Tuesday, May 4, 2010

May Day

Taking a time out on stress this week to talk about last week's Community Acupuncture May Day Celebration.

Whole Health Acupuncture participated in the 8th annual May Day event alongside community acupuncture clinics across the country. On Saturday May 1st from 9a-4p patients received free acupuncture sessions. Over 55 people received the benefits of acupuncture that day in our clinic alone.

I'd like to clarify a few points about what makes community acupuncture different as well as address some common concerns patients have before starting treatment.

We offer community acupuncture to make acupuncture more accessable for everyone.

We don't determine what patients pay because we don't know individuals circumstances. Our experience has shown us that acupuncture is most effective when done over a period of time consistently. A major road block to many patients' success with acupuncture is stopping treatment due to financial strain. Only you know your budget. The scale is there for your benefit so that completing a course of treatment is reasonable. You can not underpay for your session. It does not offend us if you pay $15 or $27 or $41 for your session. Anywhere between $15-50 is just right, make sure its right for you. It doesn't hurt our feelings if your circumstances change and you choose to pay less for treatment then when you started, or more for that matter. First and foremost, we want you to get better and stay better. We don't want you to stay at home because your worried about how much to pay.

Patients are concerned with our ability to earn a living while offering such low cost treatment. We make up for this by offering acupuncture in a community setting. This means that 2-3 people rest in a room at the same time. This isn't a compromise for us. Instead we find that we are able to treat friends and family and they can share the space together. As a family or as friends they have support to make healthy choices or reassure one another if someone is nervous on their first visit. Patients that come alone also have the chance to make new friends in the environment. The big bonus for us is that we are able to treat more people. That's why we studied acupuncture, we wanted to help people feel better.

People ask why they get so relaxed during an acupuncture treatment. Your body heals each night when you sleep. Acupuncture brings the body into a relaxed state so that it can repair any imbalances. This is also why we let people rest for as long as they need to. Most people find that their body settles into a place of resting or relaxing and then at some point they feel more alert, refreshed or energized. This is a signal that their treatment is over. Some patients rest for 20-30 minutes, other rest longer. Occasionally a patient will rest for a few hours. We check in before a treatment starts to make sure you don't have anywhere you need to be. If you do we make sure to watch the clock so that you're out on time.

Often times patients will tell us they feel better as soon as they walk in the door. There are many reasons for this. We diffuse therapeutic grade essential oils, keep the lighting low and music soft to create a calmer atmosphere. The biggest reason we feel is the amount of people that have received acupuncture in the office that has helped build a calmer space. We all have times in our lives where we need a safe place to go. That is the biggest intention of Whole Health Acupuncture is that it is a place to go when there is no where else to go, a place to take a deep breath, to be quiet for a moment, to take a nap, to get recharged.

If you do not live in the Chicagoland area visit Community Acupuncture Network to find community acupuncture clinics close by you.

Sarah Zender LAc
Whole Health Acupuncture 50 Turner Ave Elk Grove IL 847.357.3929 wholehealthprograms.com

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