Frequently Asked Questions

Acupuncture is East Asian Medicine’s best-known modality. It is the insertion of very thin needles into the body to elicit a local and distal effect on the body, including the organs. It is used to treat many pathologies, including musculoskeletal pain, women’s health and hormonal support, digestion and nausea, stress and anxiety, headache, the common cold, and immune support. It can also help reduce or alleviate the side effects of medications, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Acupuncture can be a stand-alone treatment, but is also complementary to mainstream medicine.

Licensed acupuncturists have hundreds of hours of extensive training in needling techniques that allow them to properly decide where and how to needle the body to elicit the best healing response with little to no pain.

As a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) with a doctorate in East Asian Medicine, Dr. Meghan Nichols Podolsky was required to complete over 3,000 hours of rigorous training, over 1,000 hours of which were clinical work. Her education covers both East Asian and Western medicine, including medications, labs, and diagnosis. In fact, acupuncturists are considered primary care providers in Indiana because they have such in-depth medical training.

If you have any other questions about acupuncture, please ask. There are no silly questions.

Traditional East Asian Medicine is a system that has been used for thousands of years to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. It is premised on the idea that the body, in the right conditions, works to heal itself. Treatment is about helping to create in the body the ideal conditions for this to occur.

Traditional East Asian Medicine consists of five treatment modalities. In addition to acupuncture, it uses nutrition, herbal medicine, body work, tai chi, and qigong. All patients receive individualized treatments that are specific to their condition at the time. When seeking treatment from an East Asian medical doctor, know that they may use any number of modalities to address your condition.

Facial rejuvenation acupuncture is where hair thin needles are placed on the face and neck at specific depths to replenish the elastin and collagen of the skin. It also increases muscle tone and reduces neck and facial fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging. This treatment is a safe and gentle therapy that has been used and honed over thousands of years.

This treatment, in addition to reducing fine lines and wrinkles, can level out deeper lines, making them softer and less noticeable. It can reduce facial puffiness and even out facial texture. It can help define the jaw and mitigate the jowl. It can help with aging skin on the neck and décolletage. It can help reduce hyperpigmentation and age spots. In addition to the benefits to your skin’s appearance, facial acupuncture enhances the skin’s health and the health of the body as a whole.

For optimal results, plan on six biweekly treatments, followed by four weekly treatments. Most patients see results after four to six treatments, but some see results immediately. The results can last three to five years. Two maintenance treatments are advised quarterly to ensure the full benefit of the facial rejuvenation series and extend the effects maximally.

Microneedling, also known as percutaneous collagen-induction therapy, is performed by trained professionals using an electric handheld pen-shaped device with tiny needles that make precise, microscopic punctures in the skin. These punctures create “micro-injuries” that stimulate the skin to produce collagen and elastin to help repair itself in a process called dermal remodeling. Dermal remodeling not only heals injury, but also makes the skin smoother, thicker, and tighter. After several microneedling sessions, the skin has much more elasticity because of the increase in collagen and elastin. The full benefits of the treatment are best observed four to six weeks after the series is complete. The effects can last several months or several years. This procedure works best with proper hydration, nutrition, and skincare, which we can discuss at the consultation.

In addition to treating aging skin, microneedling is effective at treating enlarged pores, scars, stretch marks, hair loss, melasma and hyperpigmentation. Microneedling is unique in that it helps resurface the skin without increasing the odds of hyperpigmentation and therefore is a safe option for all skin types and skin tones. Microneedling also has a much faster recovery time than other aesthetic procedures for similar conditions, such as lasers or chemical peels.

We recommend one treatment a month for six to eight months. The treatment of deep scars will take more sessions than the treatment of early wrinkles. The first microneedling session will include a consultation where we can discuss your goals and come up with a treatment plan that best suits your needs.

There are very few contraindications for microneedling, but if you have active cold sores or other lesions, treatment should be postponed until they have cleared up. If you are prone to stress-induced cold sores, many patients find it helpful to preemptively take antiviral medication one week prior to the microneedling treatment to avoid a new cold sore from the procedure. In this case, please speak to your physician about this before getting started with microneedling treatments.

After your session, your face may be red and it might peel over the next few days. It isn’t a treatment to get before a big event and would be better a couple weeks before the event. Facial rejuvenation acupuncture has no downtime and would be a better choice of treatment for this scenario. Please feel free to reach out with any questions and to determine which facial treatments will best suit your skin needs.