FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW CAN I AFFORD TO TREAT YOU FOR SUCH A LOW PRICE?
It’s true: if I charged these fees within the normal acupuncture practice structure, I’d be a Bag Lady on the streets in 35 days.. But if I charge really low fees to everyone who came in and shared the same treatment room in the same hour, WITH ENOUGH HOURS FILLED I’d be able to pay expenses, plus my living expenses. It’s also true that if I gave each patient all the special extras that I normally provide in a one-to-one treatment, I would lose money. My solution is to give Community Acupuncture to several patients at the same time, using a lean, stripped-down practice model. This means no frills, no extras, nothing fancy, even though I know how to do all these things.
(Don’t worry, your points will be custom-tailored for you alone. Community acupuncture does not mean needling everyone with the same point locations.) If I think that you need moxa, I can teach you how to do it yourself, at home. If I think that you need herbs, you can choose to buy them.
My office has no phone, and I work exclusively through my mobile phone. I carry full liability insurance, and am fully licensed and credentialed by state and national agencies. I spend a lot of money on my education, learning more about Chinese medicine and nutrition, and at the same time, learning about western medicine! I think these expenses are more vital to giving you good service than having a second phone.
DON’T YOU NEED FRONT OFFICE HELP WITH SO MANY PATIENTS?
Yes, I do. But until I can afford to hire someone, I use a system that is self-serve. Each patient who comes in will have a special envelope in the front office put aside just for them. They will also place their payment for the day into that envelope. The envelope, once filled, will go into a gray metal lockbox on the wall (there’s a slot on top of the box).
As for scheduling, I have a clipboard on my desk of the current weeks and available times to come in. Each patient checks for a time they prefer, and pencils his or her name into the spot. Then you can take a piece of paper to write your time down, as a reminder to take with you.
I do invite people to volunteer as front office help. Please speak to me about this if you are interested.
WHAT IF EVEN YOUR SLIDING SCALE FEES ARE TOO HIGH?
Sometimes people are so tapped out from being very sick for a long time, they have no resources. I don’t want to turn away anyone for lack of funds. But this is not a charity. I ask for value given in exchange for my services. My sliding scale fee schedule is based on your income. Even if you are not working, you may have disability income, or social security. I don’t know of any public agency in this county that gives free acupuncture, which is a shame. But if you have absolutely no money, here is what I suggest.
You must be committed to getting well, and willing to do the work. This is a fundamental requirement of all patients who come to this clinic. While you have no income, you can do several things to get well. I can give you a short consultation where I can suggest lots of ideas for self-healing while you are getting together the minimum amount for a first treatment. Please make an appointment to see me for this if you are in this situation.
ISN’T GROUP ACUPUNCTURE NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS PRIVATE ACUPUNCTURE?
According to what I have been reading, hearing (from colleagues who are pioneering this kind of clinic), and experiencing, it is just the opposite. The feeling of community while relaxing into your treatment is increased tremendously. As people do things as a group, their collective energy seems to generate far more energy that they could alone, added up. Because we ask for respectful silence in the sacred healing space, patients can feel their space is intact, and not violated. At the same time it is comforting to feel that others who have suffered as you have are in the same space, too, working to heal themselves. In addition, Community acupuncture allows you to have more treatments, more often, so that you can heal faster.
WHAT IF I HAVE VERY PRIVATE CONCERNS, OR NEED ONE-ON-ONE TREATMENT?
This is why you would want private treatments, and there are plenty of acupuncturists in town who would love to help you as a private patient. If you cannot afford their fees, and you don’t need extensive counseling, you might want to try this clinic, to see if you can fit into the community model. A table is available for patients who need to lie flat during treatment, or really need to get back or abdominal treatments, if I think it is necessary. Because there is only one table, however, it is not always possible to guarantee that you will be treated on the table.
Somatics (see the Somatics button on the home page) lessons and Foot Reflexology, which can only be done one at a time, are offered privately, at higher cost than Community fees.
WILL YOU CHANGE ANY OF YOUR POLICIES SOON?
Since this is an evolving business model for me, I expect to find out from time to time where I’ve not planned or organized well enough. I expect to make minor changes. These will be posted as soon as the policy is about to change. In addition, YOU may see where I can make improvements, and I encourage you to let me know your ideas. Since making the decision to go Community, my patients have not only been supportive, they have contributed with many great ideas to the making of this clinic.
WILL PATIENTS DO ANY DISROBING?
The clinic has one massage table and three recliners. Patients who get treated in the recliners need only roll up their pants and sleeves to receive acupuncture. Patients who need back points needled will usually disrobe and get into a clinic gown. Folding floor screens will give you enough privacy for changing.
For patients who need a cold or flu-prevention treatment, I will ask that you wear a tank top or garment where I can needle your uppermost back points. In thirteen years of practice no patient of mine has ever caught something from another patient in my clinic.
HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN TO SCHEDULE MY NEXT APPOINTMENT?
If you have a chronic condition, you will initially need to see me twice a week for the first two weeks. After that, once a week may be enough.
But if you have a serious or painful condition, I may ask you to come in three or even four times the first week. We may resolve this kind of problem quickly enough to move you into a less-frequent schedule after the first week.
WHY DO I NEED TO COME SO OFTEN?
 Your first acupuncture treatment will begin to change the strength of the illness by helping your immune system. If we allow too many days between treatments, the old pathological pattern has time to reassert itself and pull your body back into old, unhealthy patterns. We want you to come often enough at first to create a strong momentum toward healing.
Another, very important, consideration is the underlying causes of your problem. This is best illustrated by an iceberg. As you can see, in the photo at the left, most of the iceberg isn’t visible above water level. What you do see, above water level, represents the complaint that patients bring in when they make an appointment (back pain, rash, indigestion, fatigue, etc.) They don’t realize that their problem has most likely been a long time in the making, from poor living habits, perhaps, or poor diet, or prolonged stress, or severe childhood illness or infections. The older you are, the larger the iceberg, and the larger the bottom part that is submerged under water. So even when you are feeling fine, if I think you still need to continue treatments for a while, it is because I am addressing the hidden part of your ailment.
WHAT CAN I DO AT HOME SO I DON’T NEED SO MANY TREATMENTS?
Lots. Ask me how, and I’ll be happy to tell you the many ways you can help to get well faster. I have so many options that you probably won’t be able to do them all, but don’t let that discourage you from trying a few of them, for starters!
SHOULD I STOP TAKING MY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS IF I GET ACUPUNCTURE?
By no means should you assume that you’re not going to need your medications anymore. Your western primary care physician is in charge of prescribing and monitoring your medications. If you are interested in reducing or even eliminating your dosage, speak to your physician about this. I will be more than happy to work with your physician to reduce your dependence on medications, but the decision to go off these meds is between you and the prescribing physician.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE TREATMENT?
The needles inserted into your skin and muscle will communicate with the flow of Qi in your body. Think of this flow similar to freeway traffic, as it flows through invisible lines throughout your entire body. If the flow is stuck, you may feel a strong sensation at first, like a warmth, or tingling, or distension, or even a sharp sensation, as if there is a nerve involved. Occasionally the needle will reach a hidden capillary, which will give up a drop of blood when the needle is removed. The initial sensation commonly feels like a mosquito bite, although some people say that they feel nothing at all.
If you are nervous and anxious about being pricked, it’s likely that the sensation will be magnified somewhat, but we can always reduce the sensation by breathing deeply.
When the needles are working, the flow of Qi in your body is being affected, so that your deficient areas are being filled, and your excess (or stuck) areas are being released. This means that you’re being balanced and harmonized, so that your body can begin to heal itself. You may feel temporary sensations in parts of your body where there are no needles. This is normal. It just means that the Qi is reorganizing itself.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE TREATMENT?
You may feel sleepy and tired. Or you may feel energized. You may feel light-headed when you first stand up, so you should take your time getting up, and give yourself time to get accustomed to your new internal balance.
The points continue to “work” even after the needles are removed. For this reason, I caution patients to abstain from eating or drinking for 20-30 minutes after treatment, so you can take full advantage of the treatment.
You may find instant relief up to 95% in the first treatment, but normally it takes about three sessions before you can say that the pain is almost gone. Most patients feel calmer and more peaceful after the treatment. If you do not feel any change at all, it may be that your body will need several treatments before the Qi can move. Normally acupuncturists recommend six treatments before coming to any conclusions about your condition.
As for pain relief, some patients find that they feel wonderful about 24 hours after leaving the office. Others feel better within the hour. And others find that they gradually improve little by little, with each succeeding treatment.
Some patients find that their relief lasts only an hour, the first time. If they return within the week, they may find the second treatment more powerful than the first, and lasting longer. Acupuncture is cumulative, that is, its results build up with each treatment, especially when they are close together.
SHOULD I CALL YOU IF I NOTICE ANYTHING AFTER THE TREATMENT?
Sometimes there is what we call a “healing crisis”, when you seem to get worse! If you wait a few hours, you may find that the symptoms fade away, and you end up feeling terrific. For some conditions it seems that it is necessary for the person to experience the symptoms of their disorder before they disappear. If this discomfort lasts longer than a few hours, please call the clinic and arrange to see me soon.
If you find a bruise where a needle had been inserted, it is because a blood vessel was punctured accidentally, and will last only as long as a normal bruise. It often helps to rub this area, to encourage normal blood flow there.
Another interesting result of these treatments is that while the chief pain is being treated, the reduction of pain in that area will make the patient aware of another part of the body that is in pain. This may lead you to think that the pain is migrating all over the body, and that we are ‘chasing” it with acupuncture. More likely, the reduction in pain allows you to realize that other parts of your body are also in pain.
SHOULD I CANCEL MY APPOINTMENT IF I HAVE A COLD?
If you are coughing and sneezing a lot, it isn’t a good idea to share your cold with others in the same room, so I suggest that you reschedule for a different time or day. Usually, people coming down with a cold can get treated within the first 20 hours, and they can benefit from treatment without endangering anyone else. Acupuncture can do much to make you feel better and make the cold last a shorter time. If you can get treated within the first 24 hours of your cold, you may not have to lose any “down time” at all from cold or flu
HOW LONG WILL I NEED TO SEE YOU FOR MY PROBLEM?
Acupuncture helps with almost any problem. The length of time it takes to resolve the problem differs, and depends upon several things: how long you’ve had this problem, how easy it will be for you to avoid the conditions that caused it, and how old you are.
During the first visit, I may be able to estimate how many times you will need to get treated. If it’s a tricky condition, I may need a week of treating you to determine how long it will take. It’s safe to say that acute conditions (that only recently started) are easiest to vanquish. Chronic conditions are much deeper-seated, and will require more treatments to get desired (and sustained) results.
It is common for acupuncturists to recommend six treatments before we can say whether or not acupuncture is a good choice for you. This is a cautious and prudent approach, although we can also say that many people feel better within the first two treatments.
IS THE TIMING OF THE TREATMENTS IMPORTANT?
The more time you give your condition to get started, the harder it will be to eradicate. If you suspect that something is wrong, we recommend that you come for help immediately. If the condition seems potentially serious or painful, three treatments in the first week is recommended. The nature of acupuncture healing is like learning a skill, or building a wall: the more often you apply yourself to it, the better the result. Practicing a new skill once a week, or working on the wall once a week will not only take much longer to reach a level of satisfaction, it will take more work in the long run, because of the lost momentum during the intervals.
This clinic was created with the desire to give you a chance to come frequently, if needed, so that you can get well in a shorter period of time. Once you feel well again, we always recommend follow-up treatments spaced farther apart, to encourage you to continue your new healthful ways of living and to build up your immune system for protection against future problems. Our goal is to get you well and to keep you well.
HOW SHOULD I DRESS FOR MY TREATMENTS?
Usually you will not need to take off anything except jacket, shoes, and socks. Avoid wearing pants or sleeves that cannot be pushed up to the knee and elbow, as many of the points used are located in the legs and feet, and arms and hands.
WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL AN APPOINTMENT?
Broken appointments can be costly to both practitioner and patient, in terms of wasting a slot that could have been filled with someone who needed to come in at that time. As a courtesy to both, we ask that you give the clinic at least 24 hours notice if you need to cancel. Less than 24 hours's notice warrants paying full price for that appointment, even if you cannot keep it. The same policy applies to appointments when the patient simply does not appear at the scheduled time.
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