I want to prioritize my relationship with you, not with an insurance company.

Accepting insurance means the insurance provider will dictate the type and duration of care you receive. I think you ought to be the one to decide what kind of care you need and how long you need that care for.

Accepting insurance can also create confidentiality concerns for some individuals, as insurance companies have access to chart notes which contain private and sensitive information about your health and lifestyle.

If you’d like to independently pursue reimbursement for our sessions with your insurer, my billing service automatically generates and emails you a detailed invoice (including CPT and ICD codes) after every session which is sufficient for most insurance companies.

After offering a pay-what-you-can model for over a decade, I have moved to set pricing to create more financial clarity for myself.

Additionally, as an acupuncturist it is physically easier for me to offer low or no-cost care. This means I can now honor my commitment to expanding access to care in a greater variety of outreach settings than felt possible for me when I was only licensed as a massage therapist.

I do still offer some pay-what-you-can sessions. Whether you’re someone I’ve worked with previously at a reduced rate or a potential new connection, please email me if you’d like to discuss my availability for sliding scale sessions.

Most often, no.

I hope to insert needles as painlessly as possible. There is also sensation associated with needling. How this feels varies from person to person. I have heard it described as everything from surprising, to painful, to weird, to tingling. Many folks don’t feel the needles at all.

After insertion, the site of needling can feel heavy or achey. This is a good sign in treatment, it means we’ve accessed resource in the body.

If we are retaining needles for a time, you might feel shifts in sensation in your body while you rest. This may include small swells of discomfort followed by relief or settling.

That said, needles should be generally easy. If you ever experience persistent sharp, burning pain on needle insertion or during retention, let me know. This means the needle needs to be adjusted.

If you’re concerned about the potential pain of needles or afraid of needles please communicate this with me during intake. We can do low or no needle sessions while still utilizing the theory of East Asian medicine to your benefit.

Like all licensed acupuncturists, I am extensively trained in safe needling practices and clean needle technique.

I use sterile, single-use needles and sanitize my table and working surface between every session. I disinfect all cups and other tools after every use. I send my laundry out for professional cleaning.

Current health standards do not require providers to alcohol swab sites before needling, except on the head, but I can swab points if that is your preference.

I have a HEPA air filter running in my room at all times.

I wear a mask when I’ve had recent exposure to illness or when working with immune compromised patients. I invite you to mask if you have recently been sick. Otherwise, I will follow your preference around masking.

There are many proposed mechanisms for how acupuncture works from a biomedical perspective. Here are a few particularly compelling theories:

Neurotransmitter Release: The insertion of acupuncture needles stimulates nerve endings, sending signals to the brain to release certain neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters can have pain-relieving or anti-inflammatory effects.

Endorphin Release: Acupuncture triggers the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers produced by the body. Endorphins can help reduce pain and induce a sense of well-being.

Modulation of Neural Pathways: Acupuncture may affect the way the nervous system processes and transmits signals, which influences the perception of pain and regulate various physiological functions.

Blood Flow and Circulation: Acupuncture promotes blood circulation in the targeted areas. Improved blood flow can enhance the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues, facilitating the body's natural healing processes.

Connective Tissue Stimulation: Acupuncture needles stimulate the connective tissue, influencing cellular and biochemical processes. This can contribute to the regulation of inflammation and the promotion of tissue repair.

If you want to understand more about how acupuncture works from the perspective of East Asian medicine, I’d recommend you just come try it for yourself: ultimately experiencing this kind of care over time is the best way to understand it’s theory.

There are 13 Ghost Points. When needled, these points have a strong influence on the shen (神), which refers to the spirit or consciousness in Chinese medicine.

The Ghost Points are considered to be especially effective for treating disorders related to the mind and emotions, including the treatment of conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other psycho-emotional imbalances.

The use of the 13 Ghost Points was developed by Sun Si Miao (孫思邈), the “Medicine Sage,” a prominent Chinese physician, pharmacologist, and writer during the Tang dynasty. Sun Si Miao emphasized the importance of preventive medicine and ethical medical practice.

Sun Si Miao stressed the physician's duty to prioritize the well-being of patients and to uphold high moral standards. His contributions to medical ethics and holistic healthcare have had a lasting impact on traditional Chinese medicine.

He was a curious fellow. He was interested in philosophy and alchemy. I’ve named my practice after his work because I appreciate his moral perspective and his legacy, and I am interested in the ethics of care and in working with the emotional body.

Yes. If you’d like to set up a free 15 minute phone consultation, please email me. We can talk about acupuncture, bodywork, somatics, your needs, and my approach to working together.

It is rare for me to engage socially with people who come to see me for care.

If you’ve read this website, and you’d rather explore friendship with me than work with me professionally, I might be open to it (no guarantees though).

If you are a fellow care provider not seeking care for yourself, but reading this website for reference, and you want to discuss our shared or distinct disciplines or referrals, I would love to connect. :)

In either case, I’d recommend finding me on social media or sending me an email.

The images on this website come from two sources: (1) an 18th century Japanese anatomy book called the Furesu kaibōzu Atlas (2) Tibetan medical paintings by Nepalese artist Romio Shrestha.