About
Acupuncture
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE
What is acupuncture?
What is the philosophy at
Acupuncture Vermont?
What specific conditions is acupuncture appropriate
for?
What are some of the
general health benefits of acupuncture?
What happens during the first appointment?
What does a typical course of acupuncture treatment
consist of?
How much does acupuncture cost?
Is acupuncture covered by health insurance plans
in Vermont?
Are there risks involved with acupuncture?
Do acupuncture needles hurt?
How do I choose a qualified acupuncturist?
Do I have to believe in acupuncture for it to
work?
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a restorative therapy that uses tiny, threadlike
needles or filaments to stimulate the body's natural healing response.
Archeological evidence suggests acupuncture may have been used
to relieve joint pain or arthritis as long ago as 3200 BC in the
Alps region of Western Europe. Written records in China document
acupuncture's place in a highly developed medical system dating
back to 300 BC.
Due to its effectiveness, acupuncture has grown rapidly in popularity
among Americans seeking relief from chronic health problems. The
National Institutes of Health estimates that over eight million
U.S. adults have received acupuncture treatments in their lifetime,
with around two million U.S. adults receiving acupuncture in 2003
alone.
Current clinical research is validating that acupuncture is an
effective choice for certain health conditions. Researchers are
also uncovering clues about how acupuncture works by studying
how the technique stimulates changes in the subcutaneous connective
tissues as well as by documenting how acupuncture affects brain
activity.
What is the philosophy
at Acupuncture Vermont?
• We
are committed to providing safe and effective acupuncture therapy
to our patients.
• Patient satisfaction, including
subjective sense of well being, is important to us.
• We support the rigorous scientific
evaluation of all health-care therapies.
• We encourage our patients to utilize
our services in concert with their conventional medical care.
• We seek to promote improved communication
and coordination of care between health practitioners.
What specific
conditions is acupuncture appropriate for?
Chronic pain conditions, including:
• Arthritis
• Injuries – sprains or strains that
aren’t healing well
• Repetitive use injuries – especially
within the first year
• Headaches – migraines, tension,
cluster
• Facial pain – trigeminal neuralgia,
TMJ, Bell’s Palsy
• Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome –
prostatitis; pelvic inflammatory disease; interstitial cystitis
• Tendonitis, bursitis
• Idiopathic (unexplained) pain syndromes
Sinusitis, allergic rhinitis
Infertility - male or female - also in combination with assisted
reproductive technologies (e.g., IVF, IUI)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, colitis
Conditions that are clearly aggravated by stress
Conditions that are aggravated and alleviated predictably with
the menstrual cycle
Women’s health issues, including:
• PMS
• Dysmenorrhea
• Hot flashes
• Post-partum fatigue or depression
• Health during pregnancy, including:
morning sickness, pelvic or back pain, breech presentation, labor
and delivery support
"Ample clinical experience, supported by some research
data, suggests that acupuncture may be a reasonable option for
a number of clinical conditions. Examples are postoperative pain
and myofascial and low back pain. Examples of disorders for which
the research evidence is less convincing but for which there are
some positive clinical trials include addiction, stroke rehabilitation,
carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, and headache. Acupuncture
treatment for many conditions such as asthma or addiction should
be part of a comprehensive management program. Many other conditions
have been treated by acupuncture; the World Health Organization,
for example, has listed more than 40 for which the technique may
be indicated."
(Excerpted from the NIH Consensus Conference on Acupuncture, 1997)
"In the field of oncology, acupuncture appears to be of benefit
for managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; cancer-related
pain; generalized symptoms that result from treatment, including
fatigue, insomnia, diarrhea, and anorexia; radiotherapy-induced
xerostomia; brachial plexopathy resulting from axillary lymphadenectomy
for breast cancer; treatment -related vasomotor symptoms; radiotherapy-induced
rectitis; dysphagia due to carcinomatous obstruction; and end-of-life
symptoms such as dyspnea. Studies further suggest that acupuncture
enhances immune function and is effective for treatment of chemotherapy-
or radiotherapy-induced myelosuppresion."
(Excerpted from "Acupuncture and the Cancer Patient," Kenneth
Conklin, MD; Medical Acupuncture, Vol. 14, No. 1.)
What are
some of the general health benefits of acupuncture?
• Reduction
or elimination of pain
• Reduced joint stiffness; increased
range of motion
• Improved sleep
• Increased sense of well-being
• More stable mood states, with less
reactivity
• Increased energy
• Feeling "back to myself again"
What happens during
the first appointment?
An hour and a half is allotted for your initial visit so that
there will be ample time for your acupuncturist to get to know
you, thoroughly review your health history, and answer any questions
you may have. If acupuncture is an appropriate therapy for your
condition, you will receive an acupuncture treatment during your
initial visit. Your acupuncturist also may make suggestions regarding
your diet, your lifestyle habits, and the potential benefits of
Chinese herbal medicines. You will receive a thorough written
summary of our findings and recommendations, along with a variety
of information about our clinic and acupuncture in general.
What does a typical
course of acupuncture treatment consist of?
After an initial evaluation, a "trial" course of acupuncture
usually consists of 6 to 8 visits over a three to four week period.
While individual cases may require longer to achieve full efficacy,
some evidence of improvement should be observed within the initial
trial period. If satisfactory results are achieved, the frequency
of visits is tapered gradually with the goal of maintaining results
with minimal follow up. For some patients, this may mean a couple
of visits per year on an as-needed basis. Other patients may require
visits as often as once a month to avoid flare-ups.
How much does
acupuncture cost?
The initial new-patient office visit, which lasts an hour and
a half and includes both a consultation and the first acupuncture
treatment, costs $90.
Follow-up visits, which last one hour, cost $68 if paid in full
at the time of service.
Is acupuncture
covered by health insurance plans in Vermont?
While most health insurance plans in Vermont do not cover acupuncture,
there are a few exceptions. Our office staff is happy to assist
patients in determining whether they have insurance coverage.
Workers Compensation and Personal Injury coverage will pay for
acupuncture when an injury occurs at work or is a result of an
auto accident.
Acupuncture is eligible for coverage under Flexible Spending Accounts
(FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).
Are there risks
involved with acupuncture?
When performed by an adequately trained
and licensed acupuncturist, acupuncture is a very safe form of
treatment with minimal side effects.
"One of the advantages of acupuncture is that the incidence
of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs
or other accepted medical procedures used for the same conditions.
As an example, musculoskeletal conditions, such as fibromyalgia,
myofascial pain, and tennis elbow, or epicondylitis, are conditions
for which acupuncture may be beneficial. These painful conditions
are often treated with, among other things, anti-inflammatory
medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) or with steroid injections.
Both medical interventions have a potential for deleterious side
effects but are still widely used and are considered acceptable
treatments. The evidence supporting these therapies is no better
than that for acupuncture."
(Excerpted from the NIH Consensus Conference on Acupuncture, 1997.)
The York acupuncture safety studies were conducted in Britain
from 1998 to 2000. In these studies, 652 experienced acupuncturists
collected adverse event data from 66,000 acupuncture treatments.
No serious adverse events were reported, and 671 minor adverse
events were reported per 10,000 treatments. The common minor
adverse events included: Bleeding in 310 per 10,000 treatments;
Needling pain in 110 per 10,000 treatments; and Aggravation
of symptoms in 96 per 10,000 treatments - however, in 70% of
these cases there was a subsequent improvement in the presenting
complaint.
(BMJ vol. 323; 1 Sept. 2001.)
At Acupuncture Vermont, we recognize that an often-overlooked
risk for patients receiving "alternative" medical care is the potential
for delay in receiving conventional medical care which, if provided
in a timely manner, could significantly improve treatment outcomes.
Most of the patients we treat have already received full medical
screenings and treatments, often coming to us as a "last resort."
When this is not the case, we make a special effort to refer patients
back to their primary doctor or specialist to rule out conventionally
treatable pathologies.
Do acupuncture
needles hurt?
While we call them acupuncture "needles," they are very different
from the hypodermic needles used in medicine to draw blood or
to give injections. Acupuncture needles are more accurately described
as filaments. They are very fine (not much thicker than a human
hair) and flexible. They rarely draw blood, and patients rarely
feel them being inserted. Once the needle is inserted just beneath
the surface of the skin, your acupuncturist will gently stimulate
the needle by lifting or rotating it until a response is elicited.
This response is detected when the acupuncturist feels a slight
tug, twitch, or gripping on the needle. Patients often report
feeling a sensation, which they liken to a muscle twitch or a
dull ache. Sometimes they report feeling warmth or tingling. Once
patients overcome any initial anxiety over trying something new,
they usually find acupuncture to be deeply relaxing.
How do I choose
a qualified acupuncturist?
Choose an acupuncture specialist.
An acupuncture specialist is called a Licensed Acupuncturist
(L.Ac.) and holds a national board certification in acupuncture
issued by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). To be a Licensed Acupuncturist,
one must study 3 to 4 years with over 3,000 hours of training.
It is possible to receive acupuncture
treatments from non-specialists. These are typically physicians
(MDs, DOs, Chiropractors, or Naturopathic Physicians) who recognize
the value of acupuncture and have taken abbreviated courses (typically
200 hours or less) allowing them to add acupuncture to their other
specialty. While some very simple and uncomplicated cases may
respond to treatment by a non-specialist, if you are not getting
satisfactory results after a few visits, we suggest that you see
an acupuncture specialist.
Choose an acupuncturist with
plenty of experience. Once you find an acupuncturist
who is trained as a specialist, look for someone who practices
full time and has adequate clinical experience. Consider not only
how many years an acupuncturist has been practicing, but how many
patients they've treated. An experienced practitioner usually
will get better, faster results.
Do I have to
believe in acupuncture for it to work?
No. Acupuncture is used successfully to treat
animals, which neither understand nor believe in the procedure.
As with any therapeutic course of treatment, a positive attitude
may reinforce the effects of acupuncture treatments, just as a
negative attitude may hinder the beneficial effects. A neutral
or skeptical attitude will not block the treatment results.
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