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Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does a community acupuncture clinic work?

Acupuncture has been a community based medicine for most of its long history. In Asia, acupuncture has traditionally been practiced in group rather than individual settings. For acupuncture to be most effective, patients need to receive it frequently and regularly -- far more frequently and regularly than most insurance plans will pay for. As acupuncture has moved toward the mainstream, it has been forced into a paradigm of one-on-one treatments and high prices, which has decreased not only patient access but treatment efficacy.

Community acupuncture clinics represent a return to tradition. Community acupuncturists focus on using “distal” points (below the knee and elbow, and on the head and neck) so that patients can remain fully clothed during treatment. Community acupuncture clinics often use recliners rather than treatment tables. Many patients prefer a community setting because they find it more relaxing; or, as one patient put it,

I’m not sure why I ever spent $100 to put on a hospital gown and lie in a cold little cubicle. Acupuncture is acupuncture, and it works wherever you do it. I like having other people around; you can feel the healing energy in the room.

2. Is community acupuncture the same as public health?

No. Public health clinics rely on some combination of grants, government subsidies, and/or donations. Community acupuncture clinics rely on fees charged to the patients: a classic private sector practice. In addition public health clinics are strictly non-profit entities. Community acupuncture clincs can be either non-profit or for profit companies. In practice, most are for profit.

3. What are the requirements of getting a clinic listed on the Locate A Clinic (LOC) page?

To be listed in LOC, you must meet the criteria outlined on the locate a clinic page.


4. How does this website work?

The goal of this website is both to connect patients seeking affordable, accessible acupuncture with a community clinic near them (see the locate a clinic page), and to connect practitioners of community acupuncture with each other. When practitioners join CAN, they can access a lively online dialogue with their colleagues about every aspect of community acupuncture practice. The practitioner forums are a valuable resource for acupuncturists who are either considering, or already committed to, making their practices more accessible.


5. I’m an acupuncturist; why should I join CAN?

Being in private practice can be lonely and isolating. Radically changing your business model and your style of practice can be scary and challenging. Most practitioners benefit immensely from the support, encouragement, and information that CAN offers. Our discussion boards include the widest possible range in discussion topics and so often the topics are not about Community Acupuncture at all.

One of our goals is to build a wiki that will have information about all aspects of acupuncture and the acupuncture profession.


6. I’m a patient; can I get involved?

Yes! But we haven’t quite worked that part out yet.

The success of a community acupuncture clinic depends upon the involvement of a core group of supportive patients who can help grow the clinic through referrals and who may also volunteer to help the acupuncturist with the day to day operation of the clinic. Many existing acupuncture clinics have these core groups, which have grown organically over the years. CAN hopes to figure out how to support the growth of these core groups of patients, and even to serve as a vehicle for organizing them. However, CAN is less than a year old, and we have been concentrating on spreading information about our practice model to acupuncturists. We’re still working on developing the patient end of things.

If you are a patient and 1) would like to be involved, 2) have an idea you’d like to share, or 3) want to help organize an accessible acupuncture clinic in your community, please send us an email. We’d love to hear from you.


7. I want more information!

We have 3 suggestions:

  • Please read the articles on the articles and links page of this website.
  • There is a book that describes how community acupuncture works: The Remedy, Integrating Acupuncture into American Healthcare, by Lisa Rohleder.
  • Visit a community acupuncture clinic near you. Whether you are a practitioner or a patient, the best way to do this is to make an appointment for an acupuncture treatment so that you can experience how this works firsthand. Some community clinics are very busy, and if you want to schedule a conversation with the practitioners, you should request to do so in advance.