Your first appointment includes a new patient intake and assessment, including both written and verbal audit of your current state of health, concerns, injuries, and personal health goals. Using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Kiiko Matsumoto Style (KMS) diagnosis techniques, Melissa will design an individualized treatment approach (e.g., acupuncture, cupping, targeted medical massage techniques, and/or supplement and herbal recommendations). Melissa will typically recommend a series of at least three treatments in a four week period for effective diagnostic and treatment protocols to be established, and then she can better determine a holistic approach to your care. All current COVID-19 precautions apply.

During follow up treatments, Melissa continues to address any ongoing injuries or conditions discussed during the initial visit. For example, a sprained ankle may show 50-80% resolution after a single treatment, but continued care is generally necessary to return to complete pain-free mobility. Many patients incorporate regular acupuncture visits, weekly or monthly, into their health care routine with great benefit to overall health and wellness.

Detailed follow up treatments are utilized in order to spend more time treating the body both front and back, to use multiple modalities such as cupping, guasha, and targeted massage, and/or simply for those who need more time during discussion or resting on the table. All current COVID-19 precautions apply.

It is not uncommon for recurring health concerns to be a combination of mental/emotional, physical, and spiritual/ancestral issues. Melissa offers holistic health coaching as a connection of the dots between your feelings and your healing. This is extremely supportive because unloading pent up energy releases so much of the strain from body and mind, and in Chinese Medicine, that equals pain relief!

The benefits of talk therapy are huge for mental health, and often including: reducing anxiety, depression, stress; increasing awareness of habitual behaviors and agency of action to change self-defeating cycles; sense of connection and belonging; developing healthy ways to manage emotions; and improving interpersonal communication.

Dr John Tsagaris coined the term “beauty acupuncture,” and was quoted in Harper’s Bazaar as saying “Beauty acupuncture noticeably regenerates the skin” by promoting the “production of new collagen and elastin” which are depleted as we age. Some of the indications for cosmetic acupuncture include but are not limited to: aging, acne, crow’s feet, frown lines, smile lines (nasolabial folds), scarring.
This cosmetic service includes an full body acupuncture treatment and targeted guasha facial massage to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and stimulate your body’s natural collagen production. Melissa utilizes natural, safer skincare products can provide recommendations for an at-home skincare regime specific to your personal beauty requests. Plan on a series of six treatments for best results.

Many chronic health conditions are caused by systemic inflammation in the body, and Melissa will often recommend nutritional supplementation or a complete metabolic reset program, depending on your needs.

Herbal medicine and dietary supplements can play a vital role in continued wellness. Herbal tinctures can be taken internally for prevention of illness, during an acute attack, and/or for chronic conditions. Melissa will often recommend and provide education for patients regarding the use of both internal and topical CBD products. Topical application of herbal products and and proper instruction on the use of myofascial tools can make a drastic difference in the recovery time after an injury or to combat chronic aches and pains.