ACUPUNCTURE AT SEVA
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest forms of healthcare and ancient Chinese believed that humans are a microcosm of the larger surrounding universe, and are interconnected with nature and subject to its forces. TCM’s basic concept is that a vital force of life, called Qi, surges through the body. Any imbalance to Qi can cause disease and illness. TCM treatment seeks to restore this balance through treatment specific to the individual. This imbalance is thought to be caused by an alteration in the opposite and complementary forces yin and yang that make up the Qi. TCM uses various modalities to regain balance and treat illness and stimulates the body’s ability to self-heal and self-regulate, including acupuncture, moxibustion (the burning of mugwort leaves on or near the body), cupping (the use of warmed glass jars to create suction on certain points of the body), Tui Na massage, herbal remedies and movement and concentration exercises (such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong). TCM can treat a wide range of conditions without major negative side effects. There are numerous sources of evidence that TCM is safe, and can be used as part of a treatment protocol for many conditions.
SERVICES OFFERED
We offer a variety of ways to get acupuncture into your life! Below you can download the paperwork necessary for your sessions. Please bring your signed forms to your appointment. If you don't have access to a printer, please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time and you can sign them here.
NEW PATIENT FORMS:
If you are making an appointment for Community Acupuncture download forms here
If you are making an appointment for an Individual Acupuncture Session download forms here
ABOUT THE ACUPUNCTURIST
Marcela is passionate about Traditional Chinese medicine and its wisdom. She easily relates to and understands the philosophy and interconnectedness of the human body and our health with nature, and how we are dependent and subject to its forces. She holds a masters of acupuncture and Oriental medicine from the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine. She is a Diplomate of oriental medicine and nationally certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She holds a New Hampshire license and enjoys helping patients with care of internal medicine issues, women’s health, digestive health, stress management, anxiety and depression, and pain management. Passion for people and natural healing is what drives her practice. Her goal is to improve wellbeing by helping people to manage disease and maintain their health. She works to make acupuncture accessible to as many people as possible because health is a right that we all share.
Contact info:
Marcela Fernandes, MSOM, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)®, L.Ac. 603-290-4536 collectivestillness@gmail.com
INDIVIDUAL ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTS
By appointment only. Duration of 60 minutes. Cost: sliding scale of $50-$100. You pay what you can afford within the sliding scale.
YOGA CLASS WITH ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTS
On the last Friday of the month, we offer a Restorative Yoga class with a Yoga Nidra. Once you are almost finished with the yoga class and prepare for the nidra, the acupuncturist will come over and place a few needles on your hands, feet and forehead. After 30 minutes the acupuncturist will remove the needles, and the yoga teacher will guide back. This workshop is great for people wanting to experience the healing power of acupuncture for the first time. Come experience the powerful combination of two wise practices to promote and maintain wellbeing.
THE COMMUNITY SETTING
What to expect during community acupuncture:
Once you make an appointment, it shows a 15 minute increment. That is only for booking purposes. Once the acupuncturist inserts the needles, you can stay for as long as you would like.
Please wear loose and comfortable clothing to your appointment. When you arrive at the treatment room, we ask that you leave your shoes and socks at the door. You can then find your favorite chair and get comfortable, and roll your pants up to your knees and your sleeves up to your elbows.
Most conversations happen at the whisper level because there will most likely be at least another person who is asleep in the treatment room at any given time.
After the acupuncturist places the needles, your job is to relax. You can stay for as long as you would like. Most people stay between 40 minutes and one hour.
Once you are ready to go, open your eyes and give the acupuncturist a meaningful look when they walk through the treatment room (we walk through the room about every 10 minutes), and we’ll come over to remove the needles.
While there is background music in the treatment room, patients do occasionally snore. You are welcomed to bring earplugs (if the snoring bothers you), or your own listening devices to listen to your own music or guided meditation. Additionally, you are also welcomed to bring your own neck pillows or blankets if you prefer them to ours.
Why community Acupuncture:
While acupuncture is an effective tool in preventive care and overall wellness (including pain relief, stress management, digestive health, OBGYN health, allergies, and many others), it usually takes more than one treatment to provide long-term results. For more detailed information on how acupuncture can help, please see this list.
The number and frequency of treatments needed depends on the condition, for how long you had it, how severe it is, and how is your overall health. Generally, an acute condition may improve within a few treatments, while a chronic or long-term condition might take twelve or more treatments before we can see sustained results.
Depending on what you are seeking treatment for, your acupuncturist might want to see you more often in the beginning until you get to a maintenance phase, and only need treatment every so often.
Acupuncture treatments can be expensive, and getting treatments often might not be feasible for many of us.
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF ACUPUNCTURE
EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE EFFECT
Allergic Rhinitis - Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (with anti-emetics) - Chronic low back pain - Headache (tension type and chronic) - Knee osteoarthritis - Migraine prevention - Postoperative nausea and vomiting - Postoperative pain