A New Acupuncture Model
By Barclay & Jennifer Calvert, L.Acs.

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to cure all manner of diseases, but there is a problem with the way it is generally practiced in the United States. Because of the business model commonly used here, acupuncture is not as effective as is could be. We have recently set up a new clinic to make acupuncture more effective and accessible for everyone.

In the U.S., the current model of acupuncture generally only allows for treatments once a week, because acupuncturists spend an entire hour with patients, one-on-one. This makes it difficult to come in for regular treatments, due to the few appointment slots available as well as a relatively high cost for the visit. Often in this model, people feel better for a few days after the treatment, but then the symptoms reappear. A week later they receive another treatment, and again feel better for a few days, but because of the low frequency of treatments, the momentum of the disease is not changed. The patient may give up, saying acupuncture did not work for them, when really it was only the wrong dosage that was the problem.

Acupuncture is a process. Although people usually feel better after one treatment, in order to cure a disease, it takes a course of treatments. While a push towards balance and health is accomplished with one acupuncture treatment, to make real progress, it is best to give a second push in that direction before the first push has completely worn off, thus creating a cumulative impact. If a person has a bacterial infection and one dose of antibiotics is given, the bacteria will be inhibited by that dose, but will then likely grow back if another dose is not given the next day. If one were to wait a week to administer the next dose, the infection can simply progress. The same is true for acupuncture. In China, acupuncture is given every day or every other day, with a course of treatments of perhaps ten visits. Often it takes several courses of treatments to cure a disease.

In order to address this problem of what some call “boutique acupuncture,” we have set up what we are calling a “Community Acupuncture Clinic.” In this clinic, one comes in for the traditional, private, one-on-one appointment for the first treatment or two, in order to have the time to get a full health history and to make an accurate diagnosis, after which an acupuncture point prescription is given, and the patient is referred to the community clinic.

In the community clinic, we have eight comfortable recliners in a relaxing atmosphere – a space we jokingly refer to as the “acu-lounge.” The acupuncturist is able to check in quietly with a patient while performing the acupuncture, and then the patient is allowed to rest with the needles in. This is very relaxing, and many people dose off briefly (and wake feeling refreshed). Generally the needles are left in for 20-30 minutes, but some find that they prefer to rest for an hour or more. This is similar to the way acupuncture is practiced in China, where people come in frequently for a course of treatments in a group setting. The community clinic allows people to receive a course of treatments in a shorter, more frequent time span, at a fraction of the cost of traditional appointments. The higher frequency increases the treatment’s effectiveness. If it takes ten treatments to cure someone of their sciatica, for example, instead of feeling better in ten weeks with weekly treatments, if one comes in for three treatments a week, one will feel better in two to three weeks.

We believe acupuncture is the best-kept secret in American healthcare. It is an incredibly effective, drug-free, time-tested, relaxing therapy that not only stops pain and cures diseases, but also promotes health and wellness. Acupuncture is especially effective for conditions that have stress as a causative component, such as IBS, allergies, insomnia, asthma, back pain, headaches, etc. Our goal is to make acupuncture accessible to everyone in the most effective way possible.

Our community clinic is a new model for us. After having a traditional acupuncture clinic on Water Street for several years, we recently moved to our beautiful new location Uptown on Lawrence Street, in order to create the space for the community clinic. Although the community clinic has only been open for a few months, we have had a very strong and encouraging response. Word-of-mouth alone has kept us very busy. We do have plenty of room for new patients, though, and love to help new people, so if you are interested, or know someone you think acupuncture could help, please call us at (360) 379-6798 for more information or see our website at www.nourishinglifeacupuncture.com