By Grace Pernecky
What is Community Acupuncture?
Did you know there’s a place you can get acupuncture for $25, and that it could be just as rewarding and healing as acupuncture you may receive for $100-200 elsewhere?
Many of us know of acupuncture. Some of us have tried it ourselves. Acupuncture follows the tradition of Chinese medicine, which believes that energy, or chi, flows through the body along a variety of meridian pathways. When energy gets blocked, or is flowing too strongly or too weakly, our body becomes unbalanced, and we may experience symptoms and develop illness. Acupuncture places needles in strategic points in the body along the meridians in an effort to correct these imbalances and restore health. However, most clinics in the U.S. that offer acupuncture do so in a spa-like, private setting, with one-on-one appointments that often cost upward of $100. It’s a big investment for many people, especially for those who are already struggling with illness.
Community acupuncture, on the other hand, offers a sustainable and fiscally sensible solution to treating as many people as efficiently and effectively as possible. Evan Lebow-Wolf, co-founder of Ann Arbor Community Acupuncture (AACA), told me briefly about the difference between community acupuncture and private acupuncture. When I asked him whether he feels like there is anything missing in the community acupuncture approach that is available in private acupuncture sessions, he replied with a firm and resolute “no.”
“To me, the main thing you get from a private ‘Boutique’ acupuncture (that’s what community acupuncturists call it), is up-front, one-on-one time. And I really think that just comes out of this American obsession with individualism and privacy, with ‘feeling special.’”
Lebow-Wolf told me that for those rare people who come into community acupuncture and don’t like it, the reason is usually that they have had private acupuncture sessions and have an idea of what they think acupuncture should look like and what they should be getting out of the experience. “The vast majority of the time, people just end up doing really well with it,” he expressed confidently.
Packing an AcuPunch: The Journey to Ann Arbor Community Acupuncture
Lebow-Wolf and his partner and co-founder of Ann Arbor Community Acupuncture, Cheryl Wong, both attended Bastyr University in Seattle, one of the largest Naturopathic medical schools in the States. They were both attracted to the school because of its mission to develop the field of natural medicine with a science-based approach. Although they started off with an interest in the field of naturopathic, integrative medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine as a whole, over time they realized the power of acupuncture to restore balance to the body, even when other modalities failed to pack the same punch.
After graduating with a Masters of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (and Wong with an additional Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine), Lebow-Wolf and Wong moved to upstate New York. Wong started a small, private naturopathic practice while Evan found work at a community acupuncture clinic. Wong quickly noticed the differences between her and Lebow-Wolf’s work, despite offering many of the same services. “I would have to see one person at a time, and because of that I would have to charge $80 minimum just to keep my office, just to break even. I would hear these stories from Evan about doing relatively simple treatments for these really severe cases at $15 a pop, and a lot of these people being all better after just one treatment. It was insane.”
In 2015, Lebow-Wolf and Wong founded Ann Arbor Community Acupuncture. Since then, they have provided over 30,000 treatments, and in 2017 their clinic gained 501(c)3 status as a non-profit. They hired Kiersten DeWitt in 2020. DeWitt attended Naturopathic Medical School at the National University of Health Sciences in Chicago, and though she started off with an interest in dietetics and nutrition, she soon came to the same realization that acupuncture was a powerful tool that could be used to treat many people efficiently and effectively.
Since day one, AACA has been offering effective and affordable treatments to members of the Ann Arbor community. “Our first day, we had nine patients. They were mostly Evan’s mom’s friends,” laughed Wong reminiscing. “So much has changed since then.” The clinic has mostly grown through word-of-mouth. “We weren’t really doing any marketing or advertising; people would just find out about us through other people who had good experiences with us.” On average, the clinic now sees around 35 people every day.
What Does Group Healing Look Like?
“The physical size and space of our clinic has changed so much since the beginning,” Wong stated. Where there was once only a small treatment room where eight chairs were crammed into a 15 x 25’ space, post-pandemic, the clinic has been able to more than double in physical size, thanks to Paycheck Protection Program loans that the clinic applied for during the pandemic. “It now comfortably fits eight chairs that are spaced at least six feet apart,” said Wong, “and we are still requiring masking at our clinic so that everyone feels safe.”
What does a typical AACA appointment look like? How is it different from acupuncture in a private setting? What happens at your first session?
When you enter the clinic, you will check in at the front desk with a friendly receptionist, who will ask how much you would like to pay for your visit—no questions asked. You will pay on a sliding scale anywhere from $25-50 and then make yourself comfortable while you wait for the acupuncturist to receive you. There is a fountain whose steady trickle of water will keep you company as you wait, as well as an abundance of literature about acupuncture and other various magazines, both entertaining and health-related. A map of all the community acupuncture clinics in the States is posted by the front desk, and a few other posters and art pieces line the walls.
Once the acupuncturist calls you in, you’ll have a short, five-to-ten-minute consultation, where you’ll talk to them about your health concerns and what you’d like to address during your visit. They may talk with you about your lifestyle, diet, and ask other basic questions to get a better sense of your presenting problem.
After you’ve consulted with Lebow-Wolf, Wong, or DeWitt, they will lead you into the treatment room. When you enter the room, you’ll notice immediately how relaxing it feels: water runs steadily down a waterfall-style fountain, and dim lighting emanating from a variety of lamps around the outskirts of the room gives the place a gentle glow. The thermostat is set at a cozy 77°, and an electric fireplace blazes by the door and makes the room feel especially inviting. Asian-inspired art decorates the walls, and cushy reclining chairs sit evenly spaced around the room, some of which may already hold patients undergoing treatment. Your acupuncturist will tell you softly to find a seat and make yourself comfortable, while they check on the other patients and remove their needles if they indicate they are ready to complete their treatment.
Once you’ve settled in, the practitioner will take your pulse, and then begin to gently insert needles into strategic places along the meridian pathways in your body in a treatment that is unique to you. If any of the points are uncomfortable or painful once the needle has been placed, the acupuncturist will urge you to simply let them know and they will remove them. Once all the needles have been put in, you’ll be left to take a nap, listen to music, or meditate during treatment while the acupuncturist on duty moves on to the next patient.
“We joke about our job actually being putting people down for naps,” Lebow-Wolf said with a smile, “We just sort of tuck people in, and then in half an hour or so they wake up refreshed and happy.”
When you feel you are done, which DeWitt said for most people is “once you’ve come out of a state of deep relaxation and start to feel restless,” simply catch the eye of the acupuncturist when they reenter the room to check on the patients (about once every five minutes) and they will remove the needles.
“That’s another thing you have with community acupuncture that you can’t have with private acupuncture—we ask people to let their bodies decide how long they need the needles in,” Wong told me. “Sometimes that’s 20 minutes and sometimes it’s three hours. On average it’s about 45 minutes.” I asked her what the record amount of time someone has had the needles in for and she said “six hours” without batting an eyelid.
The Advantages of Community Acupuncture
At first, working in acupuncture was a bit of a “blow to the ego,” said Lebow-Wolf, because he, Wong, and DeWitt all spent years studying naturopathic and traditional Chinese medicine. Though acupuncture is only one of many tools utilized in this approach to healthcare, it seems to make the biggest, most noticeable difference in many of their patient’s lives. “[We] all have so many other modalities we could use, and sometimes we’re like ‘dang, I really want to talk to this person about nutrition,’ or other things that would take a lot more time and would be a bigger investment for the patient to make the changes and stick to them. But with acupuncture, it really can be just that simple. When patients go home, they don’t have to remember to do anything every day—they just have to show up for their appointment.”
That’s not to say that those other modalities aren’t utilized in the clinic. Though Lebow-Wolf, Wong, and DeWitt only have 10 minutes to check-in with a patient before their treatment, because patients can afford to come back regularly and consistently, those 10 minutes of checking in can really add up over time.
“Though our focus is on the acupuncture, we’ve found we can still plant seeds during that 10-minute check-in about herbs, nutrition, and other tips. And because the appointments are able to happen more frequently and over longer periods of time, there’s this trust that’s built over time that can be really important and something that seems to be lacking in our Western medical system. We can be the voice they trust that reassures them that it might be a good idea for them to take a trip to their doctor, when they may have lost that trust with the medical system at large,” DeWitt said.
Another benefit of community acupuncture is the possibility of group healing. “Relaxing in a space with other people who are also relaxed can add an extra level of healing,” stated Wong.
Along these lines, the more concise consultations at the beginning of each session allow for less rumination and cyclical thinking for patients which can be helpful, especially with patients who have more complicated or ongoing health struggles. Wong sees a fair amount of people who, she says, “have this feeling of wanting to really tell their story, identifying themselves as a person who is stuck with this disease. In a private setting, you can get away more easily with this sort of analysis-rumination that in the end, can be more harmful than helpful in terms of getting a patient in a state where they are open to treatment. Community acupuncture allows us to prioritize treatment.”
I asked Lebow-Wolf if they still feel they are able to individualize treatments with such a short timeframe to diagnose issues and come up with a treatment plan, and his response was a resounding “yes.” “In addition to having enough time to figure out what approach we can take, because it’s more affordable and people can come in more frequently than they may be able to at boutique acupuncture clinics, even if the first treatment doesn’t work, we can keep trying things over the course of time.” Lebow-Wolf clarified that healing is a process, not a bandage or a quick fix, and that community acupuncture allows for this process to unfold in a way that is really special and unique.
The Magic of Acupuncture: A Results Driven Approach
When I asked Wong what the future of their clinic looks like and what she hopes for the future of community acupuncture at large, she launched passionately into a story about AACA’s most recent foray into helping folks heal from addiction.
“We’re currently working with Dawn Farm, an out-patient clinic for folks who are recovering from addiction. Because of funding from a private donor who really believes in the work we are doing, the farm is able to bus out around 15 people each week to come get treatment at our clinic. Addiction is something that can totally take over your life—you don’t know who you are anymore. These people come to our clinic and after receiving treatment, they can feel like themselves again, and realize that they didn’t do it with drugs. That’s really powerful.”
Wong hopes to expand this program, in addition to seeing the field of community acupuncture in the States grow. Right now, the clinic is seeing patients from West Michigan, Detroit, Ohio, and Indiana. “That’s how much of a need there is,” said Wong.
When I asked about whether they’d like to see more research in the field of community acupuncture, DeWitt’s response intrigued me:
“There are definitely people doing research on acupuncture, and a lot of it is results driven, because the mechanisms are somewhat theoretical. But it’s also important to understand that there’s a lot in Western medicine that isn’t understood regarding the mechanisms. For example, there’s a good amount of pharmaceuticals with unknown mechanisms of action, where the mechanism of action that they were being studied for is not what they are being used for. I think there’s a bit of misunderstanding and bias when it comes to ‘we don’t know exactly how it works, therefore we shouldn’t use it,’ because that’s not necessarily how Western medicine is. It’s often results-driven, and that’s how a lot of acupuncture research is as well.”
Wong added a helpful comparison to the table: “It’s like bacteria. We didn’t know they existed until the microscope was invented. It’s the same thing with acupuncture. A lot of people can’t see it, so they don’t believe it. But I do see it—Every time I put a needle somewhere and the patient asks me to take the needle out of their leg but it’s actually in their foot.”
It’s a normal, human behavior to be uncomfortable with the unknown. It makes sense—we want to be as certain as possible that it’s safe to trust—that we’re not making a mistake. And yet, acupuncture has been used to successfully treat and heal people with a wide variety of illnesses for centuries. On top of that, community acupuncture takes away the barrier of cost. This creates an affordable, low-risk way to try a new healing modality that, for some, may be exactly what they need.
To learn more about AACA, visit annarborcommunityacupuncture.com. The clinic’s phone number is (734) 780-7253 and can also be reached via email at info@annarborcommunityacupuncture.com.
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