Acupuncture Services
Awaken the Spirit LLC DBA
Awaken The Spirit Wellness Center

Acupuncure & Psychotherapy 
for the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Our Acupuncture Services

Dr. Sheri DePetro Uses the Following Therapies in Addition to Acupuncture:
  • Cupping
  • Electro-Acupuncture
  • Facial Rejuvenation
  • Far-Infrared Light
  • Gua Sha
  • Moxibustion
  • Cold Laser
  • Essential Oils
Health Conditions Treated with Acupuncture
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed acupuncture treatment for over 40 conditions, including but not limited to the following: Headaches, pain, stress, digestive disorders, depression, sleeping disorders, addictions, allergies, menstrual disorders and many more. Today we use acupuncture for many more conditions and research is growing. To learn about Evidence-based acupuncture, check out this fascinating 2017 article by Mel Hopper Koppelman, a Doctor of Acupuncture from the UK.
Cupping:
Cupping is an alternative medicine therapy that is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and has been used for thousands of years in various places across the world, with early medical texts indicating its use in not only China, but also in the Middle East and Europe (Egypt, Greece, and Finland to name a few places). 

The practice can be performed several ways, but the general method involves creating a vacuum (either by placing a lit cotton ball in the cup and removing it, or using a suction pump) in glass or plastic “cups”, and quickly placing them on the skin. The suction created by the vacuum in the cup draws the skin and superficial muscles into the cup slightly. Cupping is often done on the back, neck and shoulders but it can be done elsewhere on the body.

The effect is the loosening of tight muscles, the encouragement of blood flow (and release of “stagnant blood” held in muscles that are tight, as in muscles that are tight from underuse due to the guarding of pain).

Cupping therapy is also used to release “heat” from the body and can be a good treatment for a cold or upper respiratory illness. 

Depending on what the intention of the cupping therapy, the cups are then left in place, or they can be glided around by the practitioner, with the aid of massage lotion or oil on the skin to loosen the muscles. Patients often find this very relaxing. It also releases tension in the muscles where many people hold stress.

Electro-Acupuncture:
Electro-acupuncture (aka E-Stim) utilizes electric current passed between a pair of acupuncture needles. According to an article in Acupuncture Today, “in the United States, electro-acupuncture has been studied for a variety of conditions. It has been effectively used as a form of anesthesia; as a pain reliever for muscle spasms; and a treatment for neurological disorders….. There is also some evidence that electrical stimulation of acupuncture points activates the endorphin system, which could lower blood pressure and reduce heart disease”.

I use the HT-2 Dragon Wall therapeutic with acupuncture combination of warm needle and electric needle for pain, especially for back pain. The electrodes are attached to the needles from the machine and a small amount of electricity is passed through the needles.
Facial Rejuvenation:
Do you perform Facial Rejuvenation?
Yes, I have completed the Level I training with Mary Elizabeth Wakeman as well as training with Michelle Gellis.

How Does Cosmetic Facial Rejuvenation and Acupuncture Work?
Cosmetic acupuncture, otherwise known as ‘facial rejuvenation/acupuncture” increases collagen production, and blood and lymph circulation to the face and scalp. It may include very small needles, or non-needle techniques such as gua sha and cupping. In addition, the dermal roller is helpful to stimulate collagen production.
Cosmetic acupuncture prevents the formation of wrinkles, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and improves the process by which the skin regulates its quality and appearance. It helps restructure skin and relaxes facial muscles.
It stimulates the body’s ability to regenerate itself by accelerating anti-inflammatory activity and removing accumulative toxins from the skin.
Cosmetic acupuncture may help:
  • Wrinkle and forehead furrows
  • Frown lines and deep laughter lines
  • Sagging skin and drooping jaw line
  • Sagging muscles and crow’s feet
  • Drooping eye lids and eye puffiness or bags
  • Dark circles and dark/age spots
  • Facial skin rejuvenation
  • Oily, dry, dull skin complexion
  • Redness or blotchy skin tone
  • Facial acne, eczema, rosacea
Dermal Roller
Micro-Needle Dermal Rollers: At home treatment for wrinkles, stretch marks and acne scars. Article by Michelle Gellis

QUESTION: What do wrinkles, depressed scars and stretch marks have in common?

ANSWER: A lack of collagen! If your body would produce more collagen then you wouldn’t have them. As an acupuncturist who specializes in Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation I use skin needling as part of my facial rejuvenation protocol. Skin needling promotes the natural reproduction of collagen and elastin, making the skin feel smoother and tighter.
I am always looking for ways in which my patients can tend to their skin at home, between my treatments. While doing research on collagen formation and natural methods to improve skin thickness I discovered a device similar to a drum roller which is commonly used by acupuncturists to treat pain. This micro-needle device has 540 1.0mm needles on the roller instead of the pyramid shaped protrusions found on drum rollers. Knowing how effective my acupuncture needling treatments are for stimulating collagen I knew that this type of device would complement my treatments perfectly. Typically, my patients come to see me once a week until they achieve desired results and then spread their treatments out to once a month for maintenance. This roller would enable them to accelerate their results and to also work on areas, not limited to the face.

As a health professional I am able to offer these class one medical devices to my patients and the public, for home use. Most commercially available microneedle rollers only contain 170 needles. The Acu-lift™ rollers I offer have 540 needles, this creates more channels on the face, and finer lines can be addressed, such as lines around lips and crow’s feet.

The Acu-lift™ Microneedle Skin Dermal Roller is ideal for diminishing the signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles, reducing acne scars, large pores, and smoothing out stretch marks. Clinical studies have shown that microneedle dermal rolling can be just as effective as ablative treatments such as laser resurfacing, dermabrasion and chemical peels or non-ablative treatments such as IPL™, Fraxel™, or CO2 laser in stimulating elastin and collagen production.1,2,3

How does the Acu-lift™ dermal roller work?
Skin Needling promotes the natural reproduction of collagen and elastins, making the skin feel smoother and tighter. This process thickens the skin, erasing wrinkles and smoothing scars of all types. The Acu-lift™ Microneedle Roller uses 540 extremely fine needles, which penetrate the skin just enough to stimulate collagen and elastin production. Skin Needling stimulates the body’s natural wound-healing reaction to produce natural collagen. In one study biopsies taken from 10 different patients demonstrated an average increase in collagen and elastin fibers of 206% in one case a 1000% increase was recorded.

Another advantage to micro-needle rollers are the increased absorption rate of topically applied products. The Acu-lift™ roller creates micro-channels which aid in infusing therapeutic serums for better penetrating the skin and increasing overall efficacy. South Korea, Europe, and U.S. clinically-conducted studies have shown that the Roller can increase serum absorption by as much as 1,000 times. 1,2,3

Does it hurt?
Not at all, the FDA approved devices causes no pain and is quick and easy to use.

What about downtime?
The Acu-lift™ Roller is significantly more “skin friendly,” than similar invasive and expensive skin treatments. The roller leaves the epidermal barrier fully intact, and the micro-channels created by high-quality fine needles fully close within just a few hours after initial application. New collagen structures are formed within the skin’s lower layers, without the downtime or the commonly encountered risks and negative side effects in dermabrasion, chemical peeling, and laser-resurfacing. The roller will leave your skin thicker and younger looking.

How can I buy a dermal roller?
You may purchase a dermal roller from Sheri DePetro.

Cosmetic Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture Research
Research has shown that acupuncture stimulates the flow of blood and energy through the skin in the face, thereby hydrating, boosting the skin’s supply of nutrients and oxygen, and thus reducing the signs of aging.


2. Clinical Study: MTS (Microneedle Therapy System), 5-Month Study; Dr KB Joon, Department of Dermatology, Dongguk University, S. Korea (2006)

3. Collagen Induction Therapy Comparison (IPL vs Micro-Needling); Drs HS Moon, SE Kim, DS Ko, AY Lee, Dep. of Dermatology, Eulji University School of Medicine and Dongguk University, S. Korea (2006)
Gua Sha Treatment:
Gua sha involves repeated pressured strokes over lubricated skin with a smooth edge. It brings the sha (red rash) to the surface, thus releasing pathogens, blockages and pain. According to Wikipedia, “Gua sha involves repeated pressured strokes over lubricated skin with a smooth edge, often jade or water buffalo horn instruments. The smooth edge is placed against the oiled skin surface, pressed down firmly, and then moved down the muscles or along the pathway of the acupuncture meridians, along the surface of the skin, with each stroke being about 4–6 inches long. This causes extravasation of blood from the peripheral capillaries and may result in sub-cutaneous blemishing called ecchymosis, which usually takes 2–4 days to fade. Sha rash does not represent capillary rupture as in bruising, as is evidenced by the immediate fading of the markings, and the rapid resolution of sha as compared to bruising. The color of sha varies according to the severity of the patient’s blood stasis—which may correlate with the nature, severity and type of their disorder—appearing from a dark blue-black to a light pink, but is most often a shade of red.”
Far-Infrared Light: 
Far-infrared light technology utilizes a TDP mineral lamp. The premise of the lamp is that the far-infrared (below visible light) emissions increases micro-circulation and loosens fascia to accelerate the natural healing processes of the body.

The BioMat is also an example of Far-Infrared technology. 
Contact us today for acupuncture services!
410-747-9743
Sheri accepts most insurance plans, such as Carefirst, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, (Maryland, Blue Choice and Federal), Aetna, Cigna and Johns Hopkins Healthcare
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