I am really, really impressed with Vermont Community Acupuncture. I started going to because of some really high blood pressure readings and a fussy GI tract. There's an initial meeting to discuss what you're going for, what you hope acupuncture can do for you, etc. Whenever you have an appointment, you lie down in a communal room (with partitions between each of the six beds), they insert a set of needles to wherever needs it most, and then you hang out. They check on you periodically, and if you fall asleep (a frequent occurrence, whether because the needles are doing what they need to do and/or because you're in a comfortable, safe, gently-lit space with soothing music) will gently wake you up after an hour. While I've been feeling really great right after each session, I've also noticed that my GI tract's acting happier. If there's longer term effects of gentling the stress that has been getting my blood pressure up so high, then, awesome.
The acupuncturist Leilani (who is absolutely wonderful: while I'm sure I'd have a great experience with anyone in their employ, she's so great that I schedule specifically to work with her) had some great advice for sticking needle-phobic folk, like using magnets instead of needles, or letting the person sit up instead of lying down (a less vulnerable position), and just getting one or two needles done at first 'til their body gets the idea that acupuncture needles have good effects instead of bad ones. I've even noticed my body being super Aware that it's about to have needles poked into it, even if I consciously know it's a good thing. That has been reducing, though, as of the second time I've gone in.
The coolest thing about the community-oriented model is that they have a no-questions-asked sliding scale fee. No income check; not even a single question about income, even: just a scale from $20-40 per session, and you decide how much you would like to/can afford to pay. Fantastic place. read more
