Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. At Pinnacle Wellness Center, where I practice acupuncture, we currently accept insurance that covers acupuncture. We are happy to verify your insurance coverage as a courtesy. We are a preferred provider for the following insurance companies: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield (Regence), Moda, Meritain, Optum, Pacific Source, Providence, Triwest, United Healthcare and UMR.

We can bill out of network benefits for Cigna. We can provide you with documentation you need to submit to your insurance (a super bill).

If your health concerns are related to being in a Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC), we can bill the MVC insurance for your care.

People seek acupuncture and other care for vastly different reasons and yet I find that my answer to this question is almost always the same. Most people benefit from getting more frequent care at the beginning of their treatment plan. Most commonly this treatment interval is 1-2x / week for 6-8 weeks. Then we pace it out from there, depending on how well you are responding or the specifics of your condition. 

A couple exceptions to this rule:

1) If you are seeing lots of other practitioners I recommend that you do an interval that does not make you feel overwhelmed.

2) If you are acutely injured, I recommend that you come in for acupuncture 2-3x / week if acupuncture is the primary modality you are using for your care.

This depends on your level of improvement and how long that improvement lasts. For example, if you are 50% better after one treatment and then your pain or symptoms worsen or return 3 days later, I would recommend coming on the 4th day since being treated.

If you can not make an acupuncture appointment at the recommended interval your treatment plan needs to include homework, self care, and Chinese herbs that can prolong the interval of relief so that you can continue to build on the results from your acupuncture. 

If your relief lasts longer than a week, consider going to 2 weeks or longer until your next visit. If your condition tends to worsen depending on stress levels, life events, cyclical changes, getting care just before and during those times that the condition tends to worsen is recommended.

It depends on the person and the specifics of your condition. Some people feel full and immediate relief with one session. Others will begin to feel relief after the second or third treatment and with each successive treatment their condition improves to a greater degree. If you are not noticing any relief after 6 treatments, adjustments will be made to your treatment plan and a referral will be made to other health care providers.

Sometimes people find relief in unexpected ways. While it’s great that you feel amazing, we will continue to work towards finding you relief for your chief complaint that brings you in. Referrals will be made if you do not see improvement after 4 visits.

No, massage is not my primary healing modality. I’m happy to incorporate some cupping, gua sha, aroma point therapy and even some east asian bodywork into sessions. These techniques combined with acupuncture usually provide an immensely relaxing and therapeutic experience akin to receiving massage. There are several massage therapists, including one who practices at Paxson Yoga Center, who I’m happy to refer you to.

On occasion people will feel worse after their session. Often this day of feeling worse is followed by a great improvement of condition. When it gets worse and then feels better like this, I consider this to be a “healing crisis” like a detoxification that makes you feel lousy when it happens and then healed and better after it finishes. Otherwise, I believe that you could be feeling worse, because the acupuncture was more intense than you needed to feel better.

When this happens, I adjust the acupuncture point selection and/or the intensity of treatment (there are many ways to adjust this). Communication about how the acupuncture made you feel both during and after your session is hugely important so we can make sure that we’re not overdoing it. 

Absolutely! If we have not completed your treatment plan and you’re already feeling better, it is still important to come in for care so we can be sure your body gets the full healing that it needs to stay out of pain. If we are treating beyond a treatment plan, you are still welcome to come in. However, acupuncture as preventative care is generally not something we can bill your insurance for so you may incur out-of-pocket charges for this care.

Acupuncture is the insertion of acupuncture needles into the skin at acupoints or precise locations on the surface of the body. Location of acupoints is determined based on where the “qi” (also known as life-force, energy, prana, ki) flows most strongly through the body.

Ancient practitioners discovered these special locations through observation, practice and the input from patients who could describe the flow of qi when an acupoint was stimulated. They noticed that these acupoints formed networks or meridians/channels where qi flows.

There are 12 primary channels that connect the extremities of the body (fingers and toes) to the head, trunk and the internal organs. The flow of qi in the channel is how one can explain that activating an acupoint on the hand or foot can affect the function of internal organs as well the flow of qi within the area of the body that the channel flows and where a needle is inserted.

Unlike the needles that are used for injections and for drawing blood, these needles are very fine (32 gauge to 40 gauge) – nearly half the size/gauge of a typical sewing needle or barely thicker than a strand of hair. The sensation of the needle puncturing the skin can vary depending on the individual but there tends to be a minimal amount of pain as it passes through the skin. For some people they may feel a slight pricking sensation and for other people they may not register any sensation. As the needle reaches the intended depth, there may be a dull, achey sensation or be described as tingling, warm, tugging, radiating, etc. Practitioners call the achievement of this sensation “getting the de qi” or the activation of this point.

If the sensation is uncomfortable be sure to mention it to your practitioner so an adjustment can be made. Once the needles are activated and comfortable, it’s time to relax and enjoy the rest of your treatment.

Most people wonder if the channels follow the pathways of nerves or blood vessels. While there is overlap between qi flow and other types of pathways, there isn’t necessarily a direct correlation. Modern research has shown that major acupoints have greater electrical conductivity than non acupoints. Also, stimulating an acupoint can have a similar wave/particle duality that is seen in quantum physics. Sometimes acupoint stimulation can behave like a particle and cause cell to cell communication similar to how hormones work. Sometimes acupoint stimulation can have more of a wave effect where a response is elicited far away from the acupoint but is affected by the stimulation of the acupoint nonetheless.