Frequently Asked Questions

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care - an art, science, philosophy and practice of diagnosing, treating and preventing disease. Naturopathic medicine's techniques include modern, traditional, scientific and empirical methods. Six principles of healing form the foundation for naturopathic medical practice. Naturopathic physicians are general practitioners who have been licensed in Oregon since 1927. They use a variety of therapies in the prevention and treatment of disease, including herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathy, bodywork, and lifestyle counseling.

Naturopathic physicians must complete an intensive four year graduate program from one of the five accredited naturopathic medical schools in North America. View a detailed description of the naturopathic course of study. During the first two years students undertake coursework similar to an allopathic (MD) student, focusing on modern basic and diagnostic sciences such as anatomy, physiology, pathology and biochemistry as well as courses in naturopathic philosophy and hydrotherapy. The third and fourth years are spent focusing on individual modalities like nutrition, herbal medicine, manipulation and homeopathy in addition to more specialized coursework such as gastroenterology, cardiology, and gynecology. The latter three years are also when naturopathic medical students receive their clinical training in the schools' outpatient teaching clinics. By graduation Naturopathic students will have completed a total of over 4,500 hours of classroom and clinical work. Click here to view a comparison of naturopathic and conventional (allopathic) medical education.

As general practitioners of natural medicine, Naturopathic physicians treat the full spectrum of medical conditions.

According to classical Chinese medicine, there is an abundant flow of “life energy” (Qi) throughout the human body. This vital energy originates from the organs and flows through channels called meridians. When the energy flow is smooth and in balance, a person is healthy. When a pathway becomes blocked or there is a shortage of energy in the meridian, illness or pain results.

A practitioner of Chinese medicine addresses disharmony or imbalance within the meridians. Acupuncture alleviates and removes obstructions in the channels and supplements a decreased energy flow, resulting in the restoration of the body to its natural state of balance. The healing that results is often so effective that patients find other symptoms and problems resolved.

Acupuncture is done with extremely thin, flexible needles. You may experience brief discomfort as the needle pierces the skin, sometimes followed by minor soreness or a drawing sensation. As the energy around the acupuncture point changes, there may be numbness, heat, dull aching or tingling. The experience is overall relatively painless.

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in China safely. It is still the treatment of choice for over a quarter of the world’s population despite years of comparison to western medicine. Here at Bloom Natural Healthcare we use pre-sterilized, disposable needles and clean the area of the skin with alcohol prior to the insertion of the needles. Side effects are rare and minor.

Your practitioner will conduct a thorough examination and take an extensive medical history to assess both physical and emotional health. The examination will consist of the practitioner feeling the pulses (there are 12 in the Chinese system), examining the tongue and palpating the channels. All of this information is distilled and analyzed in the framework of Classical Chinese medicine in order to arrive at the proper individualized diagnosis.

The diagnosis of each individual determines the selection of points and herbs. Each Chinese herb and acupuncture point has specific functions. When the treatment is applied, a specific and predictable effect results.

Depending on the problem being treated and your prior condition, you may experience a wide range of sensations. The treatment goal is the restoration and balance of the body’s Qi. Because your body releases endorphins during the treatment you will experience a new sense of relaxation and well-being.

Small, localized bruises from minor bleeding under the skin are infrequent, but do happen. These are no cause for alarm, and despite the cosmetic inconvenience, they actually provide a kind of bonus treatment. The reabsorption of the blood continues the stimulation of the acupuncture point even without the presence of the needle.

The average treatment lasts about 20-30 minutes, but can go up to as long as 45 minutes, depending upon the problem being treated. Office visits can take up to an hour and a half for the initial visit, and an hour for follow-up visits. We encourage patients not to schedule so tightly that they are stressed out about the time during their appointment.

Some conditions are improved with one visit, whereas other treatments will involve multiple visits. On average, with weekely treatment a condition should show some improvement within 8-12 visits. If you do not see any improvement during that time, it may be appropriate to re-evaluate with the doctor whether or not to continue in treatment or seek other conjunctive health care treatments.

Each patient is unique. Some people find their symptoms relieved after a single visit whereas others need four or five treatments before they notice benefits. Generally four to ten treatments alleviate symptoms; more visits may be required to eliminate the underlying systemic imbalance. While a specific problem is being worked on you may visit your acupuncturist once or twice a week, gradually reducing the frequency to once or twice per month. To simply maintain good health, you may limit your treatments to once every season.

Before receiving a treatment you should have something light to eat and drink. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Do not come under the influence of alcohol, caffeine or recreational drugs.

Traditional Chinese medicine is very effective for chronic conditions and routine health problems, especially those that don't seem to respond to Western remedies.

Classical Chinese medicine is very effective for chronic conditions and routine healthcare problems, especially those that do not seem to respond to Western remedies. Thus many conditions can be treated. Among the most responsive are: musculo/skeletal problems such as sciatica, low back pain and arthritis; circulatory problems like high or low blood pressure, cold hands and feet; nervous system imbalances, especially anxiety, nervousness, sleeplessness or depression; asthma, allergies and sinus problems; and digestive disorders including Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, diarrhea and constipation. In addition, we often treat headaches, vertigo, sports and stress injuries, skin problems, immune system disorders, fatigue, chronic pain and side effects from chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Acupuncture has been found to be especially useful for detoxification from addictive substances such as drugs, alcohol, caffeine, cocaine, heroin and cigarettes.

An area of special interest to the practitioners at BNH is the treatment of infertility. See our Fertility page for more information.

Women's issues respond especially well to Chinese Medicine: menstrual disorders such as PMS, irregular or heavy periods, cysts and fibroids, endometriosis, as well as the symptoms that accompany menopause. To learn more about menopause click here

Acupuncture can also be a useful adjunct to any weight control program. Click here for more about TCM and Western medicine for weight control.

Acupuncture can be helpful in the prevention of disease by improving the patient's state of well being through energy balance. In this way the stresses of everyday life are more easily handled and minor health issues can be resolved before they become more deeply rooted problems

Please ask the front desk when scheduling your first appointment if your Insurance is covered through Bloom Natural Healthcare. It is likely that if your Insurance provider covers Acupuncture or Naturopathy, that BNH will be able to bill your insurance directly or provide the documentation necessary for your reimbursement. Leave your ID # and/or Group ID # as well as your Insurance Provider’s name and we will contact them directly prior to your appointment.

Yes. Modern medical wisdom suggests that we combine what is useful from each source. This is the case in China today. The students of medical schools in China learn 60% Chinese and 40% Western medicine and can apply both after training. Because Chinese medicine addresses the underlying cause of a condition rather than just the symptoms, it is often helpful to treat conditions generally unresponsive to western drug-oriented treatment. Examples include PMS, headache, vertigo, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, etc. Conversely, some conditions, most notably bacterial infections and conditions with structural changes, e.g., fractures or tumors, respond more rapidly to Western techniques.

Very frequently the two methodologies can be combined to the patient's greater benefit. Here are some examples:

• In the treatment of high blood pressure, acupuncture and herbs, along with dietary salt-restriction, can decrease the amount of anti-hypertensive medication required for blood pressure control.
• This approach also works for respiratory conditions like asthma in which the Chinese medicine allows the patient to decrease dependence on steroidal inhalers
• Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are used successfully to offset some of the side-effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea, fatigue and a weakened immune system, during the treatment of cancer or AIDS.
• An exciting area of treatment for us at Bloom Natural Healthcare is our Natural Fertility Management and Preconception Healthcare Program. In this instance we can use Chinese medicine alone, or in combination with Naturopathy and fertility promoting medications, as indicated by the patient's age, medical history, etc

In summary a pragmatic, broad-based approach that acknowledges the strength of each kind of medicinal modality, allows the choice for the best treatment options available to each individual patient.

Modern research shows that conditions such as miscarriage, low birth weight, premature birth, sub fertility, infertility, malformation, breast-feeding difficulties, hyperactivity, asthma, poor immunity, eczema, learning disabilities and other birth related issues are often times completely preventable.

Preconception healthcare is only effective if optimal time is given for sufficient restoration of nutritional status, removal of toxins and improvement overall reproductive health is addressed before conception occurs. Preconception healthcare involves proper diet and nutritional supplementation, detoxification, stress and lifestyle management.

Improvements in general health as well as reproductive health will increase throughout the preconception preparation period, during which time a deeper understanding of the signs and rhythms of your own fertility will occur. Optimization of general and reproductive health increases your chances of a healthy conception with each passing month. A minimum period of 4 months is recommended for both parents to participate in the Preconception Healthcare program before conception is attempted in order to allow for the maturation and formation of both the eggs and sperm in a healthy, non-toxic and nutrient rich environment. This will ensure the optimal health, wellbeing and success of the mother and child in pregnancy, delivery and post-partum care.

It is difficult to predict how long each individual couple can expect to wait before experiencing a failed or successful pregnancy. The Preconception Healthcare Program is a minimum of 4 months depending upon adherence and individual couples health factors.

The following guidelines may prove helpful to you along the process:

• In general Natural medicine works gently over a period of time to balance and correct any chronic disorders you may be experiencing.
• As your treatment progresses, additional factors affecting the overall outcome or diagnosis and chosen individualized therapies will become clearer and more evident with time.
• In a committed and stable treatment situation, we generally suggest that if there is no successful outcome after 6 months of attempting conception another adjunctive medical option should be considered.
• Preconception healthcare should be done in consultation with a healthcare practitioner that specializes in Fertility management and Reproductive healthcare.

Choosing a Natural approach to fertility is definitely the safest and most empowering method of achieving a healthy conception currently available. In most cases of infertility, a Natural medical approach offers a chance of success that is equal to or greater than any other form of treatment that involves the use of drugs and/or surgery.

Conceiving a child is a very special though often unconscious event in life. If you are planning to have a child, then the methods and understanding which you will gain from using a natural fertility approach will enrich your whole experience- physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

At Bloom Natural Healthcare we are dedicated to helping a woman who desires children to become pregnant and subsequently supporting her through the pregnancy.

Acupuncture as it is practiced today is a safe, comfortable and cost effective treatment for many of the health problems that commonly develop in pregnancy. Pharmaceutical medications are often contraindicated during pregnancy which further highlights the safety and efficacy of acupuncture during this fragile time. It is important to receive acupuncture from a well trained practitioner who specializes in Fertility Management because there are some acupuncture points that are traditionally forbidden to do during the nine months of gestation.