Making Acupuncture More Effective

Some of our conventionally practicing colleagues are wondering how Community style acupuncture treatments could possibly be as effective as theirs. My guess is that the thinking goes something like this: “I spend more time with each client. This gives me the information I need to make a better diagnosis. Better diagnosis = better treatment = better results.” In some cases, the thinking may even go so far as, “Those folks who see 4, 5,even 8 people an hour can’t possibly be designing and giving effective, quality treatments at that pace.”.

This really contradicts my personal experience that practicing community style has made me a more effective acupuncturist. So, to try to explain why, I’ve come up with a list of Five Things That Make My Treatments More Effective than when I was practicing conventionally. Here they are, in no particular order.

I am not “Herbalizing” my acupuncture

A high volume community practice requires me to rely almost exclusively on distal point styles like Dr. Tan, Master Tung, Jingei Pulse, etc, that don’t require lengthy or complex intakes. These styles seem to me to have suffered the least from the blending of acupuncture theory with herbal theory. I am not looking for acupuncture points that will nourish Liver Blood or tonify Spleen Qi – such goals are best left to herbs, in my opinion. My needle treatments are more effective when they are based on acupuncture theories that have not been muddied up with herbal theories.

My patients trust me right away

Establishing trust is crucial to getting a patient to agree to and stick with a treatment plan. In my experience, a sliding scale, with no proof of income required, goes a long way towards establishing trust. With the sliding scale, I’m telling the patient that their financial realities matter to me, and they matter to me. That I’m not just interested in treating the wealthy, I’d like to treat everyone. I’m trusting them to pay what they can afford -- this helps them trust me. Quick results also help to establish trust very quickly, which leads us to…………

My patients can afford frequent treatment

This one is a no-brainer. Scheduling your treatments closer together, especially at the start of a course of treatment, makes them more powerful. It also gives me more chances to “get it right” – to observe how they respond to different treatment strategies, and ultimately design the best treatment(s) for the patient, .

Group Qi gives my treatments power

Like meditation, Qi Gong, Tai Qi and Yoga, an acupuncture treatment can avail itself of the magnifying effect of group practice. More treatments happening simultaneously in the same space = more Qi = better results. If you don’t believe me, try it for a year or two and let me know what you think.

Needles can stay in as long as the patient would like

I could never operate enough private treatment rooms to allow me to run each treatment as long as I’d like, or as the patient would like. A community treatment room with plenty of extra recliners will let me do just that. Dr. Tan has said the first 15 minutes of the treatment is for the person to relax – after that, the treatment can really get working. Letting the needles work for 50,60, even 90 minutes can add power to the treatment. It’s not always necessary, but there are cases where it can make all the difference in your results.

I’d love to hear more about how Community style practice has made you a more effective acupuncturist – I’m sure there’s lots of stuff I’ve left out.