“Acupuncture Didn’t Really Work…”

Have you ever heard someone say, “I tried acupuncture. It didn’t really work”?

Or perhaps: “I think it helped a little, but I don’t know if it was worth it”?

Worst of all: “Acupuncture was definitely helping but I couldn’t afford to keep going”?

This is one concern about the prevailing business model in the West: private acupuncture treatments (with price tags to match) make it hard for many people to commit to a course of treatment. Acupuncture is a process.

That’s not to say that one treatment is not enough in some cases.

But most of  the time, people wanting to see a significant change really need to commit to a treatment plan. Look up any symptom or complaint in a book of acupuncture or Chinese medicine. There will be a recommended course of treatment, very commonly, “daily acupuncture for 10 days.”  When acupuncture costs, say $75 a treatment, people may have a hard time getting as much acupuncture as their conditions require.

Putting people in individual treatment rooms, doing exhaustive interviews and examination, and giving acupuncture treatments on tables is a westernized version of acupuncture. And it is expensive.

Insurance coverage for acupuncture is a curse in a way: while it’s nice for those who have insurance, the system forces prices up. Insurance billers need to be paid. Hours of paperwork and reporting need to be logged. Also, insurance has coverage limits, reducing patient choice, and therefore patient care.

What’s the solution? Community acupuncture. Acupuncture as it is traditionally practiced in China… with several people receiving treatment at the same time. Here, the treatments are not socialized. But with the community acupuncture model, they can be made affordable.

Come see for yourself. Get a community acupuncture treatment. And then, if you need to, come back enough times to feel better. If you’re in San Diego, come see us at Beach Community Acupuncture (http://beachcommunityacupuncture.com). If you’re somewhere else, look for a community acupuncture clinic near you (http://www.communityacupuncturenetwork.org/clinics).