Meet Beth Shirilla, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist
Beth is a Montana native who grew up in Missoula and received an undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Montana.
She spent five years in Portland, Oregon at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) studying various healing modalities including acupuncture, fire cupping, gua sha, Zen shiatsu massage, and Chinese herbal medicine. She had very rewarding experiences assisting patients going through acute drug and alcohol detox via an externship at the Hooper Detox Stabilization Center, and working with the aging population at the Hollywood Senior Center (both in Portland).
She is delighted to be back in her hometown to share her knowledge and skills with the community. When she's not treating patients, Beth loves to take advantage of the hiking trails all over the Missoula valley and snuggling her kitties.
What Do We Treat?
Acupuncture is effective at treating the symptoms of a wide variety of conditions. Some examples are listed below.
Pain
Examples include: sports injuries & fractures, repetitive stress injuries, arthritis, residual pain from shingles, migraines, headaches, and more.
Dermatology
Examples include eczema, acne, rosacea, hives, allergies, and shingles.
Insomnia & Fatigue
Examples include trouble falling asleep, troubling staying asleep, waking up not feeling rested, and low energy.
Mental/Emotional Support
Examples include feelings of stress and anxiety, loss, grief, pandemic fatigue and malaise. We do our best to be trauma-informed practitioners.
Digestive Disorders
Examples include nausea and vomiting, low appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and irregular bowel movements.
Sexual and Reproductive Health for All Genders
Examples include menstrual pain or irregularity, fertility support, prenatal and postpartum care, ED, prostate and genitourinary issues, and more.
Testimonials
What to Expect
Helpful Tips
Not all conditions require access to all parts of the body for treatment. A great deal can be done with points below the knees and elbows. It is helpful to wear comfortable pants that can be pulled up above the knees and shirts that provide easy access to the arms. If we need to access the back, hips or other parts of the body, appropriate draping will be provided at all times.
It’s a good idea to have a small snack an hour or so prior to receiving acupuncture so that there’s a little something in your stomach, but not a huge meal.
Caffeine can make some people more sensitive to needling sensation, so if you are concerned, avoid caffeine on the day of your treatment.
Following acupuncture, stay hydrated and plan to rest and allow your body to integrate and continue its healing process. Light exercise is fine, but don’t plan a big exhausting excursion or work out. Drink a little extra water and let yourself rest. Avoid alcohol.
Please do not wear scented products when you come for acupuncture. We have patients with chemical sensitivities and scents can linger in the air and exacerbate their health conditions.
Your First Visit
Your first acupuncture treatment will be a lot of talking and a little bit of treating. We will discuss your chief complaint and perform a medical history and assessment. There will be a lot of questions about how all of your body systems are functioning so that we can start to see the complete picture surrounding the main complaint.
We will discuss how acupuncture can help and give an estimate of how many visits it will take to address the complaint and at what points we expect to reevaluate our progress. We will do an initial treatment so we have an idea as to how your body will respond to acupuncture (because everyone is different).
Follow up treatments will be a much shorter talking time and much longer treatment time until we reach a reevaluation point.
But I'm Afraid of Needles! What Will it Feel Like?
Acupuncture needles are unlike most needles you have encountered before. They are made of very fine, flexible stainless steel with a tip that is designed to pass through the skin with minimal pain and bleeding. A dozen or more acupuncture needles could fit into the smallest hypodermic needle. They come prepackaged and sterilized for safety.
There are a variety of sensations that one can expect when getting needled. Many times, the patient does not feel the needle going in at all. Sometimes other sensations can be felt including a feeling of heaviness or pressure, a spreading feeling, or a deep ache. Most of the time, the feeling will diminish after a few moments and the patient won’t be able to feel the needle in place.
A sharp, persistent pain is not a normal or expected feeling and should be reported to your acupuncturist immediately so they can adjust the needle or replace it with a different needle. It is important to lay still (unless otherwise directed by your practitioner) once the needles are in place so that they remain pain free.
If you truly do not want any needles, there are other treatment options such as acupressure, cupping, gua sha, and shiatsu. We will discuss this at your first appointment.
Contact Info
Address
800 Kensington Ave, Suite 204
Missoula, MT 59801
Call or Text
406-540-8354