Frequently asked questions

Sessions are $90. There is no extra fee to open a file, and you will receive a receipt for insurance and/or tax purposes.

Please note that as of January 1, 2027, the fee for a session will increase from $90 to $95.

Most insurance companies partially reimburse treatment fees (a percentage), up to a certain amount. If yours does not, ask your insurance company about it.

Sometimes the needle insertion goes unnoticed, and other times it causes slight discomfort. The feeling is similar to a mosquito bite. What you usually feel is warmth/cold or local numbness, a slight electric current lasting a fraction of a second, a feeling of heaviness, redness, or a sensation of tightness around the needles. All of these are considered normal. Most of the time, patients end up completely forgetting the needles, which leave them deeply relaxed.

When the treatment is done properly and competently, there are few or no side effects.

You may feel tired for a few hours after the treatment. This happens when the therapist has used too many needles with too intense a stimulation. This fatigue is harmless and passes quickly.

Signs and symptoms may also increase during the first 24 hours, but after that they decrease, to below their original level.

Most of the time, what you feel is a sense of calm and energy.

It always depends on the case. However, there seems to be a rule based on factors such as how long the problem has lasted, how severe the symptoms are, the patient’s age and condition, and whether it is a structural or a functional problem. In other words, a young, healthy person usually heals faster than an older person in poor health; a functional problem responds better to acupuncture than a structural one; mild, less frequent symptoms disappear faster than intense, recurring ones. Finally, the sooner a problem is treated after it appears, the faster it heals. It always pays to consult soon after an imbalance appears.

That said, it is common to see an older person with a chronic problem find quick relief through acupuncture.

The effects of acupuncture usually last. However, treating pain does not guarantee that it will never come back. Lifestyle is a very important factor in the onset of an imbalance. If a bad habit triggered the problem and the patient keeps that habit, the problem is likely to return sooner or later after the treatments.

The effect of acupuncture is cumulative. For a longer-lasting effect, it is best to continue treatments until the problem is at least 80% resolved.

This is a common and fair question. It is true that the philosophy of Chinese medicine can sometimes seem esoteric, but this medicine is above all empirical, based on a remarkable sense of observation, logical deduction and unmatched clinical experience over more than 5,000 years. Interestingly, acupuncture works on children and animals, which shows you do not need to believe in it to get results. Still, when you believe in what you are doing, you are more likely to succeed. A patient who believes in acupuncture will persevere more in their treatment, be more open to their acupuncturist’s suggestions and be more willing to change their lifestyle if needed.

Acupuncture is not just a placebo effect, because it works on animals, children and even the most sceptical. That said, the placebo effect is very real and is present in every type of treatment. Have you ever taken an aspirin and found your headache gone just 2 minutes later?

This effect is interesting because it draws on self-suggestion and the power to heal. You benefit from it mostly when you are convinced the treatment you are starting will help. The placebo effect in acupuncture is estimated at about 30%, similar to the placebo effect of taking medication. So it is worth believing in and investing yourself in your treatment.