Does It Hurt?
This is a very common question. Many people associate needles with pain from prior experience. We think of blood draws and injections, or accidentally pricking ourselves with a pin. These things can be painful! Acupuncture needles, however, are very thin – not much thicker than a human hair – and they are solid, not hollow, and very flexible. We are not injecting anything in or drawing anything out. Often, people are amazed that they don’t really even feel them. Having said that, some people are more sensitive than others, and some locations have more nerve endings and may be more sensitive. The goal of the treatment is relaxation so your body can heal, so pain is not the goal. If a needle in uncomfortable, simply tell us and we can adjust it or remove it. Many people fall asleep once the needles are in!
Does My Insurance Cover It?
Every company and plan is different. More and more plans are adding acupuncture as a covered benefit. The best thing to do is to call your plan and ask if acupuncture is a covered benefit, be sure to ask about “out of network” benefits, as we are unable to participate with insurance plans at this time. We are happy to provide you with a receipt containing all the information you will need to submit to your insurance company, flex spending, or health savings account.
How Many Treatments Will I Need and How Often Will I Have to Come?
It would be great if you only needed one treatment! And sometimes that is the case. However, since acupuncture works to bring your body back into balance and optimal functioning this will take some time. We usually recommend about 5 treatments to start, twice a week at first, if possible, but at least weekly. And we watch how you respond to the treatments and gauge follow up appointments from there. Typically, chronic, longstanding problems are slower to respond, and more acute, recent problems respond more quickly. But, everyone is different and everyone heals in their own way at their own pace.
What if there’s nothing wrong with me, but I just want to experience acupuncture?
Getting acupuncture is good for everyone. Acupuncture is ideal as a preventative measure and was initially designed to keep the body healthy. Acupuncturists of the distant past were only paid if they kept their patient healthy, and were not paid if they had to treat a sick patient. With this in mind, you don’t have to be sick or in pain to start your treatments….it’s easier to stay healthy than try to fix us once we’re broken! Many people choose to continue with regular treatments for this reason once their concern is resolved. Be sure to check out our page to get the best results!