Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine in Kailua Kona

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Each patient is a unique individual and deserves unique care.

Welcome to Big Island Oriental Medicine, where we help you re-orient your body towards optimal health. 

I help patients move along their journey towards wellness using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  This encompasses tools such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, cupping, moxibustion and guasha.  I also utilize more modern tools such as electro-acupuncture, ultrasound, LED, infrared lasers and kinesio-taping where appropriate.

KONA COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE!

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Conditions Commonly Treated

 

ACUPUNCTURE 

Acupuncture is the most widely known of all TCM health tools. This system dates back thousands of years to China, where early doctors recognized that stimulating areas on the body with pressure, heat and pointed tools could reliably  produce predictable effects, such as relieving pain, nausea, constipation/diarrhea, respiratory distress, menstrual issues, and mental anxiety or depression.  

In a way to organize and explain these phenomena, early doctors over hundreds of years carefully recorded what they learned and slowly developed both a mapping system and mechanistic theory of how and why it worked. This led to a clustering of points into common regions that we know today as the meridian system. Later I will describe in more western terms what the meridian system may be. 

Treating health issues with acupuncture

Contrary to much popular media, acupuncture is not simply a “point by number” method of relieving bodily discomfort where you can pick up a book on 20 great acupressure points and solve all your issues. This unfortunate concept has led many people to rub a point “to relieve a headache/toothache/bellyache” etc and when it didn’t work, they then dismiss an entire field of medicine that has been used successfully by millions of people over thousands of years.  To me, this would be like walking into a mechanic’s workshop, grabbing a random tool, turning a random screw on an car, and then wondering why it didn’t fix the issue that the car had.

 Effectively utilizing acupuncture involves a detailed inquiry and exam by a trained acupuncturist to categorize the individual patient’s cluster of signs and symptoms into a discernible diagnostic pattern, for which certain points are selected. 

Sounds easy enough, right?  Some one comes in and complains of a headache. Should be easily enough- just look up headache points! Not so. In TCM-- and in western medicine-- headaches occur for a wide variety of reasons. Sorting out a patient’s headache into one of about nine patterns-- each with different acupoint combinations- is where all an acupuncturist’s training comes into play.

Examples of health issues we can treat with acupuncture

Tap into the Power of Acupuncture Near Kailua Kona, HI

Many people are learning about the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to provide more natural relief for various ailments and symptoms. At Big Island Oriental Medicine in Kailua Kona, HI, you’ll work with a licensed acupuncturist who can provide the fully traditional Chinese medicine you need to ensure you get the best results. We work closely with you to determine the best treatment options to give you the results you want.

Work with a Licensed Acupuncturist

When you schedule an appointment with us, you’ll work with a certified acupuncturist who can help you find the best treatments to treat your ailments and help you feel better with natural remedies. Whether you need acupuncture for anxiety, stress-relief limited acupuncture, a Chinese herbal medicine consultation, Chinese dietary therapy, or any other form of Chinese medicine, our qualified team can provide the treatments you need. We’re dedicated to providing you with ancient Chinese medicine that has proven successful for generations.

About Dr. April Johnston

Dr. April Johnston is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. She is a Nationally Board Certified Diplomate in Oriental Medicine, which means she has passed four national board exams: Foundational Diagnostic Theory, Acupuncture, Biomedicine, and Chinese Herbal Medicine. She is also a former research scientist, and equine bodywork therapist/vocational teacher.

Her special interests are in acute and chronic pain management, insomnia/anxiety and women’s health, especially related to peri- and post menopausal issues. She is credentialed to work with VA patients and feels strongly about supporting our troops. Read about Dr April's story and what led her to become a TCM doctor here.

Acupuncture FAQs:

How much does acupuncture cost?

On average, an acupuncture session with a licensed acupuncturist close to Kailua Kona, HI, costs between $50 and $125 per session, depending on the types of treatments you choose. Our certified acupuncturist can help you get results at a reasonable rate.

Can acupuncture help with anxiety?

Because acupuncture impacts the nervous system and balances parasympathetic and sympathetic activities, acupuncture for anxiety can reduce your body’s stress response to provide a safe, effective treatment option instead of relying on chemical medications that can cause many side effects.

Do you take insurance for acupuncture?

Yes, we do take insurance plans for acupuncture. Click here to see if we are covered under your insurance.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our licensed acupuncturist and get the Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture you need to take back your life.

Associations

About the NCCAOM Diplomate badge: Earning a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine reflects a commitment to the highest level of national board certification and independent testing. The State of Hawaii only requires passing two national board exams (Foundational Theory & Acupuncture Board Exams) to be licensed to practice acupuncture. A Diplomate in Oriental Medicine means that the practitioner has passed all four national board exams - Foundational Theory, Acupuncture, Western Biomedicine, and Herbal Medicine. This certifies that the practitioner has a commitment to having great depth of well rounded knowledge to bring to their practice.

TCM Blog

The Adventures of becoming a TCM Doctor

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The Organs and Six Pathological Factors of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
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In my practice, nearly all my patients come in with a pre-existing Western Medical diagnosis of a imbalanced/pathological state, such as GERD (acid reflux) or insomnia. I always take this information in, as it’s useful, and as an American who culturally grew up in the western medical system, I can understand quickly what the patient is trying to convey to me about how they feel and why they are there. 

Intro To The Eight Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Intro To The Eight Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine

From my perspective, one of the biggest barriers between the general public and widespread acceptance of Oriental Medicine practice is language. There is a language to this healing tradition that sound not only foreign, but downright scary to a western ear. Liver Qi  Stagnation? Erupting Blood Toxins? Yin Deficiency? All of these sound like the patient may have serious cause for alarm and should be headed to the ER, not the acupuncturist’s clinic.  Now what if I said “Stress and Anxiety”, Rashes, and normal perimenopausal estrogen loss?  Is this better? 

Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain
Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain

In this article, I want to talk about how acupuncture and associated Oriental Medicine modalities can help with shoulder pain. In the first part, I will share my journey with shoulders and acupuncture, as this is the body part that got me interested in acupuncture to start with! In the second part, I will discuss the most common conditions I have seen in the clinic and what some modern research is finding about acupuncture as a treatment for common shoulder conditions.

Acupuncture for Anxiety
Acupuncture for Anxiety

Anxiety is a mental health condition that affects millions of people in the United States. While there are many treatments available, some people are turning to acupuncture as a way to manage their anxiety. Acupuncture has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions, and research shows that it may be an effective treatment for anxiety. If you're interested in trying acupuncture for anxiety, be sure to talk to your doctor to see if it's right for you.

Acupuncture for Sleep
Acupuncture for Sleep

Insomnia is a common problem that affects millions of people. While there are many pharmaceutical solutions available, they often come with unwanted side effects. Acupuncture is a natural treatment that can be very effective in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders.

Acupuncture for Back Pain
Acupuncture for Back Pain

Over 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain. Nearly one-third of American adults experience chronic pain, and almost one in five surveyed Europeans indicated they have moderate or severe chronic pain. According to the participant in a study, the three most common sources of chronic pain are low back pain (29%), neck pain (16%), and severe headache or migraine pain (15%).

meridian system.png
What is the meridian system? Does it really exist?

There have been a great many efforts by modern scientists to “find” the TCM meridian system using modern diagnostic tools such as MRI. None of these has been able to point to a single system, such as the nervous system, or circulatory system, which has led many skeptics to shout “Aha! Its all a hoax! Millions of people over thousands of years were simply affected by the placebo effect!” However, this placebo theory falls apart when examining how acupuncture has been effectively used on animals, who have no preconceptions.

acupuncture.jpeg
What Happens During an Acupuncture Treatment?

During an initial acupuncture session, I conduct a very detailed intake on each patient. Some of the questions will be rather ordinary, but others may seems unusual, or unrelated to the patient’s condition. However, the TCM interview is designed to evaluate the patient from a very broad perspective that can provide clues for why a condition either developed or is stubbornly continuing despite seeing other more conventional doctors.

What is Health?? (Part 2)
What is Health?? (Part 2)

My whole goal is to both provide as near immediate relief to patient’s complaint as I can—but my bigger goal is to restore the entire system to a better state of functioning. After treatment, patients are given more information about how to make a small, easy to implement changes in their daily life to try to restore the “ traffic system “ of their bodies to perfect order.