FAQ
Susan Mosley, DACM, LAc
401 N. 5th Avenue SW
Rome GA 30165-2839
770-548-0172
What problems can Chinese Medicine treat or support?
- Acute illnesses
- Aging related changes
- Chronic conditions
- Cardiac and circulatory problems
- Digestive complaints
- Hormonal imbalances
- Mental and emotional problems
- Pain syndromes
- Respiratory conditions
- Skin conditions
- Sexual problems
- Sleep disorders
- Support for chemotherapy or radiation
- Traumautic injuries
- Urinary problems
Even if your complaint is not listed above, please call and ask what we can do for you!
Who is the practitioner?
Susan Mosley, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, is an honors graduate of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, California. Susan holds a Master's in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine in California.
Susan is a continuing education provider for the National Certification Commission on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She is the founder of the QiMovers networking group.
She has advanced training in infertility, cosmetic acupuncture, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, several styles of qigong, hospice care, Richard Tan's and Master Tung's methods, integrative cancer treatment, athletic protocols, and Koryo hand therapy. Susan is a Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Master and a certified instructor in Long White Cloud qigong.
Susan’s first career was as a respiratory therapist in hospitals throughout the US. She is recognized by the NBRC as a Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist and is quite comfortable working with babies and children. She is familiar with the standard medical treatments and medications and will work with your doctor to optimize your care.
Her special interest is reproductive issues including infertility, pregnancy and childbirth. She works closely with many couples who wish to enhance fertility naturally or who are undergoing assisted reproductive techniques. She works in cooperation with fertility clinics in Georgia and Tennessee.
What do you do besides acupuncture?
- Acupressure, with finger or tool pressure on the acupuncture points can be used at home to treat your own pain
- Assisted stretching to loosen tight areas
- Cupping, where a slight suction is applied to tight muscles with a plastic or glass device
- Cosmetic acupuncture may be used to slow signs of aging, brighten skin tone, reduce fine lines, firm loose skin, and soothe eye bags or dark circles
- Electro acupuncture/TENS/EMS, where a small pulsating electrical current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles to treat pain, spasm, and paralysis
- Guided meditation for relaxation and calmness
- Gua Sha, where the skin is stroked by a round-edged instrument, bringing blood flow to the affected area
- Herbal medicines are in stock for common complaints, or I can order those for your specific needs. Herbs are not included in the treatment pricing.
- Moxibustion, where herbs are burned over an area of skin, or directly on the needle to help with pain and inflammation
- Qigong instruction in gentle moving meditation exercises for your complaint
- Reiki transfers universal energy through the practitioner’s palms to stimulate self-healing
- Shiatsu, a type of Japanese physiotherapy, where stimulation is applied over a wide area, with fingers, thumbs, palms, and elbows to relieve tightness and pain
- Topical liniments, balms, or salves may be applied during your treatment to soothe painful areas
- Tui Na involves plucking, rolling, and pinching of the skin and underlying tissues to alleviate tension and knotted muscles
How does it work?
Stimulating acupuncture points activates the flow of endorphins and other hormones that soothe pain and regulate bodily processes. Brain imaging scans show that acupuncture affects areas of the central nervous system that mediate blood pressure and body temperature, gastric motility, and more.
How many treatments will I need?
For acute problems, like a twisted ankle, you may only need a couple of treatments if you are normally in good health.
For chronic conditions like degenerative arthritis, sciatica, or stubborn allergies, 7-12 treatments are usually needed to start seeing lasting effects.
I will teach you the tools you need to reduce the frequency of treatments required, by making dietary adjustments, showing you exercises and recommending other techniques that may be beneficial for your complaints.
How does acupuncture differ from dry needling?
MYTH #1:
DRY NEEDLING IS NOT
ACUPUNCTURE
FACT:
Dry needling techniques are a subset of techniques used in orthopedic or
myofascial acupuncture systems. Dry
needling uses acupuncture needles,
and originators of dry needling identify
it as acupuncture. This said, not all
techniques being promoted as dry
needling would be considered safe
and competent by trained acupuncture
practitioners, and the public should be
wary.
MYTH #2:
PHYSICAL THERAPISTS ARE
QUALIFIED TO PERFORM
ACUPUNCTURE/DRY NEEDLING
BECAUSE THEY HAVE ADVANCED
KNOWLEDGE AND TRAINING IN
ANATOMY
FACT:
While physical therapists are highly
trained experts in their field of physical
rehabilitation, their education does not
effectively include invasive techniques
that penetrate the skin surface nor the
vast body of information on using
needling therapeutically. Licensed
acupuncturists must have a degree from
an accredited acupuncture school that
requires more than 1300 hours of
acupuncture specific training for
entry-level competency. This includes
anatomy relevant to safe acupuncture
practice and supervised clinical training.
Licensed acupuncturists also receive 450
hours or more of biomedical training. The
applicant must subsequently pass five
national psychometric exams to ensure
minimal competency in needling, while
the physical therapy community is
promulgating entry into this field with
as little as 12-27 hours of unaccredited
coursework. This level of disparity in
training is likely to lead to patient injury.
Additionally, the lack of standards is
leading to the rapid expansion of a
practice likely to harm more patients
than help them.
MYTH #3:
DRY NEEDLING HAS DEFINED
STANDARDS TYPICAL OF A
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL PRACTICE.
FACT:
There are no objectively determined
standards of education, curriculum,
standardized national examination, or
requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities
(KSAs) in place for dry needling. There
are no standards for clinical mentorship. In
short, there is no current definition of the
practice referred to as dry needling and
no standardized system of demonstrating
either minimal competency or safety.
MYTH #4:
DRY NEEDLING IS BASED ON
ANATOMY WHILE ACUPUNCTURE IS
BASED ON ENERGY
FACT:
Classical acupuncture theory is based
on the observation of humans in their
environments, and treatment theory
therefore reflects real-world situations
that lead to injuries or illnesses that are
identical to those observed in modern
medicine. While classical theory
organizes real-world information about
the body differently than western
science, it nonetheless describes the
same organism with the same pathologies,
and therefore bases diagnoses and
treatments on anatomy which are
compatible with western models.
Mechanistic models of acupuncture’s
effects have been researched along
with the effects of acupuncture needle
stimulation on the nervous system,
muscles, and connective tissue. Acupuncture
channels reflect clinically observable and
anatomically relevant interrelationships
between body structures, including
kinematic relationships.
MYTH #5:
DRY NEEDLING USES TRIGGER
POINTS—POINTS THAT ARE
UNIQUELY SENSITIVE TO TOUCH;
ACUPUNCTURE DOES NOT
FACT:
It has been estimated that 95% of trigger
points correspond to acupuncture points.
“Ashi point” needling is acupuncture
trigger point needling, and this is
described in Chinese medical texts dating
from 200 BCE – 200 CE. For over 2000
years, Chinese medicine has treated
these painful areas with acupuncture, tui
na massage, heat, cupping, gua sha, and
other methods. Trigger points are not a
new discovery.
MYTH #6:
DRY NEEDLING INVOLVES DEEP
INSERTION WHILE ACUPUNCTURE
DOES NOT
FACT:
Many acupuncture points are needled
with deep insertion technique. Each
acupuncture point has specific indications
for how it should be stimulated, and both
shallow and deep techniques are used on
many points.
MYTH #7:
THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
PROVIDES EVIDENCE SUPPORTING
DRY NEEDLING BUT NOT
ACUPUNCTURE
FACT:
Meta-analyses of acupuncture data
received for a total of 20,827 patients
from 39 trials conclude that acupuncture
is effective for the treatment of chronic
pain, with treatment effects persisting
over time. Acupuncture is currently one
of the most widely studied medical
interventions, and much of the literature
used to justify the clinical legitimacy of
dry needling is drawn from acupuncture
research studies.