In order for Dr. Lu to gather as much information about your health status, you should refrain from using any of the following for 24 hours prior to your visit: lotion, make up, pedicure and manicure, perfume or cologne as well as scented oils. Added chemicals in these products can mask your body’s natural fragrance, making it challenging to establish an accurate diagnosis. Additionally, please refrain from meat consumption, alcohol and sexual intercourse as all of these can alter your body’s natural state. Please do not bring any food or drinks to your visits at Dr. Lu’s Nourishing Life clinic. Only water is allowed.

Your first appointment with Dr. Lu begins with a comprehensive assessment of your current health concerns and past health history. Dr. Lu uses Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnostic techniques including but not limited to pulse and tongue diagnosis, as well as hand, feet and ear examinations as many organs in the body are reflected onto these areas according to both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Buddhist Healing philosophy. This interview takes 50 minutes, and may include a treatment depending on the concerns presented. Once Dr. Lu gathers all of your pertinent health information he will design an individualized treatment protocol for you.

Dr. Lu’s Nourishing Life herbal inventory is comprised of high quality, clean, organic Chinese Herbs. Dr. Lu only works with small organic farms in China to supply the Nourishing Life dispensary. He sources his herbs from Buddhist or Daoist monasteries, or from small coop farmers that he connects with personally. These farmers are skilled in traditional cultivation methods that take generations to perfect. Dr. Lu employs a full time professional Chinese herbalist who lives in China and visits the U.S. several times a year. She maintains Dr. Lu’s Nourishing Life herbal pharmacy. Along with Dr. Lu, she oversees production, quality control, harvesting and preparation of the herbs used in our clinic. Our herbs are raw or freshly powdered and contain no fillers or anti-caking agents. The herbal formulas in the Nourishing Life repertoire are superb, and originate from the monastery where Dr. Lu was trained. These formulas have historical validity in that they have been used effectively for hundreds of years, and they have also been tested extensively in modern day medical clinics in China. Dr. Lu also prepares customized herbal blends for his patients as needed.

Dr. Lu has an association with the wonderful organic herbal company, Gaia Herbs. He has been working with them on coordinating larger scale organic sourcing for a new project that is nearing completion; Dr. Lu’s Hot Beverage. Stay tuned…

At Dr. Lu’s, we believe that diet and nutrition are a fundamental aspect of self care and of great importance in achieving and maintaining wellness. In accordance with TCM wisdom, we advise eating in harmony with the seasons, and eating the correct amounts at the correct time of day. As part of your treatment plan, Dr. Lu will recommend a diet that is advisable to support your healing process from a TCM perspective. We provide dietary consultations to help educate and support our clients in transitioning to healthier habits. We encourage our patients to learn how to cook delicious and nourishing meals! We have an array of simple, healthy, balanced Nourishing Life recipes that are available through our ‘member login’ page. Dr. Lu also has a variety of seasonal and customized herbal blends that can be added to food to enrich the flavor and healing benefits of your meals.

As Dr. Lu says, “the most important thing is how you treat yourself! The goal of self care is for you to eat well, sleep well, poop well, manage stress well and not overindulge.” We believe it is important to establish a good self care regimen, including regular times for meals, sleep, walking and meditation. Dr. Lu will recommend qi gong exercises, reflexology and/or acupressure self massages for you to incorporate into your daily routine to promote healing. Dr. Lu says “The key is consistency, do a little bit every day”.

A reminder email will be sent 48 hours prior to your scheduled appointment.
Please note that we do not make reminder phone calls.
Currently our clinic does not participate with health insurance companies.
Health savings accounts (HSA) and Flexible spending accounts (FSA) commonly cover acupuncture treatment as a medical expense. We can provide receipts for HSA and FSA reimbursement.
We accept all major credit cards, HSA and F
SA cards, personal checks and cash.
Initial consultation with Dr. Lu: $180 Follow up visit with Dr. Lu: $180
Follow up visit with practitioners: $120

The purpose of this cleanse is to promote digestive and liver cleansing by optimizing the body’s natural detoxification methods. The elimination component of the cleanse allows the body a break from common inflammatory triggers, enabling the body’s healing process.
To learn more, please see https://youtu.be/TKd6iVyHrNc?si=f5r4nSF9_TpL-t8V

Yes! Patients elect to see Dr. Lu for preventive health, integrative health or when nothing else has helped them. Many patients are referred to Dr. Lu by their primary care physician, or someone on their healthcare team. Acupuncture is extremely compatible with western medical therapies and can be a wonderful way to complement your current treatments. Herbal treatments can also accompany traditional Western medicine provided that they are compatible. We encourage you to have open dialogue about your care at Dr. Lu’s office with your primary care physician. Dr. Lu works professionally with many allopathic physicians in the area, thus enabling many of his patients to have optimal health.

Some patients experience immediate alleviation with the first treatment, however every person responds uniquely and each condition is treated individually. The frequency and duration of your visits vary according to the nature of the health concerns. Additionally, many factors contribute to your progress including lifestyle considerations such as diet, sleep and stress levels, your general health and past health history, as well as whether your concerns are of an acute or chronic nature. Usually, a series of treatments or herbal tea are necessary to resolve a condition. Once Dr. Lu determines your health needs, he will design an individualized protocol for you to address your health concerns.

Weekly treatments are commonly recommended when first beginning under care. Depending on how readily a patient responds to treatment, frequency will be graduated to every 10 days or 2 weeks, and subsequently to monthly visits. Once a stable state of health has been achieved, Dr. Lu may suggest a self care routine for you to maintain your health, and recommend that you come in to see him periodically for a wellness check up.

Yes! Children respond very well to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Children who are apprehensive about acupuncture can be treated without needles using acupressure, gua sha or cupping. Dietary guidance and gentle herbal formulas can be used. In our practice, we also teach parents acupressure massages that they can do at home with their children to promote general wellness and/or address specific health concerns.

Yes! Acupuncture is considered to be very safe when performed by a properly trained practitioner. Not only is it safe, it works! The most common side effect of acupuncture is minor bruising or irritation at the insertion site of the needles. This will generally resolve quickly. In very rare instances, there have been reports of needle breaks, organ puncture, or fainting. Some people will feel a little light-headed or tired after treatments, but this too will be temporary, and usually only occurs in the first few treatments.

With acupuncture and cupping the goal is the same; to unblock and regulate the flow of qi in an acupuncture point. When the qi in the channels is flowing freely, the organs and systems can function properly, and an improved state of health can be realized. Cupping is considered to be more yin by nature, acupuncture is considered to by more yang by nature. While cupping has more of a detoxifying effect on the body than acupuncture, both techniques are immuno-regulatory.

The color of the marks left by cupping is representative of the stagnation present in the point. In TCM, blockages to acupuncture points are caused by qi and/or blood stagnation. Cupping works to clear these blockages. The darker the points are after cupping, the more they are benefiting from treatment! Over time as the points are cupped therapeutically, the darkness of the marks will diminish significantly. This represents an objective sign of improvement; a lessening of qi and blood stagnation.

In some cases, clear or yellowish colored blisters may result from cupping. Though these blisters may look painful and worrisome, they are quite easy to treat and typically will resolve after a few days. Blisters are formed as a result of excess amounts of toxins and fluid build up in the body. A study conducted by the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine found that fluid contained in cupping blisters had several proteins which relate to the activation of immune pathways and tissue repair. As blisters can be sensitive, we do our best to manage the intensity and duration of cupping so as to regulate the healing process while ensuring efficacy of treatment.

Some of our procedures include foot reflexology. At the beginning of these treatments we start with a foot soak. Soaking the feet in water for 5-10 minutes warms, softens and opens up the acupuncture points and the 6 meridian lines of the feet, readying them for thorough treatment. Soaking the feet in hot water is also detoxifying to the body, as toxins are able to leave the body through the feet.