I am often asked if I accept health insurance (I don’t!), so I wanted to write out the full story about why I don’t and why you likely won’t find an acupuncture clinic in Iowa that does.

In this entry, I cover the basics behind insurance terminology and what’s needed to have coverage for acupuncture, the nitty-gritty information of insurance coverage step-by-step, the ways available to save a bit of money on your treatments at Fireweed Acupuncture, and go behind the scenes a bit to give you a glimpse of how this applies specifically to my practice, including how some of the math shakes out (or, in this case, doesn’t!).

Conversations around privacy, especially in a healthcare setting, have come up often lately, and I wanted to share some of the thoughts and philosophy I have around it as a practitioner - and a journal entry here seemed like the easiest way. (It definitely isn’t a topic that I can boil down to an Instagram caption!) Some of this may seem like a bit of an odd topic, coming from an acupuncturist, but I hope the information is useful to you, and also gives you an idea of what I am thinking about while operating my practice!

A common sight in Iowa are Chiropractic offices that offer “chiropractic & acupuncture” - but this can be confusing to consumers! I often field questions from people asking what the differences and similarities are. So, continuing down the potentially controversial path, here is information that (I hope!) can help people sort out what they are looking for in their acupuncture practitioner.

I’ll say right up front - this is a hot issue in both acupuncture and physical therapy (providers who do dry needling) fields, with a lot of opinions on each side. But, as patients, what is important is to know the difference and how each can help you! So, my hope with this entry is to clear up some confusion and answer some common questions.

Not knowing what to expect when seeing a new practitioner can be a big source of anxiety, especially if you’ve never gotten acupuncture before! This entry describes the process of your first appointment, from start to finish.

Not knowing what to expect for your appointments can be a big source of anxiety for people! This entry walks you through the step-by-step of what to do before your first appointment.