Know Before you Go
Rates & Policies
| Treatments | Rates |
|---|---|
| Initial Acupuncture Treatment (60-90 minutes) | $130 |
| Follow-up Treatment (45-60 minutes) | $90 |
| Acupuncture + Cupping (60-75 minutes) | $100 |
| Acupuncture w/ Electrical stimulation (45-60 minutes) | $100 |
| Herbal Consultation (30 minutes for existing patients) | $50 |
| Cupping (30 minutes) | $50 |
| Tui-Na (5 minute increments) | $10 |
| Gua Sha (5 minute increments) | $10 |
What To Expect
Step 1: paperwork
Please fill out a Health History and Consent Form prior to your visit. The paperwork should only take about 10 minutes and treatment cannot begin until all forms have been signed by the patient.
Step 2: Initial Health consultation
During this time, we will review your health history and discuss your personal health goals in order to formulate a customized treatment plan. This usually takes about 20 minutes and gives you an opportunity to ask questions as well.
Step 3: Treatment
Following the health consultation, treatment therapies will be applied which may include acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, and/or tuina. Treatment usually takes 30-45 minutes and completes your initial treatment.
Appointments
In order to ensure that you receive the appointment time that you desire, it is recommended that you schedule an appointment in advance. If you have a scheduled appointment and wish to make changes, please call the clinic at (208) 416-7405.
Payment and Insurance
We accept cash, personal check, debit card, HSA &/or FSA cards, and most major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express).
It is asked that you pay at the time of your visit.
There will be a $30 fee for every returned check.
Insurance: We are currently in-network with Aetna, Asuris Northwest, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Global, Heritage, Kaiser Permanente, Premera, Regence, LifeWise, WebTPA, & III-A
While we are in-network with the above mentioned insurance providers, we strongly encourage each patient to check into their individual coverage for acupuncture coverage (including co-pays, co-insurance, deductible requirements, and possible restrictions on non-covered conditions).
III-A covers acupuncture treatments for Idaho public employees such as first responders (EMS, fire fighters, police officers), highway district, and transportation authority. Please click here to be directed to the III-A.org website.
If we are not in-network with your insurance company, but you have acupuncture coverage, we can provide you with a Super Bill to submit to your plan for reimbursement.
We also work with auto insurance claims in the case of motor vehicle accidents.
Cancellation
Ancient Spring Acupuncture LLC requires a minimum of 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment. If you have missed or rescheduled an appointment with less than 24 hours notice, you will be responsible for the full charge of the visit. If you find that you are running late, please call to see if the time change can be accommodated.
What to Wear?
Loose, comfortable clothing is best as acupuncture treatment may require access to various parts of the body. Please bring shorts or loose-fitting pants to change into. However, sheets are available for your comfort if draping is necessary.
Paperwork for First Treatment
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Before your first visit, please download the Health History Form, fill it out and bring it on your first appointment. Upon arrival, you will also be asked to sign an Informed Consent, which will explain treatment modalities and generally inform you of treatment options. You can expect to discuss, in detail, your health concerns and any presenting symptoms. This is a time for you to share information about your health history so that treatment can be tailored to your specific needs. You can expect a detailed overview of your treatment plan and course of action offered at the end of the session. You will then receive an acupuncture treatment and recommendation for herbal therapy.
It is best to either wear or bring loose fitting clothes to your acupuncture visits. Preferably pants that can comfortably roll up to the knee and tops with sleeves that can be rolled up to the elbow.
Other option: the clinic has sheets for covering if you choose to remove some clothing.
Most people find acupuncture treatment to be immensely relaxing. The small diameter of acupuncture needles result in a virtually painless insertion. Upon first insertion it may feel as if a small hair is being pulled, but this sensation should go away quickly. Needling sensation is important for the activation of the channels’ Qi and is referred to as Deqi. Deqi may be felt at the needling site and/or along the channel pathway and may include a feeling of pressure, heaviness, numbness, tingling, aching, or a sensation of warmth or coolness.
It is often very helpful to combine acupuncture with herbal treatment. This can assist in speeding up the healing process and can be useful in both chronic and acute conditions. Herbal treatment will be discussed at your initial appointment to decide if it is an option for your needs.
Treatments following your initial visit will involve a quick conversation to evaluate your current well-being and treatment progress. This should take around 10 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of relaxing on the treatment table during the acupuncture session.
Chinese herbs are a safe, effective, time-tested resource both for maintaining and restoring health. Many centuries of use, careful observation, research, and documentation have resulted in more knowledge about Chinese herbal medicine than any other system of natural medicine. Human beings have employed plants for healing since prehistory, but the Chinese have cultivated their knowledge within a highly-developed medical system which has survived into the modern era.
What You should Know About Chinese Herbs
All herbs in Chinese medicine are categorized by temperature, flavor, action, and affinity for one or more organ channels. For example, dang gui (angelica root) is warm, sweet, and pungent, entering the liver, spleen, and heart channels. It nourishes the blood and invigorates circulation, while also having the function of moistening and unblocking the bowels. Most herbs are combined with others in a harmonious formula that can address several aspects of a person’s complaint (this will treat symptoms but also the root cause). Chinese diagnosis seeks to identify patterns of imbalance and treat the patient rather than the disease.
Ancient Spring uses herbs that are sourced in Taiwan and meet the U.S. standards of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). This requires a rigorous authentication process in which the species of plant are identified, product inspection to guard against contamination, and current scientific technology to test and evaluate products. This ensures that all herbs are free from sulfur dioxide, pesticide residuals, aflatoxin, heavy metals, and aristolochic acid. Click for more details
In our busy society it is common to have an acupuncture treatment once a week, sometimes two to three times per week for certain conditions such as Bell’s Palsy or other acute problems.
However, in China one course of treatment is considered to be every day for about 10 days. This can assist in rapid results with certain health issues. This is usually not feasible in our current fast-paced environment. Instead, herbal therapy is often prescribed to help with attaining health results in between visits.
This is a very safe treatment option when performed by a qualified professional. You can find a list of NCCAOM certified practitioners at www.nccaom.org, where there are very specific educational and internship requirements. This usually requires an acupuncturist to attend a 4-year degree program in Chinese medicine, with 2 years of clinical internship.
Acupuncturists in the U.S. only use sterile, pre-packaged, single-use, disposable needles that are in accordance with Clean Needling Technique.
Acupuncture is not a “quick fix” and usually requires a course of treatment. This varies with each individual as each patient’s health concerns are unique. With that said, there should always be signs of progress or a continued sense of feeling better. Chronic conditions can usually be expected to take longer than acute conditions.