What is Community Acupuncture?
What community acupuncture is, why it matters, and why healing in community works.
What is community acupuncture?
Community acupuncture is both a movement and a model of care in the acupuncture field that returns us to the way in which acupuncture has been practiced throughout East Asia for millennia.
Community acupuncture offers us the rare opportunity to receive medical treatment together, which tenderly eases the loneliness that most of us feel navigating the medical system when something has gone “wrong” in our bodies.
Why does community acupuncture matter?
For the most part, medical care looks like sitting in a small room, alone, waiting to speak to a provider for what seems to feel like never enough time, only to be sent to several specialists, one after the other, in a series of appointments and procedures where we remain largely isolated in these exchanges.
Luckily, this is changing. Providers in the medical field are calling for more integration and communication between physicians, as well as peer groups for patients. Why?
Groundbreaking medical research demonstrates that patients have better outcomes when they are not alone in their healing process, i.e. in community.
When we are suffering, our perspective often narrows, as we frantically try to understand what “the problem” is and are overwhelmed by an ever-growing volume of information and dis-information about health and wellness.
Simply walking into a room of people— relaxing, napping, and receiving acupuncture treatment in a dream-like state of total peace, reminds us that we are not alone in our pain, our stress, and our allegedly mysterious or illusive illnesses. This realization and camaraderie actually improve health outcomes.
If I have learned anything as an acupuncturist, it is that we all have some baseline level of dysfunction in our bodies at any given time. That is called being human. And that is alright, so long as we have resources to help us navigate those experiences of dysfunction, however big or small, with some ease. And, that is precisely what community acupuncture is all about.
Why does community acupuncture cost less than private?
People often assume that given the lower price, treatment in community is of a lower quality. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are able to lower the price because we can see more people each hour in one or two larger rooms than we can in smaller private rooms, mostly because we don’t have as many private rooms as we do zero gravity chairs. That way, we are still able to secure a living wage as providers, while making care more accessible for patients.
So, what about insurance?
Unfortunately, insurance coverage for acupuncture is slim to none. And, even for those who do have coverage through their providers, that coverage is often limited to a set number of visits per year, which may not be enough for patients to see the results they are looking for.
In the community model, patients can receive an unlimited number of sessions at a co-pay rate without ever having to deal with insurance companies. Everyone wins!
Why would anyone receive private treatment if community is the same quality at a lower price?
Just as many cherish the experience of healing in community, others value the opportunity to have their own space for treatment. Some people simply respond better to one setting over another. And, we can offer certain extra modalities like cupping therapy that we don’t offer in community. It’s truly a matter of preference and what resonates most for each person. Patients often alternate between private and community, finding a combination that feels right to them.
What is the experience like?
In our studio, we have two rooms for community— one with two zero gravity chairs and one with three. Patients still have one-on-one check in’s with their acupuncturist, and then they get settled in their chair for treatment. White noise machines and soft background music hum. Patients often bring little blankets, sleeping masks, and headphones to make the experience uniquely their own. Plants abound, waiting eagerly for those familiar smiles that fill the studio with so much joy and love each day.
Conclusion
In a medical system where care is most often characterized by isolation, community acupuncture is a true treasure. As acupuncturists, we do it because we can— because it is an honor to offer care at a rate that feels affordable and sustainable for those who need it most.
There is nothing that brings a smile to my face quite like sitting at my desk in those brief moments of stillness between patients, as I count the muddy pairs of boots scattered by the front door, little mittens and hats hanging gingerly on hooks— of the people who have come here to heal, together.
