Yes here at Big Apple Acupuncture insurance is accepted. There are no-copays and what your insurance company does not cover you are not liable for. Plain and simple. Please bring your ID and insurance cards on your first treatment and we will see if your particular insurance is accepted for acupuncture coverage. By the second treatment we will know what coverage you are eligible for.  As of now the carriers that have the most plans that coverage acupuncture are United Health, Cigna and Blue Cross/Shield. There are others but these have the most so far. If your insurance plan does not accept acupuncture or if you do not have insurance don’t worry we have sliding scale treatment plans available for you as well!

As our health care laws evolve it is our hope that more insurance carriers provide coverage for alternative medicines. In the end it is the people who decide. As more patients request holistic medicine therapies from their insurance providers, more opportunities for alternative medicine will become available. So if when you ask your provider if acupuncture insurance is accepted underneath your plan and they say no it is up to you to request which plans actually cover acupuncture. If they say none ask them why not? This is the easiest way to propagate change.

It is always great to see patients whose health care insurance is accepted for acupuncture coverage. The rising costs of everyday living coupled with stagnate wages for many have made using insurance critical. Rest assured that I will be more than happy to accept your insurance once we have you pre-authorized.

 

Super Biz

I am an active Super Biz member. Super Biz is a bartering network. If you do not have any insurance yet have a skill you can trade for with members of the network you may find it beneficial to do so. The network has high integrity as do many of thier members. Here is a link to check it out. http://superbiznow.com/

 

How many sessions a patient will need will vary according to each case. The same as with western medicine. Of course the biggest factors will be what actually are we treating and how strong is the patients constitution. There are two things to keep in mind when pondering whether alternative medicine is for you are not. First you will need to do more “homework” when participating in an alternative medical therapy. Practitioners will regularly ask you about many facets of your health and well being in order to develop a clear picture of what the causes of your problem are. So in reality how many sessions you need with your practitioner should be equal to how many sessions you have with yourself. We are here to guide you in the right direction. We are not here to drag you there 😉

Secondly any alternative medicine therapy in relation to western medicine will take effect more slowly. Do not worry it is not a rabbit and snail race that I am referring to. However when pondering the question of how many sessions you will need the matter is more comparable to pressing on the brakes of your vehicle. Sometimes in order to avoid an accident you need to slam down on the brakes. This will saves  lives. Sometimes however it will not be enough to avoid the inevitable consequences of poor lifestyle. However there are many, many more times when all we will need to do is gently press down in order to turn or stop our cars.

This is a relative description western and eastern medicines and how many sessions you will need. Western therapies and pharmacopeia are much more aggressive and quick acting. They need to be. They save lives every second. It is in the realm of chronic illnesses that acupuncture and Chinese medicine truly shine.

On average we say that for every year that you have had a condition or problem expect to have two treatments a week for a month in order to resolve it. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are considered holistic medicine for several reasons. First holistic means to look at in its entirety. We administer the medicine based on many facets of your health including your lifestyle. This helps us to form a more detailed impression of why you are encountering problems in your life. Yes we choose acupuncture points based on your condition but also based on YOU as well and that means everything from your constitution to your general disposition. Everything matters. Patients who have a tendency toward being more proactive and follow lifestyle advice usually have a better prognosis and a quicker recovery time.

A – The goal of acupuncture is to rebalance the body. We are not “adding” anything to the body when performing acupuncture as compared to let’s say prescribing herbal medicine. Instead we are reorganizing however the way you walk in through the door as. As an analogy you can compare yourself to a river or stream. A healthy river will always be flowing. I am not just talking about blood circulation within the body although that is of great importance. Rather viewing the body and self with all it’s mechanisms of movement as an conduit or medium for change. Too many times we become “stuck” – physically/emotionally/mentally. This inhibits the body and impairs it’s functional abilities. In a way an acupuncturist is like a traffic light, gently redirecting the traffic within your body….and in some cases cleaning up after the accident!

A – When done properly acupuncture does not cause the patient to feel uncomfortable. If we are treating pain and it is severe then we will not needle close to it. Instead needling distally toward the limbs is a preferable method until we can needle a bit closer. Acupuncture causes a dull heavy sensation around the needle  and sometimes you might feel sensations travel from the needle into and along the body. Once you get use to get you understand there is nothing to panic about. In most cases a patient begins to feel very relaxed after being needled and some even drift off into sleep!

A – The goal of acupuncture is to rebalance the body. We are not “adding” anything to the body when performing acupuncture as compared to let’s say prescribing herbal medicine. Instead we are reorganizing however the way you walk in through the door as. As an analogy you can compare yourself to a river or stream. A healthy river will always be flowing. I am not just talking about blood circulation within the body although that is of great importance. Rather viewing the body and self with all it’s mechanisms of movement as an conduit or medium for change. Too many times we become “stuck” – physically/emotionally/mentally. This inhibits the body and impairs it’s functional abilities. In a way an acupuncturist is like a traffic light, gently redirecting the traffic within your body….and in some cases cleaning up after the accident!