What Am I Treating With Acupuncture This Week?

One of the questions I get surprisingly often—even from people who already see me for cupping, gua sha, or naturopathic care—is: What do most people actually come to you for?

The answer is... a little bit of everything.

More than 80% of the clients I see receive acupuncture as part of their care. Some people come specifically for acupuncture, while others combine it with cupping, gua sha, or other bodywork. I also have clients who see me primarily for naturopathic care or health coaching. But if you looked at my acupuncture schedule during any given week, you might be surprised by just how different one appointment can look from the next.

This week is a pretty good example.

So, what am I treating this week?

I've seen several fertility cases, including people trying to conceive naturally and people currently going through IVF. I've treated stress, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, grief, elevated blood pressure, neck and shoulder pain, knee pain, TMJ, digestive dysfunction including gastroparesis, and an acute gallbladder case where the goal is helping manage pain and maintain function while the client waits for surgery.

I also work with someone currently undergoing cancer treatment. Acupuncture isn't treating her cancer; her oncology team is doing that. My role is supportive care—helping her body navigate treatment, manage some of the side effects, and support her overall well-being through the process.

And that's one of the things I wish more people understood about acupuncture.

You don't have to choose between acupuncture and the rest of your healthcare.

In fact, I generally don't want you to.

Most of my clients have an entire care team

I recommend having a primary care provider—a physician, nurse practitioner, midwife, or another appropriate provider—for your general medical care. Many of my clients also see specialists depending on what they're dealing with.

And then there are all the other pieces.

My clients see chiropractors. Massage therapists. Physical therapists. Reiki practitioners. Fertility specialists. Midwives. Functional medicine practitioners. Mental health therapists. People doing sound therapy, hypnotherapy, applied kinesiology, muscle testing, Body Code or Emotion Code work, IV therapy, and other forms of bodywork and energetic care.

Especially at my Lincoln location, where I work within an integrative collective, there are plenty of opportunities for this kind of collaboration. Sometimes someone sees me and I suggest they go down the hall for another service. Sometimes another practitioner sends someone to me.

I love that.

Because I don't think good healthcare has to be about finding the one thing that fixes everything.

One plus one doesn't always equal two

I've talked before about the idea that when therapies work synergistically, one plus one can equal much more than two.

Pain is an easy example.

Someone dealing with chronic neck and shoulder pain might see a chiropractor, massage therapist, and acupuncturist. Those aren't necessarily three competing treatments doing the same job.

Chiropractic care may address the structural component. Massage can work directly with tight, overworked muscle and connective tissue while encouraging relaxation. With acupuncture, I'm approaching the problem through a different lens again: looking at function, circulation, the nervous system, and the patterns we identify through Chinese medicine.

Those different approaches can complement one another beautifully, and can sometime help give you more relief for longer between appointments.

Instead of asking, Should I get a massage OR acupuncture? Should I see my chiropractor OR get acupuncture? sometimes the better question is:

How could these things work together?

The goal isn't to collect as many practitioners as possible, of course. It's to build the right team for you.

Fertility care is another beautiful example

I've had several fertility patients on my schedule recently, and I especially love seeing how acupuncture can fit alongside conventional fertility treatment.

Some of my clients are trying to conceive naturally. Others are working with fertility specialists and going through IVF. They already have a medical team managing their medications, testing, procedures, egg retrievals, transfers, and everything else involved in that process.

I'm not replacing any of that.

I'm working from another angle.

If someone tells me, "We're preparing for egg retrieval this week," my acupuncture treatment can change to reflect where she is in that process. From a Chinese medicine perspective, I can think about the follicular phase, the Ren and Chong channels, blood flow, stress, sleep, and the overall pattern I'm seeing in that individual person.

It's a completely different way of approaching the body than simply adding another hormone or medication—which is exactly why I love using it alongside someone's fertility care.

It doesn't have to be either/or.

And sometimes you just want cupping

Not everyone walking through my door is looking for a complicated health plan.

I have people who come specifically for cupping or gua sha. Sometimes you want bodywork. Your shoulders are tight. Your back hurts. You've been stressed. You know cupping makes you feel better and you'd like someone to put some cups on you.

That's okay too.

Other people start with bodywork and eventually become curious about acupuncture. Some start with acupuncture and later add naturopathic care. Others see me for naturopathic care and eventually decide they'd like to try acupuncture.

There's no single correct way to use the different services I offer.

Acupuncture doesn't have to exist in a bubble

I think this is ultimately what I want people to understand. Integrative care isn't about rejecting conventional medicine. It also isn't about throwing every alternative therapy imaginable at yourself and hoping something sticks.

It's about recognizing that there are different ways of supporting the human body.

Your surgeon has a job. Your primary care provider has a job. Your therapist has a job. Your massage therapist has a job. Your chiropractor has a job. Your acupuncturist has a job.

Sometimes those jobs overlap. Sometimes they don't.

And sometimes the really interesting things happen when we allow those different approaches to work together.

That's a huge part of how I practice. I don't need to be the only person on your healthcare team. I want to know who else is helping you, what's working, what isn't working, and where acupuncture or naturopathic care might fit into that bigger picture.

Because health is rarely about finding one magical intervention.

Sometimes it's about finding the right combination of support, and letting each piece do what it does best.

Curious whether acupuncture could fit into your care?

I offer acupuncture and integrative care in York and Lincoln, Nebraska, and you don't need to have one specific type of health concern to make an appointment.

Whether you're dealing with pain, stress and anxiety, fertility concerns, digestive issues, hormonal symptoms, chronic illness, or simply wondering whether acupuncture could be another useful part of your healthcare team, we can talk about what's going on and decide whether it makes sense for you.