Community acupuncture, which we define as affordable, high-quality acupuncture in a calming group setting, has a lot going for it.
It’s got the affordable sliding scale, the nice feeling of connecting with the community, the ability to receive treatment more frequently and so on.*
One of the nicest things for many people is that they feel more control over their treatments in an open setting. In a community acupuncture (CA) clinic, there’s your practitioner, right there in the same room. If you just open your eyes or move around a bit, he or she will notice and be at your side much more quickly. And, as soon as you are ready, s/he will pull those needles out!
In contrast, here are a few scenarios that might easily happen in a private treatment room behind a closed door:
- A needle starts to bother you. What should you do? Yell for the practitioner? Put up with it? You could be lying there for 3 minutes, or 10, or 20 before the acupuncturist comes back to check on you.
- You know you are “supposed” to keep the needles in for a given time, say 30 minutes. But you feel done before the time is up. You want the needles out. Now! Again, you need to either figure out how to get your practitioner’s attention, or just wait for help.
- You have to go to the bathroom. You didn’t think you would, but now you do. What to do?
Your body will tell you when you’re done with your treatment. It’s nice to have the flexibility to decide when enough is enough. That’s just one more beneft of community acupuncture.
*See other blog posts here, or see http://www.beachcommunityacupuncture.com or http://www.communityacupuncturenetwork.org for lots and lots more on the benefits of community acupuncture.
