Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Acupuncture Painful?
The answer is yes & no. Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment methods and is relatively painless. Of course it depends on the experience and skill of the acupuncturist. Ling has a very gentle touch and many patients describe that she has the magic healing hands.
2. How often should I have Acupuncture?
It varies from person to person. Usually for more acute and less severe conditions, less treatment are needed. More for severe and chronic conditions more frequent treatments are required. Our licensed acupuncturist will assess the health of the patient and make the recommendation of treatment packages.
3. What to expect on my first visit?
The first treatment session is usually the longest session, since the acupuncturist need to assess the health of the patient by obtaining all the necessary health information, medical records, medications, lifestyle, diet, personality, and detailed questionnaire about symptoms. A traditional chinese practitioner will also use ancient diagnosis method called tongue & pulse analysis to analyze patient's health. Your tongue & pulse are like a mirror that can peak inside and reflecting what's going on internally. Then the acupuncturist will reach a diagnosis and formulate the best treatment plan and carefully choose the points which will be inserted. On average the needles retain for 25-35 minutes to activate your body's own healing process. After the treatment water or warm tea will be provided to flush out toxin from body, and Acupuncturist will go over any additional home care, dietary and other things to follow after the treatment.
4. Do you reuse your needles?
We go through very strict safety and sanitation procedure. All our needles are sterile, single-use, disposable needles, after withdrawal of needle, the needles are safely disposed of in a sealed bio-hazardous sharp container.
5. Is it safe to do acupuncture after a major surgery or injury?
Most cases yes, it is actually beneficial in certain cases to promote & accelerate the healing process, and help the injury site to recover much faster and better. But if you have any concerns, contact me or have your family physician or surgeon contact me.
6.Is Acupuncture covered by insurance?
Extended Health insurance
If you have extended health coverage then most likely it will cover acupuncture. Some cover a limit dollar amount per year, some covers a limit number of treatments depending on the type of insurance. Contact you insurance provider for detail about your coverage, and file in your receipt to your provider promptly to receive reimbursement from your provider.
MSP (BC medical service plan)
If you are a BC residence and you qualify for receiving MSP coverage of 10 sessions of acupuncture per year with 23 discounted off each session (totaling 230/year).
Note: This coverage of 10 session is a combined acupuncture and other treatments with RMT, physio-therapy, chiropractor, etc. If you are unsure how many session you have remaining from MSP, bring your Care card with your personal health number and we can find out for you.