Acupuncture & Eastern Medicine for Chronic Conditions in Yarmouth, ME

You’re not imagining it — and you’re not alone

If you’re living with chronic pain, fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues, or a constellation of symptoms that don’t fit into a single diagnosis, you’re not alone. Many people with complex, inflammatory patterns are told their labs are “normal,” their symptoms are stress-related, or that they’ll need to learn to live with it. Conditions like Epstein-Barr virus reactivation, Lyme disease, mold illness, long COVID, fibromyalgia, IBS, suspected autoimmune disorders and chronic fatigue syndrome often fall into this gray zone — where people feel awful, but answers are hard to come by. At River’s Edge Acupuncture, we work with people who are navigating these murky, frustrating health experiences and are looking for thoughtful, whole-person care.

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How acupuncture and Eastern medicine support chronic conditions

From an Eastern medicine perspective, these conditions are not treated as isolated diagnoses, but as patterns involving immune system dysregulation, chronic inflammation, nervous system stress, and impaired healing capacity.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may help by:

  • Modulating the immune system and inflammatory signaling

  • Regulating the nervous system, shifting the body out of chronic fight-or-flight

  • Improving circulation and cellular repair, supporting detoxification pathways

  • Supporting digestion and the gut-immune axis, which plays a central role in systemic inflammation

  • Addressing viral persistence or post-infectious patterns described classically as lingering “pathogenic factors”

Modern research suggests acupuncture can influence inflammatory cytokines, vagal tone, HPA axis regulation, and pain processing — all highly relevant in conditions like long COVID, fibromyalgia, IBS, Lyme disease, mold-related illness, autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, and post-infectious fatigue. Herbal medicine is often used alongside acupuncture to support immune balance, address lingering pathogenic factors, restore energy production, improve sleep, and strengthen resilience over time.

These conditions are complex and often layered. Chinese medicine does not aim to “override” your body, but to help restore its capacity to regulate and heal.

Case example (anonymous)

A patient in their early 40s came in after years of post-viral fatigue, digestive issues, and widespread pain following a tick-borne illness. They reported feeling dismissed by multiple providers and overwhelmed by conflicting treatment plans. Over several months of consistent acupuncture and individualized herbal support, they noticed gradual improvements in sleep, digestion, and energy stability. While not a linear process, they described feeling more regulated, resilient, and able to engage in daily life again.

Care at River’s Edge is intentionally slower, deeper, and more individualized than standard acupuncture visits.

This work is especially well-suited for people who feel they’ve “tried everything” and want customized care that sees the whole picture and the whole person.

90-minute initial sessions allow time to fully understand your history — including infections, stressors, environmental exposures, and prior treatments

Root-cause oriented diagnosis using East Asian medicine frameworks

Acupuncture treatments designed to calm the nervous system, reduce inflammation, and support systemic regulation

Customized herbal medicine when appropriate, with careful attention to sensitivity and tolerance

Lifestyle and nervous-system support integrated gently and practically

Frequently Asked Questions

Can acupuncture and eastern medicine help if I don’t have a clear diagnosis?
Yes. Many people seek care specifically because conventional testing hasn’t provided clear answers. Chinese medicine focuses on patterns of imbalance rather than disease labels.

Do you treat infections like Lyme disease, mold illness, or long COVID directly?
Yes, if it supports your root disharmony. When an active, persistent, or latent infection is suspected or already identified, Chinese medicine can directly treat the pathogenic factor itself using acupuncture and herbal medicine — even when testing is inconclusive or unavailable. We do not perform diagnostic testing, but we work alongside existing labs and diagnoses while addressing the immune dysfunction and inflammation that often allow infections to persist.

How long will it take for me to feel better?
People usually see relief within weeks to months of consistent weekly care. While it always depends on the length and severity of symptoms, you might notice quality of life improvements sooner than others, such as sleep regulation and mood stabilization, as we are treating you as a whole person.

Serving Yarmouth and the greater mid-coast Maine area

River’s Edge Acupuncture proudly serves patients from Yarmouth, mid-coast Maine, Brunswick, Freeport, Falmouth, and the greater Portland area. Many of our patients travel to us seeking deeper, more individualized care for complex chronic conditions.

Ready to feel supported?

If you are struggling with a systemic inflammation, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, post-viral symptoms, autoimmune disease, IBS, fibromyalgia, or another complex condition and want thoughtful, integrative support, we invite you to connect.

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