
The needles are similar; the reasoning is not. Traditional Chinese acupuncture diagnoses by pattern — pulse, tongue and full case history — and treats the whole system, which is why it suits fertility, migraine, IBS and sleep. Medical acupuncture, or dry needling, works from a Western anatomical diagnosis and needles the muscle directly to release trigger points, which is faster for sports injuries and mechanical back and neck pain.
If your problem is mechanical and you can point to it, start with medical acupuncture.
If it is systemic, long-standing, or has no clear mechanical cause, start with Traditional Chinese acupuncture.
Yes, and for a lot of cases that is the right answer. Because our practitioners are trained in both traditions, the two can run inside a single sixty-minute appointment rather than being billed as separate treatments.