Why Community Acupuncture?

Oct 25, 2017
3 min read

Although acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, it is just starting to become mainstream in the Western world. Traditionally, acupuncture uses tiny filiform (solid) needles to move and balance the energy in the meridians of the body. Modern day acupuncture is still is based in this theory and has a lot to do with energy work, but it is much more than that. Modern day acupuncturists have a strong understanding of how the body works. They study anatomy and physiology extensively while working toward their acupuncture degree (which is a 3 year, full time, Master's degree, by the way!). Acupuncturists can integrate into any healthcare team, because while practicing primarily Eastern medicine they are also well versed in Western medicine and can easily communicate with doctors and other healthcare professionals about your care.

The problem here is that acupuncture is still making it's way into the healthcare system here in the US. This means that insurance companies are not required to provide coverage for acupuncture. This is a problem. Why? Insurance companies cover medications and doctors visits most of the time, if you are in pain, sick or just had surgery, doctors can prescribe the usual pain medication or antibiotics. But what if those don't work for you? What if you get bad side effects from pain meds, or don't want to risk getting addicted to them as you have a family history of addiction? What if the antibiotic you are taking makes you sick and then you feel worse than when you started? What are you supposed to do now? Your doctor can prescribe you a different type of pill, change the dosage and what not, but there has to be another way. Acupuncture is an integrative medicine that can treat almost any condition. It is so important for people to have options when it comes to their health. If they don't want to take medication, they should have some other alternative, and acupuncture can be a very good choice for a lot of people. Some insurance companies are starting to cover acupuncture, which is great, but not all. As an acupuncturist and healthcare professional, I want everyone to be able to experience acupuncture and have it as an option for their healthcare needs.

So,

how can community acupuncture make this work? Community acupuncture is a model of practice where people are treated in a large room in recliner chairs or massage tables. This style is actually much like how acupuncture is practiced in China. You see, here in the US acupuncture is made out to be more of a "spa-like" experience, but it's really not! While acupuncture treatments can be very relaxing, they are actually a medical treatment. In China, doctors who practice acupuncture can see hundreds of patients a day. While community acupuncturists aren't quite there yet, we can see several patients per hour, as we are not limited by having private rooms. Being able to see more patients per hour lets us lower the cost per treatment. Having treatments at a lower cost, in turn, allows the patient to complete a full course of treatment (which is typically 6-10 treatments), without having such a large financial burden to worry about.

Many community acupuncturists use a sliding scale price model. This means that there is a range for the cost of treatment and the patient chooses where they pay in that range. While people may be confused by this at the beginning, many people grow to appreciate this model as it allows them flexibility in their spending. For example, at Essence follow up treatments are $25-45, if you usually pay $40 for your treatment but one week you had to get a repair done to your car and were short on cash, you could choose to pay $25 this week instead. If we didn't have the sliding scale model, you may have had to cancel your appointment, which could have set you back in your course of treatment.

Essence Community Acupuncture and Herbs aims to provide quality acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine at a price that everyone can afford. We try to keep our prices in the range of what a co-pay would cost with insurance coverage, but without the hassle of trying to deal with insurance companies. Please visit our website at www.essenceacuherbs.com or call our office (508-947-6408) for more information on how acupuncture can help you! New patient visits are sliding scale $50-75 and the appointment is 90 minutes.

Check out our community treatment room !