What is acupuncture?

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a fully functional and complete medical system that has been in use for thousands of years. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine benefits the physical body as well as the emotional body; acupuncture has been widely studied in its abilities to heal and address both physical and emotional issues.

The needles used are very thin, sterile, single-use and solid rather than hollow, unlike 'blood draw' needles. It's been said you can fit multiple acupuncture needles into the hole of a blood draw needle! Because of these qualities, there is rarely pain upon needle insertion. Once in, the needles are generally retained for 15 to 45 minutes depending on the situation.  Many people become so relaxed they can fall asleep on the table.

Acupuncture stimulates the body’s immune system, pain reception and innate healing abilities. Scientifically, it has been proven to release neuropeptides and endorphins to relieve pain without the negative side effects of pain killers and other drugs. 

Acupuncture has been proven to effectively address many health issues of mind, body and spirit.

Does it hurt?

Rarely is acupuncture associated with pain. The needles are very thin and solid, and do not cut the skin like a hypodermic needle does. Occasionally there is a moment of insertion pain but it fades quickly, generally within a second or two.

What is it good for?

Acupuncture can help with: 



What about placebo? Do I have to believe in it for it to work?

No. Acupuncture is not faith healing. You do not have to believe in it for it to work! We value skepticism and encourage questions for deeper understanding. We also ask our patients to keep an open mind as  change and healing results happen from our treatments. As much as placebo is a force to be considered, so is Nocebo, being unable to take new experiences into account and being unwilling to change your mind, allow or acknowledge when experiential benefits have occurred.  As Stefen likes to say, "Always a skeptic but never a fanatic".

Do you take insurance, HSA, or Medicaid?

Insurance is tricky. There are many plans across many companies. Until the insurance companies have a unified answer, we take payment at time of service and give you a receipt that has all the information you will need to send in to your provider. If your plan covers acupuncture, your insurance company should reimburse you.

HSA; Yes, HSA and flexible spending accounts cover acupuncture and are accepted at our clinic.

Medicaid; Another tricky one. Current government feelings toward acupuncture are narrow. If you're on medicaid, give us a call and we can discuss what Medicaid does and does not cover.

If financial considerations prevent you from seeking help from us, please call and we can explore payment options. 

How long does it take to work?

Many people notice relief with the first treatment. Some symptoms may resolve completely after one treatment, while others can take a little longer. Acupuncture can be accumulative and works much like physical therapy, or going to the gym; some issues may take a series of treatments to resolve completely. Each treatment is building off the previous one and supports your body to optimal healing. 

How often do I need to come in?

It depends on if we're doing a band-aid or really fixing the problem. Generally we start acupuncture patients out on a one to three times per week schedule and then start tapering off as soon as we are seeing some real changes that are lasting-usually withing 4-6 treatments.Then we move to once per week, every  other week, onto once per two weeks, then once a month etc, as the condition resolves.

In the longer term, expect to enjoy tune ups once every month or two, or as needed! Our bodies all tend in certain directions.