NBC News Features VUIM Clinic

News4’s Aimee Cho takes us inside Virginia University of Integrative Medicine where they’ve seen an increase in cancer patients wanting to try acupuncture.

Savor Culinary Services and the Center for the Healing Arts began working together in November. Although the connection between healthy eating and acupuncture is relatively unknown, the relationship between the two is vital, said Jessica Correa, owner and licensed acupuncturist for the Center for the Healing Arts. “Food’s role with inflammation and reviving energy throughout the body, for example, directly correlates with acupuncture’s efficacy, she said.

Acupuncture treatment was shown to improve the health and function of key stabilizing muscles in the lower back for people with lumbar disc herniation. Using ultrasound imaging, researchers observed measurable improvements in muscle strength and activation that matched real-world benefits, including reduced pain and better mobility. The findings support acupuncture as a targeted, effective approach for low back pain and highlight ultrasound as a useful tool for seeing how treatment is working inside the body.