The short answer: No.* *However some limited Medicare Advantage Policies do (through a private Medicare-approved insurance company) Solution? Consider our affordable Community Clinic option! For more information, visit this article at Medicare.com.
On the topic of "Does it Hurt?" You know when you were little and played with a safety pin or sewing needle for that thrill of danger? Sliding it just barely under the skin to see what would happen, it doesn’t hurt, but still has that sense of potential pain. I’ve been thinking of scenarios to compare acupuncture needles with. It certainly doesn’t feel like getting a shot, but at the same time, yes, you do feel it. If you are dealing with needle fears or just feel uncomfortable at the thought of getting a bunch of needles stuck into [...]
You've seen lots of talk about cupping this week. And perhaps this summer, you saw this new ad from Under Armour featuring our (now 24-time) Olympic-medal winner Michael Phelps. If you pay close attention starting 44 seconds into the video, you’ll see Phelps getting cupping. Cupping is a Chinese medicine technique that has been used for centuries for many different conditions. Acupuncturists commonly use cupping as an adjunct therapy to acupuncture. For people with needle fears, cupping on its own can offer a great alternative treatment. Phelps isn’t the only famous person to discover the benefits of cupping. Celebrities such as Jennifer [...]
Did you know most Maryland employees have acupuncture benefits through their insurance? In 2015 as part of the Affordable Care Act, Acupuncture was added as a covered benefit to all Maryland private policies (excluding Medicare and Medicaid). The evidence for acupuncture's use continues to grow and more insurers are adding it to their policies every year. Let us check your benefits to see if you have coverage. Use this link to check your acupuncture benefits online. We currently accept the following insurers: Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Cigna Aetna Hopkins EHP SCHEDULE ONLINE *We can only accept insurance in [...]
Can changing your thoughts and reducing stress really improve your digestion? There's good evidence to suggest that the answer to this question is "yes." According to recent Cochrane Review, stress reduction including acupuncture and meditation, has consistently been shown to be effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is basically a collection of symptoms that arises from impaired digestive function. Acupuncture is more effective than anti-spasmodic drugs in treating IBS. There are many possible mechanisms for acupuncture's effectiveness for treating the symptoms of IBS, but modulation of the vagus nerve - in other words, getting the parasympathetic "rest and [...]
We acupuncturists hear this question all the time, ‘How does acupuncture work exactly?’ Good question. Acupuncture is a retrospective science which has been going on for thousands of years and only recently has there been a push to understand the science of how and why it works. We can enjoy the benefits of this tradition of care AND also use our current research methods to begin to understand why it works. Below are a few examples of the progress being made in research. Gate Control Theory. First outlined by Melzack and Wall1 in the 1960’s this theory suggests that [...]
