- What is acupuncture?
- What are the main objectives of acupuncture treatment?
- What happens during the first visit?
- What are the needle treatments like? Do they hurt?
- How long do treatments take? How many treatments does one need? How often?
- What conditions are treatable by acupuncture?
- Is acupuncture covered by health insurance plans?
Acupuncture, a 5000-year-old branch of ancient Chinese medicine, is based on restoring the balanced, unimpeded flow of a subtle energy called Chi by using acupuncture needles or other means to stimulate certain points (acupoints) along the course of meridians, or major energy channels. As a result, organs and bodily systems can work together in harmony, which sets the stage for the body to repair itself and maintain its own health.
2. What are the main objectives of acupuncture treatment?
- To relieve pain and other symptoms
- To strengthen the immune system
- To balance, harmonize, and integrate functions of the organs with each other, making for a unified, healthy person rather than a collection of fragmented, disharmonious parts
3. What happens during the first visit?
The acupuncturist uses her keen diagnostic skills to evaluate the quality, quantity and balance of Chi flowing in the body. She uses four main techniques:
- Pulse diagnosis-Over 26 subtle variations in the quality of the pulse are felt at six different positions on each wrist.
- Looking-A person’s appearance, demeanor, and tone of voice, as well as the color, shape and size of the tongue, provide the acupuncturist with vital clues about internal health.
- Asking-By asking questions, information is gathered about past medical history, present health, lifestyle and emotional state.
- Physical examination-Palpation to specific areas and acupuncture points can reveal imbalances.
4. What are the needle treatments like? Do they hurt?
Unlike medical hypodermic needles which are stiff, hollow and thick, acupuncture needles are fine and flexible, no bigger around than a human hair or a piece of thread. Deftly inserted into an acupoint, the slender needle produces little to no sensation at all. When the needle makes contact with Chi, most patients experience a slight tingling sensation.
5. How long do treatments take? How many treatments does one need? How often?
Depending on the patient’s condition and the treatment plan, each treatment averages 30 minutes.
The number and frequency of treatments vary depending on the patient’s health problems and response to treatment. Typically, the recommendation is 2-4 treatments per week for 8-16 treatments.
6. What conditions are treatable by acupuncture?
Among conditions most frequently treated are the following:
Addictions, Allergies, Ankle swelling, Arms and shoulder pain, Arthritis, Asthma, Attention Deficit Disorder, Back Pain-backache-lower back pain, Bed wetting, Blood pressure-high and low, Bronchial conditions, Bursitis, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Circulation-poor, Colds, Colitis, Colon-spastic, Constipation, Cough-chronic, Depression, Detox for chemical, Dependency, Diarrhea, Disc problems, Diverticulitis, Dizziness, Emphysema, Fatigue-chronic, Feet-cold, Fibromyalgia, Flu, Gall bladder disorders, Gas, Gynecological dysfunctions, Hay fever, Headache, Heart problems, Hemorrhoids, Hiccoughs, Hip pain, Immune system deficiency, Indigestion, Infertility, Injuries-auto, home, sports, work, Insomnia, Joint pain, Kidney problems, Knee pain, Leg pain-cramps, tingling, numbness, Liver problems, Neck-stiff, painful, Nervousness, Neuralgia, Pain, Pleurisy, Premenstrual syndrome, Prostate problems, Rheumatism, Sciatica, Shingles, Shoulder pain, Sinus problems, Skin problems, Stomach problems, Throat-sore, Thyroid conditions, Ulcers-stomach, Urinary problems, Whiplash.
7. Is acupuncture covered by health insurance plans?
You need to check with insurance company to see if your particular plan covers acupuncture. Some companies that may cover acupuncture include: -All PIP auto insurance, United Health Care, Aetna, Cigna, WEBTPA, Blue Cross Blue Shield (state employee PPO), Health Care of Sarasota, Beech Street, American Specialty Health Network, Evolutions Healthcare Systems.