Common Roots Acupuncture

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Common Roots Acupuncture Josh Whiteley, RN, L.Ac.

Serving Tucson since 2010.

✨ Traditional Acupuncture
✨Advanced Dry Needling
✨Trigger Point Injections
✨Electro-acupuncture
✨Cupping & Gua Sha

09/26/2026

Bloodletting is one of the lesser-known techniques in Chinese medicine, and it’s probably very different from what most people picture when they hear the word. 🩸

The traditional technique, often called 刺络放血 (cì luò fàng xuè), uses a quick prick to release only a very small amount of blood, often just a few drops. In Chinese medicine, it’s used to help move what we describe as blood stagnation, especially when pain feels fixed, stubborn, or congested.

In this case, I’m using it as part of a treatment for plantar fasciitis. 👣 It’s not the only thing I’m doing, but it can be a useful addition alongside acupuncture and other local treatment when the presentation fits.

Sometimes the oldest techniques are also the ones people know the least about.

09/25/2026

That needle is on fire. 🔥 This is fire needling, a technique in Chinese medicine where a heated needle is inserted and removed very quickly. In this video, the practitioner is working on someone’s neck, an area where pain and stiffness can become especially persistent.

Traditionally, fire needling is used to bring warmth to an area, disperse “cold,” and move stagnant qi and blood. It reminds me of agnikarma in Ayurveda, which also uses focused heat for certain kinds of pain, though the techniques are different.

From a modern perspective, the needle and the brief pulse of heat both stimulate sensory nerves and create a local tissue response. That may help change how a painful area signals to the nervous system. We’re still learning exactly how much each part contributes, but it’s a fascinating example of how traditional practitioners approached chronic pain.

09/24/2026

I’ve been seeing a lot of colds and even Covid going around these last couple of weeks. This time. between the seasonal change is always a really vulnerable time for getting sick according to Chinese medicine, our bodies, defense mechanisms, how much more easily compromised. It’s a good time to be especially conscious about your health, washing your hands regularly, getting Acupuncture for your immune system, and being mindful of your stress and energy levels. You can also try this immune boosting acupressure point from master Nagano. Don’t get sick!

09/23/2026

Oh yes, it’s really happened!

09/23/2026

Your knee pain might not actually be coming from your knee. 👀

The quadriceps can play a huge role in how the knee feels and functions, especially when certain areas get tight, irritated, or stop firing well.

A few ways the quads can contribute:
• 🎯 Trigger points can refer pain directly toward the knee
• 🦵 Muscle inhibition can affect stability and sometimes contribute to that “buckling” feeling
• 🧭 Uneven tension through the quads can influence how the patella tracks
• ⚡ Dry needling can help target those tight or dysfunctional areas directly

So when I’m treating knee pain, I’m usually looking beyond the painful spot itself and checking the muscles that control the joint. Sometimes the source of the problem is sitting a few inches higher than you’d expect.

09/23/2026

In Chinese medicine, Blood is about more than what shows up on a CBC. 🩸 It’s considered a vital substance that nourishes the muscles, skin, hair, eyes, and nervous system, while also helping anchor the mind and support restful sleep.

When someone has signs of what we call Blood Deficiency, it can show up in a lot of different ways:

🌿 Fatigue or feeling easily depleted
😵‍💫 Dizziness or lightheadedness
😴 Trouble sleeping or a restless mind
💓 Palpitations or feeling more anxious
💅 Dry skin, brittle nails, or thinning hair
👀 Dry eyes or blurry vision
🩸 Light or irregular menstrual cycles
💪 Muscle cramps, weakness, or poor recovery

From a vegetarian perspective, building Blood means focusing on deeply nourishing foods with plenty of iron, protein, minerals, and supportive nutrients. Foods like lentils, beans, dark leafy greens, beets, eggs if you eat them, black sesame seeds, whole grains, and other nutrient-dense meals can all have a place. 🥬🫘🍠

These are a few of the meals I regularly turn to when I want something nourishing without relying on meat. And as always, persistent fatigue, dizziness, heavy bleeding, or other symptoms deserve a proper medical evaluation too. ❤️

09/21/2026

A broken wrist isn’t always just a wrist problem. 👋

Especially for someone like a massage therapist who depends on their hands and arms every day, I’m looking at how the entire upper extremity is functioning as a unit.

That means working through the whole chain:
• Shoulder and rotator cuff
• Rhomboids and upper back
• Supraspinatus and surrounding stabilizers
• Forearm flexors and extensors
• All the way down into the wrist and hand

In this session, I start with manual work to reduce tension and improve movement through the surrounding tissues, then layer in acupuncture and dry needling where appropriate. The goal is to help the arm move and function better as a connected system, not just chase symptoms at the site of the injury. 💪🪡

When one area has been immobilized or injured, everything above and below it can start compensating. Treating the whole chain can be an important part of getting someone back to using their arm confidently again.

09/20/2026

it’s not THAT bad. 😉

09/19/2026

That tiny needle is doing a lot more than it looks like. 🪡

When an acupuncture needle is rotated, the connective tissue around it can actually wind around the needle and create tension through the fascia. That mechanical input can be sensed by fibroblasts and other cells in the tissue, turning physical movement into a biological signal through a process called mechanotransduction.

At the same time, the needle is also stimulating sensory nerves and communicating with the nervous system. So when we treat pain, we’re often working on several levels at once: connective tissue, local cellular signaling, nerve input, and the way the brain and spinal cord process pain. ⚡️

It’s one of the reasons acupuncture is so interesting. Something that looks incredibly small on the outside can create a much bigger response underneath the surface.

09/19/2026

Yes, I’m cupping the bottom of the foot 😅 It looks a little unusual, but it can be a useful tool for plantar fasciitis.

Moving cupping creates a gentle lifting and gliding effect through the arch and plantar fascia. The goal isn’t to aggressively dig into a painful heel. It’s to reduce that tight, stuck feeling and help the tissue move more comfortably.

I also look beyond the heel itself:
• 👣 Tension through the arch
• 🦵 Calf and lower-leg mobility
• 💪 Foot strength and load tolerance
• ⚡ Acupuncture when appropriate

Sometimes the weird-looking stuff is the most effective.

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Tucson, AZ

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 1pm - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 3:30pm

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