These adjunctive therapies work alongside your acupuncture and dry‑needling treatments to enhance your body’s healing response. Each one is selected intentionally to support your body’s healing priorities.
Acupuncture works like a reset for the nervous system. It helps calm overactive nerves, reduces the release of inflammatory chemicals, and restores healthy communication between your muscles, joints, and brain. This is why pain decreases and movement improves so quickly.
Adjunctive therapies support this process by helping the body clear out what the nervous system just released. Techniques like cupping, Gua Sha, microcurrent, and Tui Na help:
- increase fresh blood flow
- bring oxygen and nutrients into tight or irritated tissues
- move out metabolic waste (like lactic acid)
- soften areas of tension or fibrosis
- support faster, more complete healing
Together, they create a more powerful and longer‑lasting result than acupuncture alone. Acupuncture resets the system; the adjunctive therapies help the body sweep away the debris and rebuild healthier tissue.
Skin Scraping-Gua Sha (also known as IASTM in physical therapy): 
Gua Sha is an ancient healing technique used by Chinese Medicine practitioners for thousands of years. It is recognized throughout Asia as a highly effective treatment for chronic pain conditions, neck and upper shoulder pain, stress, fatigue, and a host of other ailments.
What it does: First, oil is applied to the skin. I then use a smooth round-edged object to apply short brisk strokes to that area to increase circulation, release fascial tension, and move stagnant lymph or Qi. This creates red patches of skin (called “Sha”), detoxifying your blood and restoring the healthy flow of Qi (energy) to the area.
Dr. Michele may use traditional Gua Sha tools or stainless‑steel instruments Graston instruments depending on your needs.
There is no pain involved, and the Sha will fade in 2 to 3 days. But the sense of health and vitality you experience from it will last much longer.
How it supports your treatment: This technique helps reduce muscle tightness, calm inflammation, and encourage healthy fluid movement. When paired with acupuncture or dry‑needling, Gua Sha can accelerate tissue recovery, ease pain, and support nervous system regulation — especially in areas that feel tight, congested, or overworked.
Cupping (also known as Myofascial Decompression in physical therapy): 
Cupping has been a part of Chinese Medicine for over 2,500 years.
What it does: Cupping uses gentle suction to lift the superficial layers of tissue, increase circulation, and release areas of muscular tension or stagnation.
Afterwards there may be a cupping mark of local blood congestion, which may be light pink, red or purple. This will dissipate over a few days. The end result is a greater overall sense of health and well-being.
How it supports your treatment: By improving blood flow and reducing fascial restriction, cupping helps your body respond more effectively to acupuncture and dry‑needling. It brings fresh oxygen and nutrients into tight or irritated tissues while helping move out metabolic waste. This supports faster recovery, reduced pain, and longer‑lasting results.
Dolphin Neurostim™ & Microcurrent Point Stimulation (MPS) Therapy
What it does: MPS Therapy uses gentle, targeted microcurrent pulses to stimulate acupuncture and trigger points, calm the nervous system, and support cellular repair. It is especially effective for soft‑tissue pain, stress, anxiety, and scar tissue release.
How it supports your treatment: The Dolphin Neurostim™ blends principles of ancient Chinese acupuncture with modern neurophysiology. By applying microcurrent to precise points, it helps reduce inflammation, relax tight muscles, and restore healthy nerve and tissue function. MPS is frequently used for C‑section scars, breast surgery scars, and abdominal surgical scarring, where it can soften adhesions and improve mobility.
MPS can be used before or after acupuncture or dry‑needling to accelerate healing and enhance functional outcomes. Dr. Michele Arnold often combines MPS with dry‑needling, Tui Na, and Gua Sha to create a deeper, more comprehensive release.
Where it is used in your care: Dr. Michele Arnold often incorporates MPS into Pelvic Floor • Digestive–Hormonal treatments, using specific protocols designed to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, improve spinal perfusion, and gently prepare the body for deeper work. It can be used at the beginning of a session to prime the system, paired with dry‑needling or Tui Na for enhanced release, or used in place of facial needles during facial rejuvenation treatments for a gentler approach.
Why it’s effective: Clinical research shows that MPS Therapy can provide a 75–80% improvement in pain relief and functional outcomes, making it one of the most effective non‑invasive options for chronic pain and scar tissue remodeling.
Explore the full Dolphin MPS Therapy page → https://acupuncturecenterinc.com/dolphin-mps-therapy/
Sound Healing Tuning Forks
What it does: Tuning forks deliver gentle sound vibrations that help calm the nervous system, release tension, and support energetic and emotional balance. Although the vibration may feel similar to a light massage tool, tuning forks carry precise healing frequencies (such as 128 Hz or the Ohm 136.10 Hz) that the body absorbs and calibrates to — supporting deeper regulation than mechanical vibration alone.
How it supports your treatment: Sound healing can be used at the beginning of a session to shift the body into a parasympathetic “rest‑and‑restore” state — similar to the nervous‑system reset achieved with MPS Therapy. It can be applied along the spine, over acupuncture points, or during facial rejuvenation to enhance lymphatic flow and bone stimulation.
Where it is used in your care: Dr. Michele Arnold incorporates tuning forks into acupuncture and dry‑needling sessions when additional nervous‑system support or lymphatic movement is needed. Tuning forks are also a core part of her AromaTune method — a stand‑alone sound‑and‑scent healing session.
Explore AromaTune → https://acupuncturecenterinc.com/aromatune/
Tui Na Massage
What it does: Tui Na is a traditional Chinese medical massage that uses rhythmic pressure, stretching, and soft‑tissue techniques to release tension, improve circulation, and support healthy movement patterns. It works along the body’s meridians and muscle pathways to restore balance and ease discomfort.
How it supports your treatment: Tui Na helps relax tight muscles, mobilize joints, and prepare the body for deeper therapeutic work. When combined with acupuncture, dry‑needling, or MPS Therapy, it enhances circulation, reduces guarding, and supports a smoother, more complete release. It is especially helpful for areas of chronic tension, restricted movement, or stress‑related holding patterns.
Where it is used in your care: Dr. Michele Arnold often integrates Tui Na into Pelvic Floor • Digestive–Hormonal treatments, as well as facial rejuvenation and musculoskeletal sessions. It may be used before or after needling to warm the tissues, calm the nervous system, and support the Radiant Core’s natural healing response.
Energy‑Light Microcurrent (ELR & MEA)
What it does: Energy‑Light Rejuvenation™ uses gentle microcurrent combined with therapeutic color light to stimulate acupuncture points, support cellular repair, and improve circulation in the skin and underlying tissues. The Acutron device delivers precise, low‑level current that the body easily absorbs, helping restore tone, vitality, and balance.
How it supports your treatment: ELR can be used as a full facial rejuvenation treatment or as an adjunctive therapy between microneedling sessions. It gently activates facial acupuncture points without needles, making it ideal for patients who prefer a needless option or who benefit from additional lymphatic, muscular, or energetic support. The microcurrent helps lift and tone the tissues, while the color light therapy supports the nervous system, circulation, and overall skin health.
Where it is used in your care: Dr. Michele Arnold integrates ELR during facial rejuvenation sessions, between microneedling appointments, and occasionally within acupuncture treatments when additional energetic or tissue support is needed. Sessions typically last 20–30 minutes and provide whole‑body benefits, not just cosmetic improvements.
Explore Energy‑Light Facial Rejuvenation™ →
Essential Oils
What they do: Therapeutic‑grade essential oils can support relaxation, emotional balance, and healthy circulation. When used during treatment, they help calm the nervous system, deepen breathing, and enhance the sensory experience of healing.
How they support your treatment: Essential oils are often incorporated into AromaTune sessions and may be used during acupuncture or facial rejuvenation to promote grounding, reduce stress, and support the body’s natural healing response. Their aromatic compounds interact with the limbic system, helping shift the body into a more parasympathetic, restorative state.
Where they are used in your care: Dr. Michele Arnold selects essential oils based on your needs and sensitivities, using them to complement sound healing, tuning forks, and other therapeutic techniques. Patients who wish to explore essential oils at home can learn more on the Essential Oils page.
Learn more about essential oils →
