Frequently Asked Questions

about flourish

Our vision is to provide coordinated holistic care to our patients, so that you have a team of experts working together to help you thrive. Functionally, we are a single location where patients can receive multiple forms of care (acupuncture / herbal medicine, massage and naturopathy). Each modality operates as a separate business (different booking systems, different pricing), but it’s all in one home – and we work closely with each other to ensure that you get the best care possible.

Although we specialize in fertility, pregnancy, women’s health and bodies, we treat all people who walk through our door with specialized individualized support. We regularly treat pain, sleep issues, digestive complaints, immune support, hormonal regulation, emotional imbalances, and complicated internal medicine concerns including cancer support, male health/ fertility and pediatrics. 

Hundreds of rigorous, scientific studies have shown acupuncture to be highly effective in areas including regulating the nervous system, reducing inflammation, improving circulation, reducing stress, releasing endorphins and much more. That being said, Western medicine is still trying to understand from its framework exactly how it achieves these results. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, acupuncture helps to promote the circulation of Qi and blood in your body as a way to bring your body back into balance.
Acupuncture is only one part of our training as practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), now referred to as East Asian Medicine. TCM is a broad system of medicine that also includes herbal medicine, dietary recommendations, spiritual & emotional wellbeing, moxibustion and specific forms of bodywork. All of these are tied into your care at Flourish, depending on your need.
Our initial intake + treatment is $165, or a virtual intake appointment is $100 – depending on how you start care with us. For follow-up acupuncture treatments, the majority of our patients purchase packages, which brings the cost per appointment down to $99-$110 / appointment, depending on the size of the package.
We happily provide superbills (healthcare-specific receipts) upon request, which you can use to communicate with your insurance company about whether they are willing to reimburse you for any of the appointment fee. However, we are not in-network with any providers, and do not manage the billing process with insurance companies.

new patients

Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine is slow, personalized medicine. Our goal is to bring your body into balance in a sustainable manner, which can take time. For many patients, some relief does come with the first treatment. For some, it may take a few treatments before noticing a shift. Coming consistently is key to success: we generally ask for patients to come weekly to begin (occasionally twice a week for intense pain). A full course of treatment may take anywhere from a month to a year or more – depending on the issues that we are trying to address and how long they’ve been occurring.

Your practitioner will create a personalized treatment plan as part of your intake appointment, which will lay out expectations of care on a more personalized level, after assessing your specific needs. If you’d like to have more insight into the likely course of care for your case before signing up for your first appointment, please set up a 15-minute free phone consultation with one of our acupuncturists.

Acupuncture is a really gentle form of treatment – many patients fall asleep on the treatment table with their needles in! Our acupuncture needles are about 1/20 the width of the hypodermic needle that most of us are familiar with, so it’s a very different experience from most other needles you are likely to have experienced.

Most of the time, acupuncture is completely painless. There can occasionally be a pinching sensation with the insertion of an acupuncture needle, but once it’s in place, you shouldn’t feel sharp or pricking pain. If you do, let your acupuncturist know, so that they can adjust the needle and make you more comfortable.

You can make an appointment by clicking here and selecting from “Initial” (general), “fertility” or “prenatal” consult.

Of course! You have the option to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation with one of our acupuncturists. Or, you can email us at info@flourishintegrativehealth.com.

Click here to go to our New Patient page!

We recommend clothing that is loose, comfortable, and easily shifted about. For most appointments, we will need access up to your elbows, up to your knees, and possibly to your belly – so any outfit that can easily accommodate access to those areas is ideal.

You will also be expected to wear a surgical or N95 / KN95-comparable mask during the entirety of your treatment, even when you’re alone in the treatment room. If you don’t have one with you when you arrive, we can provide one for you.

We are currently encouraging most patients to come in for an in-person combined initial intake and acupuncture appointment. Fertility patients, however, are encouraged to do a virtual intake appointment instead (and then schedule an in-person acupuncture appointment for a later time) -this virtual appointment allows more time for the intake conversation, and lets us dig deeper into what’s going on. If you’d prefer to switch your initial appointment type for any reason, please contact us at info@flourishintegrativehealth.com. Heads up: you may need to find a new day / time for your appointment, if you switch appointment types.

You don’t need to bring anything with you to your first in-person appointment, other than a well-fitting mask! If you’d like to share blood work or imaging with your practitioner, you’re welcome to do so via email.

There is no particular restriction on what you do after your treatment. Some patients feel a little spacey or tired afterwards, some feel energized.
It’s helpful for us to have as much notice as possible if you do need to change your appointment, so that we can offer the time slot to another patient that may need care. We have a 24-hour cancellation policy: you are able to cancel and reschedule your appointment online with more than a day’s notice. If you need help, you can reach out to info@flourishintegrativehealth.com or your provider for assistance.  If you need to change your appointment with less than 24 hours of its start time, you will need to call or email us to let us know, and a late cancellation fee applies.
Lots and lots! Acupuncturists are required to complete a 4-5 year long graduate degree program (masters or doctorate degree). This education includes close to 1000 hours of clinical training, and academic training in both the East Asian approach to medicine as well as Western medicine. In the state of California, we are also required to sit for a licensing exam, and to maintain our license through continuing education classes.

safety

While there are risks and side effects to any form of care, acupuncture is a generally very safe form of treatment, when you’re in the hands of a licensed acupuncturist. Bruising, swelling or slight irritation at the site of a needle does occur occasionally, more in some patients than others, and patients sometimes get slightly woozy or spacey after treatment – but we don’t often see other side effects amongst our patients.

Gross! No way! All of our needles are single use, and disposed of in sharps containers, per healthcare regulatory guidelines.

Yes, all three acupuncturists are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.

We have been open throughout the majority of this pandemic, and have not had any cases of transmission traced to the clinic! Here are the guidelines that we have in place to keep you safe while at Flourish:

  • All practitioners and patients are expected to be masked with either surgical or N95/KN95-compatible masks during their time in the Flourish clinic, even when alone.
  • HEPA filters are running in each treatment room, and each room is aired out for 20-60 minutes between patients.
  • The treatment tables and surfaces of likely contact in the rooms are sanitized between patients.
  • Patients complete a COVID screening questionnaire before each treatment, to ensure they are not showing any signs of illness or likely exposure.
  • Cancellation fees are waived for illness or exposure, to encourage patients to report honestly.
  • During COVID surges, our waiting room is closed, and patients are asked to wait either on the bench outside or in their car.

We are grateful to our wonderful patients for following and respecting the guidelines that we set out.