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.