What I treat
I also treat shoulder, elbow and hip pain, headaches, neuropathy and insomnia, and I work with patients during and after cancer treatment. If you’re not sure whether your problem is one of them, ask on the free discovery call.
See everything I treat
You've tried everything, and you still plan your day around the pain. I combine medical acupuncture with classical Chinese medicine to find what keeps the pain coming back, and many people notice a change within the first treatment.
The 15-minute call is free. If acupuncture isn’t the right tool for your problem, I’ll tell you.
Who you’ll see
Most people who come to me for acupuncture have already tried a few things that didn’t hold. At every visit I check what changed since the last one and adjust the treatment to it.
About Dr. CaronWhat I treat
Each one has its own page with what I look for and the research behind it.
What you’re living with
An ache that’s worst when you first get up, and a back that goes out a few times a year.
How acupuncture helps
I needle the motor and trigger points driving the spasm, often a segment away from where you feel it, so a muscle that has guarded for months can release.
What you’re living with
A neck that won’t turn all the way, and a knot between the shoulder blades you keep pressing out.
How acupuncture helps
Needles in the neck and upper back release the muscles that have held your head in one position. Many people can turn their head further before they leave.
What you’re living with
Pain from the buttock down the back of the leg, and sitting makes it worse.
How acupuncture helps
I treat beside the spine at the irritated nerve root and the muscles tightened around it. Most people notice a change within the first few visits.
What you’re living with
Attacks that run your calendar, and rescue medication you take more often than you’d like.
How acupuncture helps
I treat for prevention, so attacks come less often and hit less hard. You should see a change in how often they come within the first several weeks.
What you’re living with
Stairs are harder going down than up, and the knee stiffens every time you sit.
How acupuncture helps
I treat the joint and the muscles guarding it, usually with light electrical stimulation. Getting out of a chair is often the first thing to get easier.
What you’re living with
Bloating after every meal, or constipation that fiber and medication haven’t fixed.
How acupuncture helps
Needles on the abdomen, legs, and back act on the nerves that set how your gut moves and how sensitive it is.
I also treat
If yours isn’t listed, ask on the free call. I’ll tell you whether acupuncture fits.
What a treatment is like
The treatment itself can be gentle or strong, and I set the intensity with you, based on your tolerance and on what the condition needs. If we use electrical stimulation at a motor point, you’ll feel a light rhythmic pulse rather than a shock.
I’ll tell you what to expect over the next day or two, because a mild, short-lived reaction is a normal part of the response.
Read about your first visitHow many you need depends on how long you’ve had the problem and how it responds. I’ll give you an estimate at the first visit.
Visits
1 and 2
You start to respond. Many people notice a change after the first or second treatment, and sleep is often the first thing to improve.
Visits
3 to 5
The window where most patterns respond. The improvement lasts longer between visits.
After that
6+
We space visits out to hold the result. If nothing has changed by the fifth visit, I’ll say so and suggest what to try next.
Typical ranges, not promises. Results vary from person to person.
What the research shows
39
Randomized trials
20,827
Patients
4
Chronic pain conditions
85%
Of the benefit still there a year later
Researchers led from Memorial Sloan Kettering combined the original patient data from 39 high-quality randomized trials covering back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache, and shoulder pain. For each condition, acupuncture reduced pain more than sham acupuncture and more than care without acupuncture, and about 85% of the benefit was still there a year later.
Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis
Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al. The Journal of Pain. 2018;19(5):455–474.
Read the studyTrial results are averages across groups of patients. Individual results vary.
The book
Thinking in Chinese Medicine: A Patient’s Guide to Acupuncture explains acupuncture in plain language, for people deciding whether to try it. I wrote it with Dr. Jordan Barber.
Questions
Something not covered here? Ask on the free discovery call.
The needles are far finer than the ones used for injections. You may feel a dull ache or a brief twitch when a needle reaches a tight muscle, and that twitch is often the muscle starting to release. Most people relax once the first few needles are in.
Yes. Every needle comes sealed and sterile, and it’s thrown away after a single use.
Come as you are. I keep shorts and t-shirts at the office, so there’s no need to change before you arrive or plan your day around the appointment.
Yes. Acupuncture works alongside medical care and physical therapy. Many of my patients are referred by their physicians and physical therapists.
A light tapping or buzzing through two of the needles, and you control how strong it is. I don’t use it if you have a pacemaker.
Eat something light beforehand so you’re not coming in on an empty stomach. Afterward you can go back to work or the gym as usual. A mild, short-lived reaction over the next day is a normal part of the response.
We’re out of network, so we don’t bill insurance directly. After each visit, we can send you a superbill, which is a receipt you can submit to your insurance company to request reimbursement. Whether you get anything back depends on your plan, so it’s worth checking with them before your first visit.
Pairs well with
For many patients I write an herbal formula alongside the acupuncture and adjust it as the pattern changes. It’s often what holds the result in place between appointments.
Herbal medicineWhere to find me
The practice is in the rear lobby of W72 Wellness. All visits are by appointment.
Get directionsUpper West Side
Start here
A few minutes on the phone will tell you whether it’s the right tool for your case, and if it isn’t, which one is.
If you already know you want to come in, book an initial visit.