Community acupuncture is a relatively new model of practice in the US. Since acupuncture has been available here (a more widespread growth began in the 70s & 80s, though it’s been here a bit longer than that), most practitioners practice in a similar way: one-on-one treatments ranging in price from $80 to $200+ per session. This spa-like practice of acupuncture has been great for those who can afford it, but there’s something missing from this business model. Namely, the countless individuals who cannot afford to pay $80-$200+ regularly.
Acupuncture is an effective medical treatment option for so many conditions; it can do amazing things. Back pain, neck pain, autoimmune disorders, knee pain, headaches, insomnia, shoulder pain, wrist pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, adrenal fatigue, chronic stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, infertility, menstrual irregularities – this is just a small list of the conditions that I’ve watched acupuncture make a huge difference in. But there’s a common thread among the people I see getting better with this medicine: proper frequency of treatment and regular treatment.
When I studied in China, I noticed that they do things a little differently. For one thing, they give acupuncture prescriptions. When I was observing in the treatment of many neurological conditions, the patients were being told to come in once a day for 10 days. If the first round of treatment didn’t resolve the condition, another round was prescribed. And patients complied! And they got better!
Many conditions don’t require daily treatment, but most conditions do often require consistency and regularity of treatment. Think about this – it makes sense. Would you take a pain medication or an insomnia medication (or most other medications) once a month and expect it to last all month? Or even a lifetime? No! So why do we expect such miracles from acupuncture?
Acupuncture is not mystical or magical. It acts on very real bodily systems including the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems. It promotes blood flow, stimulates the body’s natural healing systems, releases natural painkillers, relaxes muscles, and reduces stress by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system with the release of oxytocin (that “rest-and-digest” system that counteracts the sympathetic “fight-or-flight” system that most Americans run on 24/7).
Back to my observations in China – the other thing being done differently was that there were many, many people being treated together in the same room. The doctors over there are powerhouses. I was seeing them treat a couple hundred patients in a matter of hours. The patients were everywhere: lining the walls, sitting in chairs (the lucky ones who got chairs). There were a few beds for conditions that required special attention, but most people were content to just stand around and wait for their treatment to take effect. No one had a private room. No one seemed to mind.
This bring us back to our original question: Why community acupuncture? Why would an acupuncturist forgo the standard model of one-on-one treatment? Answer: I am on a mission to make acupuncture affordable and therefore more widely accessible to the people of Spokane.
Community acupuncture is the practice of acupuncture in a group “community” setting. I currently treat up to 6 people per hour. When you come in for treatment, you’ll pick which reclining chair you want to sit in (or the table, if you prefer) and get comfortable. We will talk briefly about your goals with the treatment (using library voices, so as not to disturb anyone else being treated), review your progress, and I’ll probably take your radial (wrist) pulse and I might even look at your tongue! Then I’ll place the needles, and you’ll relax for about 30-40 minutes. There is something especially healing about this group setting, beyond the power of acupuncture. There aren’t many spaces in our world today where people can sit quietly and rest peacefully amongst others with a common goal to be well; this is one of the few.
Best of all, with this ability to treat multiple patients in a smaller space – the cost savings is passed on. All treatments at Spokane Community Acupuncture are $40 (+$20 at the first visit).
If you’d like to know more, please visit my Clinic Policies and FAQ pages. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, you can click the “book appointment” button at the top of this page.