What is Different about Community Acupuncture?
Acupuncture in the United States is usually in a private room and the practitioner treats a patient who lies on a table. In Asia, acupuncture often takes place in a group setting. At Wise Turtle Acupuncture, community acupuncture happens in a group setting, with people resting in recliners or on a massage table, if they prefer. The benefits of this setting are many: lots of patients find it comforting to sit with others; a collective energetic field manifests and increases the power of individual treatments. The sessions are affordable. By seeing multiple patients in an hour, costs are kept down, patients can come more often and more acupuncture means quicker and better results. At Wise Turtle Acupuncture, a community session is sliding scale $25-$50, no questions asked. There is an extra $15 charged for the first visit, due to initial paperwork and history taking. Because of the sliding scale, insurance can’t be billed (their rule). Patients are welcome to take a receipt to submit to their company. What Wise Turtle Acupuncture Needs From You Wise Turtle Acupuncture does not provide primary care medicine. Acupuncture is an excellent complement to Western medicine but does not replace it. If a patient has a serious medical issue, such as a malignant growth, an injury that won’t heal, or a serious infection, or wants to discuss the details of their medical history with someone knowledgeable, it is necessary to see an MD, ND or DO. Please do not expect to be diagnosed and treated for dire and complex medical problems. Wonderful complementary care can be provided for conditions needing a physician’s attention — for example, acupuncture is excellent for the side effects of chemotherapy. Patients must must take responsibility for their own health. Flexibility Community acupuncture needs a little flexibility from its participants. Some patients have a favorite recliner. Sometimes it is occupied by another. One must accommodate. Once in a while some one will snore. If this is a problem, feel free to use earplugs or bring headphones for your favorite personal music. Patients are welcome to bring their own pillows and blankets from home if they like them better. This is fine. Please be comfortable! How Long is a Session? A session can be as long or short as desired. Most people enjoy 30 minutes to an hour or more. People usually feel “done” and know when they want to get up. When a patient is ready to be unpinned, the patient will ring a bell. If a specific time is needed for unpinning, let your practitioner know. Community Atmosphere The gentle and restful atmosphere at Wise Turtle Acupuncture exists because patients create it by relaxing together. Collective calm is rare and special in this busy day and age. To keep this peace requires brief amounts of spoken word. Intakes are efficient and quiet. This is because the needles do the work and a session is geared towards maximizing treatment time. If a patient needs to speak at length with the practitioner, let her know. If a long talk is needed, it can be scheduled. If you happen to overhear any private conversation in the community setting, please be a good neighbor and keep it that way. Commitment Chinese medicine is a process. It is extremely rare for a problem to be resolved in one session. In China, typical treatment protocols can call for treatments every day for 2 weeks or every other day for up to 3 months. Most of the patients in the USA don’t need so many treatments, but a course of sessions is needed to get what is wanted. Coming in often enough and long enough is crucial for success in acupuncture. Often treatment protocols are one to two times a week for a month, then once every two weeks to once a month and so on. Any protocol is up for revision as everyone is unique and results vary. A wise person will get a tune-up with the change of seasons. |
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A Typical VisitHow to Prepare
Wear loose, comfortable clothing that can allow access to the forearms and lower legs. Don’t be hungry before a treatment but don’t eat too much. Arrive a few minutes early for paperwork. Upon Arriving Your acupuncturist will greet you and do a brief intake in the reception room and then you can find a chair or table in the treatment room. First Visit A entire health history will be taken and we will discuss your current issues. This will be in the private intake/reception area. Allow an extra half hour for this. Return Visits Choose any available recliner or table and remove shoes and socks. Your practitioner will greet you and quietly ask about your health and progress. If you prefer a more private intake setting, let your practitioner know. This takes just a few minutes. Once the needles are in you may rest as long as you like. After your session, we will take a moment to reschedule. Please feel free to enjoy a cup of tea. |
Sensations
Needling can result in a dull ache, a tingling, sensations of warmth or priceless running up and down the body. This is normal and sill stop quickly. If any needles hurt and they don’t stop hurting within a few seconds, please tell your practitioner. Pain is not part of this process! Often people will fall asleep. It is normal to feel spacey or blissed out after a treatment. Some people feel energized and some can feel a little tired. Plan your day accordingly. It is good to let a treatment “take” — avoid doing stressful activities and if possible, have a quiet and restful day. Sometimes bruising can result at a needling site and there can be a residual ache. This doesn’t happen frequently, but it isn’t abnormal. Take note of your reactions and provide feedback to you acupuncturist, both post-session and between treatments. Herbs and Essential Oils Chinese herbs in pill form and essential oils by Snow Lotus will be available for purchase. See Our Policies |