Frequently asked questions
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most common and dependable medical therapies used in the world. It is by nature simple, safe and effective health care. Acupuncture practitioners use thin, sterile disposable needles inserted superficially into specific areas of the body in order to help the body's ability to heal itself.
Over the three decades or so in which acupuncture has gained popularity in the United States, it has been proven by an increasing body of scientific evidence to be not only exceptionally safe, but statistically effective as well.
Why would I get Acupuncture?
People get acupuncture for many different reasons. For our purposes, we'll offer two main answers to this question:
A) Here is a list of conditions the World Health Organization has deemed appropriate through clinical trials for treatment with acupuncture.
Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
Biliary colic
Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Dysentery
Acute bacillary
Dysmenorrhoea
Primary Epigastralgia
Acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)
Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
Headache
Hypertension
Essential Hypotension
Primary Induction of labour
Knee pain
Leukopenia
Low back pain
Malposition of fetus, correction of
Morning sickness
Nausea and vomiting
Neck pain
Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
Periarthritis of shoulder
Postoperative pain
Renal colic
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica
Sprain
Stroke
Tennis elbow
B) In addition, we'll offer up a list of 'no-brainer' conditions – that is, situations that should absolutely be treated with acupuncture without hesitation:
Athletic sprain/strain
Acute back and/or neck strainT
Temporal mandibular disorder (TMJ)
Bell's palsy headaches (including migraines)
Palpitations early stages of cold/flu
Asthma
Tendinitis
Arthritis
Insomnia (poor sleep)
Raynaud's
Anxiety
High levels of stress
Addictions
Irritable bowel syndromere
Hemorrhoids
Many gynecological issues (including PMS and hot flashes)
Herpes zoster (shingles)
Pre-/post-surgery for accelerated healing
Do I have to believe for this to work?
Absolutely not. You only have to believe enough to show up a few times in order to give yourself the chance to see positive changes.
Does it Hurt?
Not really much at all. However, getting an acupuncture treatment isn't always painless. More than anything a treatment should be a deeply relaxing and sleepy slice of time for you.
Here's what we'd like our patients to know: You may feel a bit of a pinch when the needles are tapped in, but this should ease right away. If you continue to feel a pinching or a burning sensation at the needle site any longer than this, let us know. We can easily adjust the needle to make the burning or pinching sensation go away. On the other hand if you are feeling a slight ache or heavy feeling near the needle, this is usually a good sign – a clue that the body is reacting in a productive way. The bottom line is that as long as the feelings around the needled areas don't keep you from closing your eyes and napping for a little while, we say let them be.
I see you offer both private and community acupuncture sessions. What is the difference and how do I know which session is best for me?
Private New Patient appointments are 60-90 minutes long and include a full medical history and health intake which includes a Chinese medical physical exam as well as extensive questions about your current health condition, supplements, medication and lifestyle. You’ll receive a full 30 minute acupuncture treatment as well as any modalities your acupuncturist believes may be of benefit. These modalities include: cupping, gua sha, electrical stimulation, bodywork, or reiki. At the end of your session your acupuncturist will go over your treatment plan which will include your Chinese medical diagnosis as well as any herb or supplement recommendation.
When should I book a private session?
Private sessions are great for complicated cases or chronic conditions that aren’t responding to community style treatments. One perk of the private sessions is that the acupuncturist is able to access all the points located on your spine and trunk, which aren’t readily available in a community setting due to positioning.
Can I do both private and community treatments?
Absolutely. It’s not uncommon for many of our patients who start in our private sessions to switch to community acupuncture so they can afford the volume of visits necessary to restore their health. Likewise, it’s also not uncommon for a community acupuncture patient to switch to a private session when more time or modalities are required to address their specific issue.
What is Community Acupuncture?
Community Acupuncture as the practice of offering acupuncture:
1) In a setting where multiple patients receive treatments at the same time;
2) By financially sustainable and accountable means, whereby community acupuncture clinics depend directly on the support of the people who receive acupuncture in them, rather than on grants, donations, or other funding;
3) Within a context of accessibility, which we create by providing consistent hours, by making frequent treatments readily available, by offering affordable services, and by lowering all the barriers to treatment that we possibly can, for as many people as we possibly can, while continuing to be financially self-sustaining.
Something's fishy here...Why is it so cheap?
Because we treat lots of people. What's most important to a community acupuncturist is simply to give many people the chance to receive treatments. Likewise, the business needs to see many people in order to make ends meet. It’s important to note that the Zen Den is solely funded by our sliding scale as, we receive no outside funding or grants. We rely on our patients to pay what they can and spread the word to others in the community. Your referrals mean the world to us as they allow our clinic to offer more hours to the community, grow and thrive.
What is a sliding scale?
A sliding scale works by offering a price range that can fluctuate for each person and even differ each time you come in. We never ask for income verification and trust each individual patient to determine what you can afford each treatment.
What you choose to pay doesn’t determine what sort of care you receive. Every patient receives equal quality care. Our hope is that the sliding scale will allow you to make room in your budget for consistent acupuncture treatments.
Do I have to take my clothes off for the treatment?
Absolutely not. Occasionally, we may need to have access to areas just above the knee or up to the shoulder joint, in which case we'd ask you to wear shorts or a tee shirt.
All it takes to get ready for treatment is to roll up pant legs and shirt sleeves, as points on the lower arms and legs are the most commonly used in community clinics. If you’d like to bring your own blanket or pillows, you are more than welcome to bring whatever you need to feel comfortable.
Will I have to continue acupuncture forever to keep feeling this good?
Likely not, but this also depends on the reason(s) you're getting treated in the first place.
For short-term issues, a handful of acupuncture treatments should do the job. For chronic or long-standing issues, a maintenance schedule of some sort would be in order to keep systems running smoothly and steadily after the initial period of relief and change.
For example, patient Melissa comes in for help with pain and swelling from a new ankle sprain less than 24 hours old. This type of injury responds best with acupuncture treatments two out of three days, which would probably be plenty to help Melissa's body sort out her injury completely.
On the other hand, David gets acupuncture treatments to work toward better management of long-term anxiety and insomnia that he's struggled with for five years. Chances are good he'll start to see clear changes in the pattern and intensity of his symptoms with steady treatments over four weeks or so. After this time, his acupuncturist will likely recommend regular but less frequent treatments for another stretch of time to help make sure the process of change continues moving forward. Once David finds himself in a place where he's consistently happy with his sleep and anxiety levels, we'll know it's time to dial back the frequency of his treatments even further. The aim here is to provide as few acupuncture treatments as possible while maintaining gains made.
Can I get acupuncture if I’m healthy?
YES, in fact we encourage all of our patients to incorporate acupuncture into their wellness program, as studies have found regular acupuncture treatments result in less illness, more peaceful state, less pain and better sleep. Our membership programs are an excellent offering to make regular acupuncture treatments affordable and accessible for our community.
How long is a session?
Most community acupuncture sessions will take anywhere from 30-40 minutes, but we always giving yourself an hour for the session to allow some downtime to integrate the healing effects of the treatment.
Do I need an appointment?
Appointments are encouraged, but not necessary. Zen Den is designed to handle walk-in traffic, and we kinda love the surprise factor of it! We never know who we are going to treat, it keeps our work days exciting! That being said, it is important to remember that by making an appointment, you are assuring your spot. And you will be charged for a late cancel or a no-show for your appointment. If you have a tight schedule, we recommend planning ahead and making an appointment, to minimize your wait time.
Is it safe to get acupuncture when you are pregnant?
Acupuncture is a safe, natural and effective treatment modality to support women during pregnancy.