Your diagnosis is a starting point, not your treatment plan.
How is Dana's approach different from standard acupuncture?
Dana Scarton, L.Ac., treats the diagnosis you arrive with as a starting point rather than a protocol. Two people can come to The Zen Point with the same diagnosis and need completely different care: one person's jaw pain is driven by posture, another's by stress, and one protocol applied to both helps neither. Dana starts with what's happening, when it began, what makes it better or worse, what you have already tried, and what you want to be able to do again. The technique gets chosen after that.
What is electroacupuncture?
Electroacupuncture is acupuncture in which fine needles are connected to a device that passes a controlled electrical current through them. Dana Scarton, L.Ac., uses a precision device, the type she trained on across three years of study with the Electroacupuncture Institute, in roughly 70% of treatments at The Zen Point in Bethesda. Most patients describe a light pulse for a minute or two, after which the sensation fades while the current continues.
Why do you treat the nervous system on almost every patient?
Dana Scarton, L.Ac., treats the autonomic nervous system on nearly every patient at The Zen Point, usually at the vagus nerve in the ear or at the side of the neck, and repeats it across several treatments. A body held in fight-or-flight does not let pain settle easily, so treating the injury alone can leave a patient stuck. It is also one of the main routes to better sleep and calmer anxiety.
How many needles are used?
A typical electroacupuncture treatment at The Zen Point uses four to six needles, where standard acupuncture commonly uses twelve to twenty. Dana Scarton, L.Ac., works from a small number of carefully chosen points rather than covering a broad area.
How long does a treatment take?
Twenty-five to thirty minutes on the table for a typical treatment at The Zen Point. Follow-up appointments run 45 minutes in total. Your first visit is longer, 75 to 90 minutes, because it includes a full history and an examination alongside your first treatment.
Do you have to needle where it hurts?
No. Dana Scarton, L.Ac., trained in Dr. Tan's Balance Method and in the micro-maps of the body that appear in the ear and across the scalp, so at The Zen Point a painful left knee may be treated from a point in the left ear rather than at the knee itself. That matters when the injured area is too sore to touch, or when needling it directly has already been tried without result.
Can this help if physical therapy or other treatments haven't worked?
Often that is exactly why people come to The Zen Point. Dana Scarton's patients frequently arrive having already tried physical therapy, medication, rest or injections. Part of what she offers is a different route to the same problem: sciatica can be treated at the spine, at the buttock, from between the knuckles of the hand, or from the shoulder. If one route doesn't respond, the next one may. Dana will tell you honestly whether she thinks electroacupuncture is a good fit, and she will say so if she thinks it isn't.
What kinds of sports injuries and chronic pain does Dana treat?
Dana Scarton, L.Ac., treats three main groups at The Zen Point in Bethesda, Maryland. For athletes: tendonitis, shoulder and knee pain, rehabilitation that has plateaued, recovery between hard training blocks, and sleep and focus before competition. For chronic and neuropathic pain: sciatica, disc herniation, carpal tunnel, diabetic neuropathy, knee osteoarthritis, migraine, and low-back and neck pain. For neurological and complex cases: post-stroke and post-surgical recovery, Bell's palsy, long COVID, autoimmune presentations, and nervous-system regulation.
How many sessions will I need?
For chronic conditions, Dana Scarton, L.Ac., usually recommends two to three sessions a week at the start, so that treatment is given at a meaningful frequency rather than spaced too far apart. She will tell you what she expects, and over what timeline, before you commit. Plans at The Zen Point often include hydration, diet and supplement changes alongside the acupuncture.
Can this work alongside my doctor or physical therapist?
Yes. For selected complex cases, Dana Scarton, L.Ac., coordinates care with an orthopedic sports and regenerative medicine practice and a concierge neurological and cognitive care practice in the Washington area, so electroacupuncture can work alongside conventional care rather than in isolation. The Zen Point is also a common addition to an existing course of physical therapy.
