About Cambridge-Somerville-Medford Acupuncture Clinic
The Cambridge-Somerville-Medford Acupuncture Clinic is in Somerville bordering Cambridge, Medford, and Arlington, MA.
It is a general clinic that treats various chronic conditions. It offers a full range of traditional Chinese medicine therapies
including: acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tuina massage and selfcare healing exercises. It has a full service herbal medicine
pharmacy that provides 300 plus Chinese herbs.
It has an open herbal pharmacy and reception area in the front, seven spacious treatment rooms in the back
and a small outdoor herb garden in the backyard. The tranquility and peace makes this clinic feel like an oasis amidst the busy
and bustling urban activities of Cambridge and Somerville.
In addition to treatment of general chronic conditions, the office has
five speciality treatment programs:
Anxiety, Depression & Stress
Chronic Pain & Injury
Fertility & Women's Health
Sports Injury
Holistic Rehabilitation
Therapies
Over 5,000 years Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has evolved complex methods of
diagnosis and treatment tailored to the individual's subtle patterns of disharmony.
This allows it to not only treat fully manifest diseases, but also to assist in maintaining
health and balance (i.e. wellness) to prevent illnesses from occurring. There are
six major modalities in TCM:
Acupuncture: Needle on an acupoint
Massage therapy: Tuina (or called Anmo)
Moxibustion: Burning an herbal stick placed above an acupoint
Cupping: Vacuum suction cups on the skin (near acupoints)
Herbs: Herbal Medicine (fighting diseases), Dietary Supplements (seasonal adjustment)
Therapeutic exercises: Tai Chi, Qi Gong and many others
As a comprehensive TCM center on the Cambridge-Somerville-Medford line, Chi Wellness Clinic
offers services in all six modalities and their optimal combinations.
Acupuncture
involves the insertion of hair-thin needles into specific points on the body.
There are as many as 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body (though only approximately 350 acupoints
are commonly used), which are connected by 20 meridians (channels and collaterals).
Most people feel only a minimal amount of pain as the needles are inserted. When
practiced by a licensed practitioner, acupuncture is extremely
safe and does no harm. It can treat many health conditions and also bring total
relaxation to the mind and body.
An acupuncture session usually takes 30-45 minutes. Patients will need a thorough diagnosis
first. Most patients are treated once a week; some are treated up to three times per week.
We expect patients to feel some relief of symptoms after a couple of sessions. Due to many
variables, it is difficult to predict how long it will take for acupuncture to cure a particular
health condition.
Acupatch
is an adhesive patch with a metal pellet, which can stimulate an acupuncture point
without penetrating the skin. Acupatch is effective in its own right. It acts more slowly
than acupuncture and it is more effective for shallow acupoints, such as on the ear.
The advantage of acupatch is that patients can massage those acupoints themselves,
thus relieving certain symptoms on demand. We usually use acupatch in conjunction with acupuncture.
For patients who do not like needles, acupatches may be used without acupuncture.
Acupatch is effective for headaches, pain relief, weight issues and various addictions
(smoking, drinking, substance abuse). An acupatch session takes about 10-20 minutes.
Patients need to visit the clinic twice a week.
Cupping
is carried out by placing an oxygen-depleted glass cup on the skin. The vacuum,
which is created by a burning taper placed briefly inside the cup prior to its placement
on the skin, stimulates the flow of Chi and blood in the cupping area. Cupping therapy can
be performed as an alternative to acupuncture. The cups are placed over acupuncture points, but
they treat a larger area of the body. At Chi Wellness, cupping is usually used in conjunction with
massage or acupuncture when needed. A cupping session takes about 20-30 minutes.
Herbal
formulas consist of a combination of herbs. There are 150,000 formulas recorded in
Chinese medicine. Herbalists prescribe formulas specifically tailored for a particular patient
and a particular medical manifestation of a condition. Here, Chinese herbal medicine has an
advantage over other types of herbal treatments. Herbal remedies are effective for many health conditions
and have few side effects when prescribed by qualified practitioners.
Patients will need a thorough diagnosis before being given a prescription (a combination of 5-20 herbs).
A prescription is used for 1-2 weeks before patients are reevaluated. Chi Wellness is still
in the process of building a pharmacy of 200 kinds of herbal extract powders. Meanwhile,
we provide our patients with herbs in raw forms (requiring brewing) or powder forms through
other quality herbal pharmacies in Boston.
Tuina Massage
therapy is called Tuina (meaning push and pull) in China. The Tuina therapist manipulates
the energy in the body by kneading the points along the Chi meridians. There are four main method
schools in Tuina, encompassing about twenty techniques. One is Acupressure, which relies on fingers
to stimulate acupoints. Tuina is used for relief of pain, headache, injuries, stress, insomnia,
poor digestion and irritable bowel syndrome. During the Tuina session, especially those of one hour or
longer, patients get into a state of tranquility and total relaxation. Patients feel rested
and yet energized afterwards. The therapeutic effects of Tuina often last for days and up to a week.
Our form of massage is deep, strong and precise. During the first visit, we recommend customers
with chronic aches and pains to have a whole body massage, which takes approximately one hour.
In the first session, our therapist will survey and diagnose sore points throughout the body,
and systematically relieve pain. Our treatment will not only treat pain being felt at the moment,
but also expose and treat hidden pain. The latter may cause future injuries and health complications
if not treated properly. It is particularly effective to combine therapeutic Tuina with acupuncture
therapies. During, or shortly after the session, customers may experience some soreness, which should
not cause any alarm or require any medications.
Reflexologyis a form of therapeutic massage in Tuina that is applied to the feet or
head. According to Chinese medicine, the feet or head reflect health conditions of
various parts of the body. Reflexology massage can promote overall wellness and
relieve stress, headaches, strains and pains. Reflexology massage is strong, but
more refined than whole body massage. Patients feel light and energized
afterwards.
Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese exercise, combines martial arts with Chi-Gong (or Qigong) breathing
techniques. Tai Chi is a serious yet gentle workout that brings a unique state of tranquility.
Tai Chi's therapeutic benefits include stress release, relaxation of mind and body, relief of
aches and pains and improvement of strength, flexibility, balance and coordination.
Tai Chi exercise requires regular practice. Average students may expect to gain
therapeutic benefits after 3 to 12 months of practice.
Our Neighborhood
Chi Wellness Cambridge-Somerville Clinic, on 368 Medford Street, is 2 miles from Massachusetts General Hospital,
55 Fruit Street, in Boston. Nearby medical centers include:
Somerville Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
McLean Hospital
Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge Hospital
Please note Chi Wellness Clinic is an independent organization and is not
affiliated with the medical centers mentioned above)
Within walking distance are Somerville City Hall, Lechmere Mall, Union Square and Davis Square.
It is a short distance from Tufts University, MIT and other universities.
As a neighborhood clinic, we offer acupuncture, Tuina massage therapy, herbal medicine and
Tai Chi classes to residents of Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, and Arlington.
Transportation
Public Transit
MBTA Subway Green Line E: Heath Street Station, Boston - Lechmere Station, Cambridge
Closest Stop: Lechmere Station
Tranfer to Bus #80 or #88 (see below)
MBTA Subway Orange Line: Oak Grove Station, Malden - Forest Hills Station, Jamaica Plain
Closest Stop: Wellington Station, Medford
Transfer to Bus #90 (see below)
MBTA Bus #80: Arlington Center, Arlington - Lechmere Station, Cambridge
Closest Stop: Medford St & Thurston St, Somerville
Stop in front of the clinic
MBTA Bus #88: Clarendon Hill - Lechmere Station
Closest Stop: Highland Ave & School St (Somerville City Hall)
Stop one block away
MBTA Bus #90: Davis Square, Somerville - Wellington Station
Closest Stop: Highland Ave & School St (Somerville City Hall)
Stop one block away
Map for Cambridge Somerville Acupuncture Clinic