What Is Traditional Acupuncture? Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of healing, originating in China 5,000+ years ago. It works with the natural vital energy inherent in all living things to promote healing. Acupuncture increases the flow of blood and energy (Qi, pronounced "chee") along pathways (meridians) in your body to balance and optimize physical, mental, and emotional health. The focus is on treating deep underlying causes as well as symptom relief.
Traditional Acupuncture is based on the principles of Yin and Yang and on the Five Elements, which correspond to the seasons of the year. Each element: Water (Winter), Wood (Spring), Fire (Summer), Earth (Late Summer), and Metal (Fall) has distinct manifestations in your body and life.
What Can I Expect? During an acupuncture session, sterile needles and/or heat are applied to specific points along your body's energy pathways (meridians). Most needle insertions are very shallow. You may feel a fleeting ache, sting, warmth, or tingling. Needles, which are as fine as human hairs, are disposed of after each patient.
Your initial evaluation and treatment will take approximately 90 minutes. Routine follow-up visits last one hour. In addition to improvement in conditions of concern, patients frequently notice increased relaxation, improved sleep, enhanced mood, positive changes in appetite or bowel patterns, improved body temperature, or a greater sense of energy.
How Quickly Does Acupuncture Work? In many instances, acupuncture rapidly alleviates symptoms. You may experience a slight intensification of a symptom before it disappears. Conditions that have slowly emerged over time will take some time to heal. Generally speaking, the severity and duration of a condition helps predict how long treatment will continue.
Acupuncture treatment has a cumulative effect. Initial treatments are 1-2 times per week until your body begins maintaining balance. After this happens, treatment may continue weekly, every other week, or monthly. Some patients eventually have just a seasonal tune-up.
As in any form of healing, attitude, diet, determination, and lifestyle will affect the outcome of someone's treatment. We encourage you to actively participate in your healing process, while supporting a holistic personal lifestyle. How Does Acupuncture Complement Western Medicine? We cooperate with other medical providers and consider all forms of health care when determining how to best serve our patients. We hope you will give us permission to contact your other health and wellness providers. As a team that includes you, we may eventually be able to reduce (or eliminate) prescribed medications or therapies. We only do this in consultation with your physician and other providers.
Do You Offer “Dry Needling”? Dry Needling - also known as trigger point needling - is a specific technique that is used when treating pain. It is only one of many ways acupuncturists have of approaching pain in a patient, and can be effective, but is also quite rudimentary. As licensed acupuncturists, we are uniquely qualified to provide dry needling for two key reasons. First, our extensive education in theory and years of practice with acupuncture needles helps ensure pain-free effective treatment with no adverse side effects (e.g., pneumothorax). Second, we treat the whole person/system to facilitate healing rather than symptoms by just sticking a needle where it hurts. How Much Does Treatment Cost? We begin with a diagnostic evaluation that includes reviewing your health history, physical exam, and diagnosis. This one-time service costs $150 and, depending on your insurance coverage, may be covered under your benefits, or is reimbursable.
Individual treatments cost $110 and, again, are partially covered or reimbursable if your insurance plan includes an acupuncture benefit.
Your first visit will cost $260 for both the comprehensive diagnostic evaluation plus your first treatment. We have some add on services that have extra fees associated with them such as herbs, cupping, qua she, electrical stimulation, and laser therapy. These cost more as the equipment and time add to the cost. For pets: initial consultation plus treatment costs $90; subsequent treatments are $75 each.
What about the consultation? We offer a free consultation to discuss your health concerns and see if we both think acupuncture could be a good fit for you. This is just a conversation and does not include a treatment. It allows you to meet us, see our office, and more importantly see if treatment could be helpful for you. We schedule these visits with enough time to allow for a treatment that same day, if so desired. If you decide you are ready to go and have a treatment then that visit turns into a first full visit with commensurate costs. Will My Health Insurance Cover Acupuncture? We are in-network providers with Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Johns Hopkins EHP, Kennedy Krieger's Core Source, and United Health Care. For more information and a chart that will help you assess eligibility, review the Insurance Coverage section of the Health History and Insurance Coverage questionnaire.
