuncture is an important part of your treatment plan. Acupuncture helps keep blood moving and encourages your immune system to respond locally with white blood cells to rebuild, dispose of damaged cells, prevent infection, and decrease pain. Muscle strains, sprains, and knee, shoulder, and back injuries are all commonly and successfully treated with acupuncture. Acute injury with intense swelling or an open wound typically isn't treated with local needles but rather on the adjacent and distal areas of the body. We use trigger points and local and distal needling for pain, tension, strains, and other muscle injuries.

 

WOMEN’S Health

Molly Erickson L.Ac. making an herbal formula for fertility

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have a profound effect on a variety of women's health and gynecological concerns:

  • amenorrhea or metrorrhagia following contraceptive use

  • chronic vaginal infections

  • hormonal acne

  • infertility

  • low libido

  • menopausal hot ashes, insomnia, and vaginal dryness

  • painful or irregular menses

  • pain with IUD insertion

  • PMS/PMDD COSMETIC

 

cosmetic care

Facial rejuvenation acupuncture has a long history in China. At Vitalize, we offer both Facial Rejuvenation + Mei Zen cosmetic acupuncture. Our 90-minute protocol involves acupuncture points on the body and face, a period of rest with acupuncture needles in, followed by a session of gentle facial cupping and gua sha on the face.

Facial Rejuvenation acupuncture involves a gentle set of acupuncture body and face points selected for their ability to enhance blood flow to the face, improve muscle tone, balance hormones, reduce inflammation, and target any specific skin areas of concern.

Mei Zen acupuncture is a vigorous protocol involving acupuncture points on the face and body. They are selected for general balance, overall circulation, and specifically circulation to the face. Mei Zen also involves a technique in which multiple needles are placed in the face to directly stimulate the elastin and collagen matrix.

Both protocols treat fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, rosacea, acne, scarring, facial paralysis, and more. Not only are they great for helping your skin have a healthy glow, but they can also be fantastic for symptoms like jaw pain + sinus congestion.

*Facial cupping and gua sha feel divinely relaxing - and no purple marks like you may have seen with cupping on the body. Just lustrous skin!

 
 
Example of a room with white sheets, white walls and plants on the windowsill that overlooks downtown Portland