FAQ's

There are a number of professions that can get certification to practice a type of medical acupuncture, commonly known as dry needling. However, Acupuncturists in Alberta undergo a 3-4 year programme with extensive training and over 1300 hours of practice in clinical situations. They then need to sit intense board and practical certification exams to be allowed to practice as a Doctor of Acupuncture under the Canadian HPA guidelines.

Acupuncture that is performed in a classical and traditional manner shouldn’t be painful. The very fine, sterile, single use needles are almost thinner than a human hair, and although we aim to create a sensation with the needle, we are not wanting to create pain.

We aim to create the sensation of “De Qi”, the arrival of qi. Sometimes this can bring about a feeling of heaviness, achiness, numbness, tickling, warmth, coolness, or even rushing sensation along the meridian. It can be different for everyone. Sometimes if you are in a strong state of fatigue or deficiency, you might not feel anything at all. The only wrong sensation would be pain or burning, so you would inform your practitioner and they would make sure to adjust or remove the needle. Sensations are not limited to what the body feels either, some people will also experience some emotional releases as well. This might look like crying, or even laughing. The body knows what it needs and no response is wrong.

Acupuncture in the western world has been commonly recommended for pain relief, which it is wonderful at helping, however, it is good for a huge variety of conditions! According to research and clinical studies it is excellent at helping with: Anxiety, stress, and depression Digestion issues such as regulating bowels and stomach complaints Gynecological disorders Insomnia Assisting the immune system Decreasing inflammation And so much more!

Good news! Our acupuncturist is also scared of needles and prides herself on being especially sensitive to patients with the same fear. Acupuncture needles are extremely fine and come in all different thicknesses, so if you are really nervous she will talk with you and be able to help ease your fears. And if you are really nervous there are a lot of other ways that she can treat you.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) encompasses a variety of modalities. Fire Cupping is a wonderful way to address body pain, but it is also a great way to treat the whole body. Glass cups provide a warming and comforting sensation and muscle tension melts away. Food Therapy is based on the principles of TCM and the nature and properties of foods and their actions on the body. Your practitioner might make recommendations for you based on what they deem your constitution to be. Gua Sha is also another modality that is able to help break up what is termed as “stagnation” or “stasis”. When these are present, there is pain. Gua sha breaks up adhesions and brings blood and qi to the area to speed up healing. Moxibustion is a great addition to a treatment as well. It is a herb that is often carbonised for clinical use and is used to boost the body's functions. It warms and moves and helps qi flow in the correct direction.

No, this is a myth. The goal is to fix the issue at hand. The time it takes to do that is variable, but it is rarely a one time fix. Injuries typically take time to build up, and it also takes time to heal them and the compensatory changes that have occurred. Many factors can influence someone's recovery including age, gender, diet, activity levels, medications, self-care habits, compliance with home-care, etc. Some injuries may require a lifetime of work in order to just keep the patient in a comfortable state, while others may only need a few treatments and will carry on with the chiropractors recommendations. It will always be the choice of the patient to continue care or not. Chiropractic care can provide a multitude of benefits to everyone on a day to day basis, even if no pain is felt. As any type of machine, the body can wear depending on our activities (or inactivity), and “tune-ups” can be beneficial, but will never be forced onto anyone.

In order to get your body into a “healing mode”, we do have to cause a little bit of inflammation through soft tissue therapy and mobilization of the area. Inflammation, in a controlled setting, is often beneficial. It will allow for increased vascularization to the area, increased mobility, increased function, and increased healing time. However, this should only last for 1-2 days. If it lasts longer, please tell your practitioner. The solution can simply be to be gentler the next time, change up the type of treatment, or look further into your health history for a reason why you may be more sensitive to inflammation. As treatments progress, the general soreness felt afterwards should diminish each time. The results of feeling better should always outweigh the soreness.

Bones are strong connective tissues that don’t just move in and out of place, unless of course it’s been dislocated. The chiropractic adjustment helps to increase range of motion in a restricted or stiff joint not by moving the bone but through neuronal signaling.

No, medical acupuncture can only be billed if you see a Registered Doctor of Acupuncture. The chiropractic scope of practice is quite large and although one of the techniques we can use is acupuncture, a chiropractors title remains the same. If you would like to use your acupuncture benefits please make an appointment with a Doctor of Acupuncture.

No, the cost of the treatment remains the same no matter what techniques are used. If you plan on working on multiple parts of the body, or trying electroacupuncture, we do suggest you book an extended treatment.

Hollywood has done a disservice through exaggeration to the adjustment process. Although thriller movies make snapping a neck look quite easy, that move you are thinking of is extremely difficult to execute. In your initial appointment we review an informed consent, just as you would any other medical treatment. In our provincially regulated informed consent, death is not one of the risks. If you still prefer to not get adjusted, your chiropractor is by no means married to the adjustment. As the patient you have full control and consent over the type of treatment you receive. Our chiropractors are very happy to use other modalities of treatment if few or no adjustments are preferred.

This depends fully on your condition and your individual goals. Most acute injuries need anywhere between 3-10 visits. If you make great progress after 1-2 treatments, you may only need 3 total. Some injuries and more chronic conditions can take longer. Once your initial injury has been resolved, you are welcome to come for maintenance care which could look like whatever works for your schedule. Some people come in once every 3-6 weeks because they like the way it feels and see the benefit of consistent care. Other people come in once a year with their new injury. If maintenance care is something you’re interested in, this can be a wonderful time to dive into goal specific exercise routines and lifestyle changes.

While therapeutic massage can be more beneficial for treating injuries and built up tension, relaxation massage promotes full body circulation, lymph drainage in the limbs, immune response and much more. Massage doesn’t have to be deep to work!

It is different for everyone. Depending on the type of massage you want or the areas you want targeted, your practitioner will be able to recommend a frequency and duration that works best for your treatment goals. Most people benefit from monthly treatments, but massages for injury or certain health conditions may be most beneficial if they are more frequent, while massages for pampering and relaxation purposes can occur less often. The standard recommendation is an appointment once every 4-6 weeks, but if you have great benefits and you want to use them, a weekly massage is not going to hurt! Just try not to let it go much longer than 2 months between appointments, otherwise it is sort of like starting from scratch.

Massage works on all the layers of your tissue using compression based techniques. Muscles and tendons respond particularly well to this. There is a layer that sits below your skin but above your muscle called your fascia, however, that compression can sometimes skip over. Fascia is what causes the deep “burning” sensation when you stretch or move your body. What cupping does, is it lifts your fascia away from the muscles using suction. This way, we can treat that fascia individually, instead of maybe missing it in massage.

New clients will be required to fill out an intake form, which will be used by the practitioner to help create a treatment plan for you. It is important to inform your therapist if you have any medical conditions or are taking any medications. An assessment may be performed at the start of the session, and goals and concerns should be addressed to ensure your massage therapist understands how to best modify the treatment to meet your needs. After that, you will be given privacy to get ready for the massage.

You’re in charge of how much you undress during your treatment. A therapist will be able to treat you fully clothed if that is how you feel most comfortable. Your practitioner will instruct you on how to position yourself on the massage table before they leave the room to let you undress and slip in between the sheets (draping). Throughout the treatment, only the areas of your body that are being worked on will be uncovered, everything else will stay fully covered by the draping.

Up to you! Some people prefer to chat during their massage session, but if it makes you more comfortable to close your eyes and relax, that’s alright. Don't be afraid to speak up if: You're feeling too hot or cold You're in pain or uncomfortable You have questions, or you forgot to mention something important during the consultation

Afterwards, it can be normal to feel achy and sore, especially if your body is not used to massage. It's important to stay hydrated after the treatment to allow your muscles to recover more quickly and help flush out the wastes in your body that are released after a massage. Using heat (taking an epsom salt bath or applying a heat pack) is also recommended to help soothe and to calm muscles. It is not advisable to participate in strenuous physical activity 24 hours after the session, and eating a large meal or drinking alcohol or coffee is not recommended immediately following the massage.

As a general rule, massage should not be done on individuals with: Significant fever Contagious diseases such as the cold or the flu Acute injuries or are recovering from recent surgeries Severe, unstable hypertension Local contagious or irritable skin conditions Consult with your doctor if you're unsure whether or not massage would be a safe and effective treatment for you based on your conditions.

Make sure to choose a practitioner who is licensed with the city of Calgary, is a member of a known massage therapy association, and has 2,200 hours of training. While massage therapy is not a regulated health profession in Alberta, RMTs are required to hold malpractice insurance, and attend professional development sessions and workshops to keep their skills and services up-to-date.

We take credit card information for your file so that we have the ability to charge for late cancellations or missed appointments, as per the contract that all our patients sign. It is a way that we can guarantee that our practitioners, who work on a pay per service basis, don’t lose out on income. Also, if you happen to forget your wallet, or have misplaced your cards, we have the ability to just charge your card on file. This is especially handy for families who share permission on their accounts. Often kids will come in and their parents cards are on their file so we can just charge it directly. This takes the hassle out of it for everyone!

Our intake form has been consolidated into one form for all of our practitioners. This means you answer one more in-depth form rather than four long, and sometimes repetitive individual intake forms. Legally we do require this information for our records, but it also helps us to provide you with the best care possible. When you are asked to fill it out prior to your appointment it gives your practitioner time to review it, and if necessary research any important information regarding your conditions, and prepare certain tests and questions for your appointment. We really care a lot about your appointment and want to be as prepared as possible for you!

We sure do! Some of the insurance companies will make their clients pay for their treatments and then reimburse them directly, but whenever possible we will do all the work and your insurance company will pay us directly.

We are lucky enough to have four designated parking spots available for our patients. Look for our name on the signs outside of the east entrance to the building. If these are all full, there is plenty of street parking, which is all free on Saturdays. Please note: the North side of 11th Ave has no parking after 3:30pm during the week (they will tow you), but the South side of 11th Ave has no parking restrictions.