Frequently Asked Questions

Call (530) 345-5300 or book online to make an appointment. You’ll need about an hour for your first visit, depending on how long you rest. You’ll fill out paperwork, meet with the acupuncturist, and then you’ll get treated.

Acupuncture can treat almost anything. Generally, people use acupuncture to help with specific pain, illness, or discomfort that they’re currently having or they may seek help with a problem that comes and goes. Using acupuncture as part of your regular “health tool kit” will increase energy, reduce stress, and support your immune system.

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The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization recognize acupuncture as an effective treatment for about four dozen common conditions including:

Acute & Chronic Pain

Headache, joint, back, sports injury

Cardiovascular

Hypertension, circulation, heart surgery recovery

Digestive

IBS, IBD, reflux, nausea & vomiting

Immunity

Autoimmune disease, infection, poor immune system, UTI

Lung and Sinus

Sinus infection, cough, postnasal drip, asthma, cold & flu, allergy

Mental Health

Anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia

Neurologic

Trigeminal neuralgia, bell’s palsy, peripheral neuropathy, migraine

Pediatric

Teething, ear infection, digestive upset, emotional wellness

Reproductive

Menstrual health, fertility, Use with IVF and IUI to increase chances of conception, pregnancy, menopause, enlarged prostate, erectile dysfunction

Peripheral Neuropathy

Other

Addiction, cancer treatment side effects, diabetes

Improving your health with acupuncture is a process. During your initial visit, your acupuncturist will review your patient intake form and advise you on a treatment plan that is best suited for your situation and condition. You stay fulling clothed during your treatment which takes place while you recline in a comfy recliner, in a spacious quiet room with other folks resting receiving acupuncture.

You rest as long as you like with your needles. We recommend a min. of 20 minutes, and sometimes people zonk out for up to an hour. When you come out of your deep relaxation you’ll make eye contact with the acupuncturist, and then they will come over and take out your needles.

Response to treatment varies widely based on severity, how long the condition has been going on, and the individual person. Some people experience relief while they are resting. Others notice a change over the next few days. If you don’t notice any improvement, it may take a few treatments for changes to take effect. Acupuncture is typically not a one and done thing, and that’s why your acupuncturist will come up with a treatment plan they think will get you the best results.

The practitioner may also discus other Chinese medicine strategies (diet, exercise, cupping, gua sha, herbs) that could further benefit and shit your concern.

Most people and conditions respond very well to getting treated once per per week for 12 weeks. The goal is for you to have the level of improvement that you are happy with last for two consecutive weeks before we discontinue treatment.

If that happens before 12 weeks, great! We celebrate! If you’re approaching 12 weeks of treatment and your symptoms have not improved to the level you need them to, we’re not giving up on you! You may need a handful more treatments, and we’ll be sure to explore other Chinese medicine modalities that could help, and or make referrals to gain more information, or to add additional therapies to the treatment plan.

For an acute concern (you just injured yourself) twice a week for three weeks may be appropriate.

For something really bad, think pain that’s affecting your sleep, bad insomnia, anxiety that’s impacting your day to day living, twice a week for a few weeks can help get you out of that pattern.

Once a person is feeling better we discuss what management and maintain will look like for you. The general recommendation is that you come back in at the first glimmer of your chief complaint coming back. Come for a few tune up treatments, and then you should be good to go.

We recommend a minimum of 20 minutes for your session. People can rest for as long as they like, and sometimes zonk out for up to an hour. When you are ready to get up you will make meaningful eye contact with the acupuncturist and they will come and take out your needles.

Please arrive at least 5 minutes prior to your appointment time so you can get checked in and situate yourself comfortably in your chair by the time of your appointment.

We gently place the needles on your arms, legs, and other areas that are reached while you are fully dressed and resting in a recliner. These “distal” (situated away from the center of the body) points can treat problems such as back pain, as well as internal disorders.

We assess that and place needles that are specific for your condition that day.

Usually, our patients find it painless. We use hair-thin, sterile, single-use, disposable needles. There may be a temporary discomfort when the needles are inserted, but once they are in, most people find the treatment very relaxing and regularly fall asleep.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture regulates the flow of energy or Qi in the body. When there is a blockage or imbalance in the energy, it can cause general health issues, pain, malfunction, or disease.

Western science has shown that acupuncture releases the body’s natural pain killers (endorphins), reduces inflammation, and increases blood flow essential to proper body function. Acupuncture puts patients into their parasympathetic state (rest and digest), which allows the body to heal and regenerate.

We can treat you in whatever you’re wearing. We recommend comfortable clothing, if possible, so you can easily roll up sleeves and pant legs to your knees and elbows. You can remove your socks, but you will be fully clothed during your treatment.

Certain conditions respond very well to a combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine. For example allergies, symptoms of the common cold and flu, and digestive disorders can all be helped with the right combination of herbs. Chronic inflammatory conditions, auto-immune, and hormonal conditions are also good candidates for herbal support. We make recommendations from our herbal pharmacy of quality herbs sourced from highly reputable suppliers. Often your acupuncturist can make herb prescriptions for you as part of your acupuncture visit. If more time is needed, your acupuncturist will let you know and we’ll schedule you for an herbal consultation. Herbal consultations are $44-80 sliding scale and do not include the cost of herbs. A month of herbs costs between $30-$100.

Chico Community Acupuncture charges a $45-$80 sliding scale for acupuncture and cupping treatment, and herbal consultation. An additional $20 first-visit fee applies to new patients.

We are a non-profit organization entirely funded by fees for services. We trust you to know your finances better than we ever could. Able to pay the low end of the sliding scale? Great! Able to pay the high end of the sliding scale? Great!

We prefer cash. We also accept credit cards, checks, debit cards, and HSA cards.

Yes, we accept Health Savings Accounts.

No. You can go about your regular activities following treatment. Sometimes people may feel a little tired afterwards. Mostly people have a sense of feeling calm and energized. Some people get immediate relief from their symptoms. Sometimes that comes after a handful of treatments have gotten to do their work.

We recommend not doing something too extreme (such as vigorous exercise, sauna, or cold plunge) up to 2 hrs after your treatment. As a general rule, it is safe to drive and resume normal function. You don’t need to go to bed afterwords unless that is what you feel would benefit you most.

No, you don’t. It even works on animals, children, and skeptics a like.

NOTE: the following recommended links open in new windows.

Recommended Links

Acupuncture for Chronic Pain

Acupuncture for Peripheral Neuropathy

Acupuncture for Lower Back Pain

Recommended Book

Why Did You Put That Needle There?

Our patients often start to wonder what exactly acupuncture is doing, how these tiny needles make them feel so good, or why we put needles in the hand for back pain. Fellow community acupuncture clinic owner, Andy Wegman, wrote a little book that covers all the basic acupuncture-related questions. You can listen to him read his book, download it for free, or buy a copy from Amazon. We also have copies for perusing or for purchase in our clinic lobby.

Recommended Documentary

"Community Acupuncture: The Calmest Revolution Ever Staged!"

Filmed by Brian Lindstrom and co-produced by community acupuncturist, Jessica Feltz, this 35-minute film follows six diverse community acupuncture patients and shows the impact of affordable acupuncture on their lives and communities. Lindstrom tells the story of the community acupuncture movement: how a small group of loud-mouthed, over-educated, under-employed activists and a massive group of ordinary people with average incomes revolutionized healthcare services by using large empty rooms, old recliner chairs, and two-cent needles.

To cancel your appointment, we need 24 hrs’ notice before your appointment. Less than 24 hours or no-shows will be charged a $45 cancellation fee. Please call us if you need to reschedule. See individual massage therapists for their cancellation policies.

We do not want you to come in if you are acutely sick (colds, flus, etc), or have a contagious skin disease (shingles). No late cancelation fee in these cases.

Yes, we can bill your insurance. Please complete insurance verification under the “Cost and Insurance” Menu item at the top of the website.