Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs

Hello darlings,

We are all busy ladies right? Whether you work full time, are a full time mom, are in school or all three; we all have hectic lives which leads to stress, fatigue, and anxiety. My life is no different. My day starts at 5:30 AM and ends at 11 PM. Between my commute of 4 hours a day, work and school, I barely have time to do school work and eat let alone sleep or have any time for play. This is why I decided to make an appointment at Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs. Now I realize that people do acupuncture all the time for back pain and sports related injuries; but I am a needle phobe and the thought of actually being stuck with needles gave me the heebie jeebies. Of course I was assured that acupuncture is painless so I went for it. Acupuncture is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine which says that our health relies on the free flow of Qi in our bodies. Qi is energy, you can't see it but its there, and it flows through channels in our bodies. If there is blockage in any of these channels then the Qi cannot flow and therefore becomes stagnant, and that is what leads to various illnesses, pain, discomfort, allergies, depression, etc.
Acupuncture unblocks our channels if you will. Sterilized disposable needles are placed in the areas of stagnant Qi in order to disperse the energy and allow the energy to flow freely again. Western doctors typically do not support a holistic approach to medicine and even though some doctors do claim to do acupuncture, trust me when I tell you, your experience with a TCM doctor is far from typical. Western medicine looks to treat what ails you while TCM looks to find what the root cause is and cure it.

Here is how it went down:

Aiyana is located in Union Square. I walked into the building that looked more residential than commercial and took the elevator up to the 5th floor - I was nervous. When I walked in the receptionist was very friendly, the wait area played soothing music and it looked like a cross between a spa and someones spiritual den. I was so exhausted that I began to have regrets about coming because I started fantasizing about my warm bed and a nice nap; but that's the reason I was there so I waited. It wasn't long before the acupuncturist came for me. She escorted me down the hall to another "room". She asked me what my top concerns were, and I told her: stress, fatigue, and anxiety. She then asked me to lie down, I thought I would have to get naked, but I was relieved that all I had to do was roll up my pants. She swabbed the points where she would be placing the needles with alcohol. She began inserting the needles and I didn't even feel anything. I had one in my forehead, one in each hand, each ear, each leg and each foot. I have to admit the one in my left foot did hurt a little bit but it was more like a really quick pinch. She covered my eyes and placed my hand on some sort of walkie talkie so that I could give her a buzz if I needed anything while she was gone. She shut off the lights and I just laid there, listening to the soothing sounds that filled the room. Laying there was very similar to when an Esthetician leaves you in the room to relax while you are getting a facial. The acupuncturist said that most patients would be knocked out and snoring in no time, however, I couldn't stop thinking about work and school and what I had to do that weekend for class, etc. As the time went on I surely thought that this was a waist since I hadn't fallen asleep. After the allotted time, the acupuncturist returned and removed all of the needles and that was that. It wasn't until I left that I realized that I wasn't sleepy anymore! It was bizarre because I was beyond fatigued just an hour before. I went home and started cleaning and tackling projects that I had been putting off all week. I ended up staying up until 12 midnight [which is late for me] and waking up at 7 AM. Waking up at 5:30 AM has become a lot easier. I am not as cranky as I was before and although I am still very busy, the exhaustion has definitely diminished significantly. I can only imagine what would happen if I did acupuncture consistently.TCM works for everything form weight loss or acne to helping Cancer patients; everything is interconnected and TCM works to heal you entirely. Now it may seem a little pricey at $225 for your first visit, but I believe it is worth it. [Think of how much you spend at the spa.] If you are a student you get a discount, and some insurance covers acupuncture so that is something to look into. The first session is an hour and a half and they take this time to do a thorough analysis of you. Things that you never thought to pay attention to can be a root cause of why you have had bad allergies, why you have been breaking out or perhaps something far more serious; this is why it is important to tell them everything. This will only be to your benefit, remember, they are like doctors. The regimen that they develop is specific to you and to you only. Everything is everything ya'll.

Here is some info from the Aiyana Website:

At Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs, we form a compassionate and healing partnership with our patients through in-office treatments, herbal therapy, dietary therapy and patient education.

Chinese Medicine directs that we must treat the root and branch of disease because symptoms tend to reoccur if underlying health issues are ignored. Rather than simply treating symptoms, we base treatments on an individual's presentation of energetic disharmony.

Throughout treatment, your body's energy will evolve and change; therefore, the guiding treatment principles will also change. That dynamic progression of energetic evolution manifests as healthy balance in body, mind and spirit.

As Deng Ming-Dao says in his book "The Scholar Warrior":

"The ancients felt that life has to be considered in its entirety and that separating it into different categories was an intellectual effort that could not ultimately help the understanding of the Tao. Life was to be understood by inquiry into the living. Life was to be understood as an eternally changing process."

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Read What People are Saying About Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs:

"When I met Jessica Silver, L.Ac., I had been having a tightness in my chest which seemed like a big ball of stress, worry and anxiety stuck there. Her approach was gentle and calming, and the acupuncture treatment made that disturbing presence in my body disappear. After experiencing so much relief from the first problem, I returned to Jessica for treatment of my foot pain which had started 4 months before. After the first treatment it felt 80% better, and by the second treatment the pain was gone. Thanks Jessica - I'm a believer!"
- R. Albanese