Home •  Women's Health  •  Children's Health •  Men's Health  •  About Us

TRADITIONAL ORIENTAL MEDICINE  With roots in ancient China, Traditional Oriental Medicine is both an art and a science. Japanese and Korean practitioners later contributed to its further development as reflected by the varying needs and conditions of their own people. In like manner, practitioners in the United States hope to further refine Traditional Oriental Medicine to serve the particular needs of our own patients while drawing upon the experience of all three Asian cultures.

ACUPUNCTURE is a medical procedure that has been in use for over 23 centuries. When used in conjunction with Traditional Oriental Medicine, acupuncture forms the backbone of a complete medical system. While there is still discussion as to how acupuncture works, there is an increasing agreement in the medical community that acupuncture is an effective means of treatment for many common medical conditions. Acupuncture often works well where the disorder is caused by functional rather than organic disease.

THE PRACTITIONER OF ORIENTAL MEDICINE must have completed almost 4,000 hours of combined acupuncture and chinese herbology studies and supervised clinical training in an oriental medicine program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine; and successfully pass the Oriental Medicine Board Examination administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Such a program must also include a solid foundation in modern biosciences: biophysics, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, etc.

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Practitioner of Oriental Medicine is an acupuncturist who is also certified in herbal medicine and licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine. In Pennsylvania, no referral from a physician is required for treatment by a Practitioner of Oriental Medicine. The practice of Oriental Medicine includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, the therapeutic use of foods and lifestyle counseling as well as other modalities such as cupping, gua sha and tui na (methods of therapeutic massage). The acupuncturist must also be certified in either chinese herbology or oriental medicine in order to prescribe oriental (herbal) medicine.

DOES ACUPUNCTURE HURT?  Smooth, hair thin, acupuncture needles are inserted at certain points on the skin's surface (determined by the patient's condition). The acupuncturist seeks to elicit a sensation while manipulating the acupuncture needles. This sensation is not one of pain; but rather, one of heaviness or warmth. There may be a sensation of a mild current flowing through the body. Many patients have found acupuncture to be very relaxing and actually enjoy a nap during their treatment.

CLEAN NEEDLE TECHNIQUE is the standard practice of licensed acupuncturists and practitioners of oriental medicine. It involves following a very precise and strict code of cleanliness and the use of sterile, disposable needles.

HERBAL MEDICINE   Tree of Life uses only standardized full-spectrum herbal extracts or patent herbal formulas that meet the equivalent of the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices for Food; and exercises due care for cautions and contraindications in any given patient condition and drug combination.

SAFE, GENTLE, EFFECTIVE HEALTHCARE FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY