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Q & A

Some common questions about acupuncture are answered below. Call us if you have other questions or if you are interested in improving your life through acupuncture treatment.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an effective form of health care that has evolved into a complete and holistic medical system. Practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese medicine have used this noninvasive medical system to diagnose and help millions of people get well and stay healthy.

An acupuncturist will place fine, sterile needles at specific acupoints on the body. This activates the body’s Qi and promotes natural healing by enhancing recuperative power, immunity and physical and emotional health. It also can improve overall function and well-being. It is a safe, painless and effective way to treat a wide variety of medical problems.

What will my acupuncturist do?

During the initial exam a full health history will be taken. Questions will be asked regarding symptoms, health and lifestyle. Your acupuncturist also may check pulses and your tongue and may conduct a physical exam. This information is then organized to create a complete, accurate and comprehensive diagnosis of where Qi has become blocked or imbalanced. After the interview process, you may receive an acupuncture treatment. Visits with your acupuncturist may last from thirty to ninety minutes.

Why did my acupuncturist recommend herbs?

Herbs can be a powerful adjunct to acupuncture care. They are used to strengthen, build and support the body or to clear it of excess problems like a cold, fever or acute pain. Your practitioner may suggest starting with herbs and then adding acupuncture to your treatment in the future. This is suggested to build up your internal strength so you can receive the full benefits acupuncture has to offer.

Why do they want to feel my pulse?

There are twelve pulse positions on each wrist that your acupuncturist will palpate. Each position corresponds to a specific meridian and organ. Your acupuncturist will be looking for twenty-seven individual qualities that reflect overall health. If there are any problems, they may appear in the pulse.

Why do they want to look at my tongue?

The tongue is a map of the body. It reflects the general health of the organs and meridians. Your acupuncturist will look at the color, shape, cracks and coating on your tongue.

How much does it cost?

Rates vary and depend upon what procedures are performed. It is best to consult with your acupuncturist about costs.

Is acupuncture safe for children?

Yes. In some instances children actually respond more quickly than adults. If your child has an aversion to needles, your acupuncturist may massage the acupuncture points. This is called acupressure or tuina.

How many treatments will I need?

Unfortunately, some acupuncturists utilize a marketing strategy of promoting long lasting results from acupuncture in just a few treatments. On occasion this does happen, however; on average it could take 4-6 treatments for acute conditions and 8-10 for chronic conditions. Very long standing chronic conditions can take a length of time. About 1-3 months with 10-20 treatments. More degenerative chronic conditions such as Lymes may require deeper forensic investigation of root causes with required treatments over a longer course of time.

We feel honesty is the best policy and would like to inform everyone of the averages based on research and experience. Healing takes time and repetition.Developing treatment plans are essential to the durability of the great results you can expect. Our experience has taught us that shortcuts often result in long delays. Acupuncture is not a magic pill, it is a therapy based in physical medicine and anatomy.

Will my insurance cover acupuncture?

Insurance coverage varies from state to state. Contact your insurance provider to learn what kind of care is covered. Here are a few questions to ask:

  • Will my plan cover acupuncture?
  • How many visits per calendar year?
  • Do I need a referral?
  • Do I have a co-pay?
  • Do I have a deductible?
  • If yes, has it been met?

Does Medicare cover acupuncture?

As of January 2020, Medicare covers acupuncture treatment for chronic low back pain, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The coverage is subject to limitations on the number of sessions and the type of provider administering the treatment.
Currently, Licensed Acupuncturists (L. Ac.) are NOT recognized by CMS as Medicare providers and therefore are NOT eligible to bill Medicare for acupuncture services.  This results in patients paying out of pocket for all services.
In an effort to help Medicare patients with chronic low back pain, receive acupuncture services that can be very beneficial to their condition, Elements Acupuncture is offering a 15% discount off the regular treatment rates.
Please call our office at 563-582-7878 if you have additional questions or for more details.

How should I prepare?

  • Write down and bring any questions you have. We are here to help you.
  • Wear loose, comfortable clothing for easy access to acupuncture points.
  • Do not eat large meals just before or after
    your visit.
  • Refrain from overexertion, working out, drugs or alcohol for up to six hours after the visit.
  • Avoid stressful situations. Make time to relax, and be sure to get plenty of rest.
  • Between visits, take notes of any changes that may have occurred, such as the alleviation of pain, pain moving to other areas, or changes in the frequency and type of problems.

How safe is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is extremely safe. It is an all-natural, drug-free therapy, yielding no side effects just feelings of relaxation and well-being. There is little danger of infection from acupuncture needles because they are sterile, used once, and then discarded.

How are acupuncturists educated?

Today, acupuncturists undertake three to four years of extensive and comprehensive graduate training at nationally certified schools. All acupuncturists must pass a national exam and meet strict guidelines to practice in every state.

What can acupuncturists treat?

Acupuncture is recognized by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to be effective in the treatment of a wide variety of medical problems. Below are some of the health concerns that acupuncture can effectively treat:

  • Addiction
  • Anxiety
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Bronchitis
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Colitis
  • Common cold
  • Constipation
  • Dental pain
  • Depression
  • Diarrhea
  • Digestive trouble
  • Dizziness
  • Dysentery
  • Emotional problems
  • Eye problems
  • Facial palsy
  • Fatigue
  • Fertility
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Gingivitis
  • Headache
  • Hiccough
  • Incontinence
  • Indigestion
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Low back pain
  • Menopause
  • Menstrual irregularities
  • Migraine
  • Morning sickness
  • Nausea
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Pain
  • PMS
  • Pneumonia
  • Reproductive problems
  • Rhinitis
  • Sciatica
  • Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
  • Shoulder pain
  • Sinusitis
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Smoking cessation
  • Sore throat
  • Stress
  • Tennis elbow
  • Tonsillitis
  • Tooth pain
  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Vomiting
  • Wrist pain

Is Dry Needling The Same As Acupuncture?

“Dry Needling, Missing the Point” a viewpoint by Joel Thielen

As Dubuque’s First Licensed Acupuncturist, I was somewhat surprised by the content in an article posted online titled, Dry Needling by Physical Therapists Ignites Turf War With Acupuncturists. It seemed to be an unbalanced viewpoint on the practice of dry needling by physical therapists. “Dry Needling” by definition, is an invasive medical procedure in which an acupuncture needle is inserted into a specific target of soft tissue in order to improve or restore function and/or control pain. The term “dry needling” is used to differentiate this procedure from injections performed with a variety of injectables such as procaine, lidocaine, serotonin antagonists, etc. Injection therapy was used beginning in the 1940’s to treat myofascial pain. Dr. Janet Travel used many different medications and compounds injected into trigger points (painful areas) with good effect. Later it was discovered that needling the trigger points with a hypodermic needle and no injection, had the same positive results, thus dry needling came into being. Dr. Travel was a medical doctor and was using hypodermic needles to perform “dry needling”.

Today the use of acupuncture needles, to perform dry needling is not a turf war, but a clear infringement on an Acupuncturist’s scope of practice. The FDA regulates acupuncture needles as a Class II medical device subject to FDA prescription regulations and has been explicit that the sale of acupuncture needles “must be clearly restricted to qualified practitioners of Acupuncture as determined by states (61 Federal Regulation 64 616). Acupuncturists are extensively trained in Western biomedicine and take competency tests and national board exams in Western biomedicine. About 50% of an acupuncturists education is in Western biomedicine. The Chinese medical system and Western biomedical model are identical, simply different languages. Chinese Medicine was brought into alignment with Western biomedicine in the early 1950’s.

There are many arguments stating “dry needling” is not acupuncture yet the treatment of painful trigger points in Chinese Medicine dates back to Nei Jing Ling Shu 206 BC – 22 AD. 96 – 97% of all acupuncturists use a technique identical to dry needling. There is a clear effort to redefine identical medical procedures in an attempt to circumvent existing regulations. This might come as a surprise to many readers but there is absolutely zero oversight of the practice of dry needling, no curriculum requirements or competencies exist, and it is not taught in schools. Several separate courses are currently being taught to physical therapists and other allied health professionals, one by a licensed acupuncturist; and no clinical supervision is included. The insertion and removal of needles is not a procedure that can be mastered in a 16 hour weekend course no matter your background. Keep in mind eight states require medical doctors to do an additional 200-300 hours of training, prior to being allowed to practice acupuncture.

It is concerning that there appears to be little oversight by many physical therapy boards when it comes to the further expansion of the use of acupuncture needles and needling procedures. The primary purpose of medical boards is the protection of public safety. Scope of practice expansion would be moving from hypodermic needles to acupuncture needles, or from trigger point needling to distal point needling. There seems to be a disregard for the regulated, licensed practice of acupuncture, which is regulated by the Iowa Board of Medicine. Physical therapists online share information about an interesting publication by Yun-Tao-Ma titled Biomedical Acupuncture for Sports and Trauma Rehabilitation, which describes 24 “acu-reflex points” and trigger points that have “homeostatic” action to be used by the practitioners of dry needling. The issue here is there is already a form of acupuncture called Medical Acupuncture, which is regulated at the state level, by boards of medicine. Dry needling, by definition, and by practice is Acupuncture. Japanese acupuncture is superficial dry needling. Chan Gunn introduced a type of dry needling that moved away from using intramuscular trigger points. Over 93% of the points he used were documented acupuncture points.

Fourteen of fifty state physical therapy boards have determined dry needling to be within the scope of practice of a physical therapist. Many states have not ruled and some like Iowa take positions that “do not preclude a physical therapist from performing dry needling”. Jan 2, 2014, the Utah Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing proclaimed “dry needling is acupuncture”. Seven states specifically prohibit the use of “dry needling by physical therapists”. Sports trainers, chiropractors and massage therapists are now taking the 16 hour weekend courses in “dry needling” and performing the invasive procedure because as they claim, it is not acupuncture, and is not regulated as acupuncture. Since when can we rebrand an existing medical procedure, rename FDA cleared medical devices for other unapproved purposes, circumvent all oversight, and bill insurance as a manual therapy? Improvement and evolution within the different fields of medicine should be encouraged, but we need to respect regulations put in place to protect the public from harm.

There are real risks associated with the use of acupuncture needles by physical therapists and other allied health professionals who lack the education and supervised clinical training of Licensed Acupuncturists. Canadian Olympian Kim Ribble-Orr had her lung collapsed from dry needling, leaving it permanently damaged. Licensed acupuncturists are required to pass extensive competency tests, and complete 1950-4200 hours of post graduate training.

The article in the Telegraph Herald has spurred me to write this viewpoint and reconvene the Iowa Acupuncture Association. We will continue to protect our scope of practice and are currently working with the Iowa Board of Medicine for review.

Joel Thielen, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., BCIM

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