Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can treat a wide variety of conditions. The World Health Organization has recognized that the following conditions can be effectively treated with acupuncture:

Your first visit will generally be one hour long. After filling out the required paperwork, your practitioner will ask you about your chief complaint and then ask you a series of questions about each bodily system. These questions help the practitioner get a basic idea about your constitution and any imbalances that might be underlying your chief complaint. After this initial intake is complete, the practitioner will take your pulse, look at your tongue and make a Chinese medical diagnosis. Based upon this diagnosis, your practitioner will then choose which modalities are most appropriate for treating your complaint. Usually this involves acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Return visits are generally 45 minutes to one hour long.

The needles used in acupuncture are extremely fine, and insertion of the needle through the skin produces very little sensation. Once the needle is through the outer layer of skin, you should feel a heavy or distending sensation at the acupuncture point. Sometimes this feeling radiates along the corresponding channel, producing sensation that is distal to the point being needled. Obtaining this “heavy” sensation at each point is called getting the “Qi” at the point. In order for acupuncture to be most effective, Qi must be obtained at every point that is needled.

No. Only single-use, disposable, stainless steel acupuncture needles are used in each acupuncture treatment.

This varies, depending on your condition and how long you have been experiencing it. Some musculoskeletal conditions that are relatively recent respond in just a few treatments. Other conditions that have manifested over many years will take longer to effectively treat. Combining acupuncture with Chinese herbal medicine generally produces positive results more quickly.

Not everyone who receives acupuncture needs Chinese herbs as well. In some cases, herbs alone can be an effective single treatment modality. However, in many cases, taking herbs in conjunction with your acupuncture treatments can greatly speed healing time and bring about greater healing than needles alone could accomplish, especially if the problem is an internal one. Your individual TCM diagnosis will guide us in preparing the correct herbal formula for you. The duration of therapy, as well as results you can expect to see, will be discussed in detail.

We are currently contracted with Blue Cross / Blue Shield and Cofinity. We will bill these health insurance companies for services provided. We do not bill other health insurance companies directly, but we can provide you with the appropriate paperwork for you to submit a claim for reimbursement.

If you have health insurance with Cofinity or Blue Cross, you are responsible for paying a $25 copayment at the time of service. If your annual deductible has not been met, you are responsible for paying the full price of a treatment. If this is the case, we will submit a claim to your insurance company showing that you have paid full price for a treatment, and this will go towards your annual deductible.

Yes. Both types of patients are accepted. In order for us to bill worker’s compensation in Colorado, we need a written referral from a medical doctor for acupuncture.

Yes. Senior citizens and students both are eligible for reduced rates for all services, the cost of herbs is not included. We also provide $25 treatments every Tuesday at the Ah Haa clinic from 4:30 to 7 pm.

Unfortunately MD’s and D.O.’s may practice acupuncture without any specialized training in the state of Colorado. Chiropractors must be certified with 100 hours of theory and clinic, plus an affidavit of 25 cases in order to practice acupuncture. Considering that the study of Chinese medicine is a lifelong endeavor, the lenient Colorado laws regulating the practice of acupuncture do a great disservice to the profession. Those who perform acupuncture without studying the theory and technique behind the practice are limited in their skills and their outcomes are at best marginal. Practitioners of Chinese medicine spend 3-4 years studying in a Master’s level program before being able to sit for NCCAOM board exams and obtaining their acupuncture licenses. If you are going to pursue Chinese medicine as a treatment modality, do yourself a favor and go to a practitioner who is trained exclusively in Chinese medicine.

It is best to be well hydrated and have food in your stomach. You should not be overly exhausted or intoxicated. Wear comfortable, loose clothing when possible, and avoid brushing your tongue (if you do so) for a day or two prior to your appointment, as we will look at your tongue coat for diagnostic purposes.