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It usually does not hurt much, being nearly painless. Most patients report either feeling nothing at all or something less than a pinch. The acupuncture needles are sterile, single-use, solid, and about the thickness of a human hair, so if you feel the insertion at all, it is minimal.

We accept most insurance providers, as well as motor vehicle accident and workers' compensation cases. We also accept Providence, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United-Health Care, Humana OR Acupuncture, TriWest, Aetna, Moda Health, Pacificsource Health Plans, and Kaiser Permanente (however, we are not currently accepting new Kaiser patients). We will bill your insurance for you as a courtesy, though your medical bill is ultimately your responsibility. Because many insurance companies have different policies about paying for your acupuncture treatments, please consult with your insurance provider to determine if your treatments will be covered. The accepted insurance providers are subject to change without warning.

We bill insurance as a courtesy to our patients. However, it is the patient's responsibility to be aware of coverage details. Patients are responsible for all charges resulting from all office visits and treatments received. The form below will help you understand your insurance coverage. Please call member services at your insurance company and have the following information available for yourself and the primary insured party: name, date of birth, insurance ID, and group ID. Please call your insurance company to complete this form, and include the name of the insurance company representative and reference number for your call in the designated spaces.

If you are unfortunately involved in an automobile accident, you will not need any referral in order for you to see an acupuncturist. If you are injured at work, it is a good idea to have your doctor provide you with a referral for acupuncture treatments. Referrals and preauthorization might be required for some insurance providers, so please contact your insurance company to figure out your benefit prior to scheduling an appointment. If you have any questions about this, please contact us.

5% of people do not respond to acupuncture treatment, but about 85% of people have good results from our treatments. It depends on individual condition; we will make a personal treatment plan for you after your first visit. In general, patients are expected to experience improvement after 2 to 4 visits. Your treatment plan will explain how often and how many treatments you will need. Treatments usually occur a few times per week, once per week, every 2 weeks, or are customized and may change over time depending on progress.

The most common side-effect of acupuncture is relaxation. According to the National Institute of Health, adverse effects resulting from acupuncture treatment are rare. However, patients may actually feel an aggravation of their symptoms before getting better; this is typically seen as a “healing response,” but if the condition lasts more than 48 hours, please contact us.

A comprehensive evaluation of your overall health will be made when you arrive in the treatment room. You might feel some of the questions are irrelevant to your concerns, but because Chinese medicine is holistic, and does not just address one isolated symptom, knowing your constitution is important for us to achieve better treatment results. After the assessment, your acupuncturist will insert about 8 to 10 thin needles into your body to treat your chief concern while addressing the underlying root cause of illness. Your practitioner will spend quality time talking with you to determine what treatments are the best fit for you on that day. The examination may include testing your range-of-motion, palpation, checking your blood pressure, and taking your Chinese medicine pulse.

For your first visit, after you fill out the patient forms, you will be greeted by your practitioner. Please arrive 15 minutes early for your treatment. Please dress comfortably; wearing loose clothes is recommended. Also, please also make sure you have eaten a light meal or snack prior to arriving for your treatments.

It usually takes about 60 minutes. After the evaluation and the needle insertion, needles are retained for a period of time depending on the patient and the condition. Some patients may want to rest for 5 to 10 minutes after their treatment.

Relief can be immediate or it can be delayed by a few hours or one or two days; it varies on a case-by-case basis. Improvement might last for a few hours after the initial visit and will typically last longer with each successive treatment. Patients’ constitution strength, severity and duration of illness, number of medical prescriptions, and emotional well-being are the important factors that have an impact on the treatment response.

There may be instances when we do not feel that we can assist you further or feel that you need to see a specialist. In those cases, you will be referred to another specialist. Often, we work as a team for the patients’ benefit to enhance their bodies' healing. We will always provide you with information, referrals, or recommendations for other treatments or practitioners that may be able to help. All of our modalities are safe to combine with Western medicine treatments and oftentimes will increase their efficacy.

Please fill out and turn in the form below, and we will process it as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience.