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WELCOME TO PACIFIC COAST COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE!
All visits must be booked on line. We no longer book in person. There are only three patients at a time in the clinic, and often only two. This allows for far more than 6 feet of distance between patients, and for us to have time to clean all contact points immediately.
If you are a NEW PATIENT please do the following:
On the day of your Community Acupuncture appointment:
For onsite payments for herbal products, donations done on site, etc. Please bring a check, exact change cash, or credit card with you. We accept Visa, Master Card, and Discover.
We are located in Culver City at 11204 Braddock Dr., 90230. Ample parking is available on Washington and on the surrounding neighborhood streets.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT PACIFIC COAST COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE (PCCA)?
We treat in a community setting.
Most acupuncturists in the US treat patients on tables in individual rooms, while in Asia, where acupuncture originated, it usually occurs in a community setting. In our clinic we use gravity chairs in a large, quiet, soothing space. Treating patients in a community setting has many benefits: it’s easy for friends and family members to come in for treatment together; many patients find it comforting; and a collective energetic field becomes established which actually makes individual treatments more powerful. In some styles of acupuncture, the needles are removed after only a few minutes or after a half hour at most. The style of acupuncture we practice at PCCA allows patients to keep their needles in for 30 minutes, or longer if no one is waiting for a chair.
We have a sliding scale.
Most acupuncturists in the US see only one patient per hour and charge $65 to $175 per treatment. They tend to spend a long time talking with each patient, going over medical records, asking many questions. We don’t. The only way that we at PCCA can make acupuncture affordable is to streamline our treatments and see multiple patients in an hour. So we have returned to the traditional approach. Instead of asking you lots of questions, we rely on tongue and pulse diagnosis to decide how to treat you. This is exactly how acupuncture is practiced traditionally in Asia: many patients per hour, and very little talking.
Please see the enclosed form that explains our sliding scale. Because we have a sliding scale we cannot bill insurance (it is illegal to do so). If you think your insurance will cover acupuncture, we are happy to give you an a receipt which you can submit to your insurance (and it is perfectly legal for YOU to do so).
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
We want to make it possible for you to receive acupuncture regularly, frequently, and long enough to get better, and to stay better. We want our community to be welcoming to all different kinds of people. We want to give you the tools to take care of your own health so that you will not need to rely on corporations like Big Insurance or Big Pharma for costly, high-tech interventions. We will provide a safe environment with skilled practitioners.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
Responsibility
PCCA does not provide primary care medicine. Acupuncture is a wonderful complement to Western medicine, but it is not a substitute for it. If you think you have a problem that is not “garden variety” (meaning you are worried that you might have a serious infection, a malignant growth, or an injury that won’t heal), or if you want someone knowledgeable to go over the details of your medical history with you, you need to see a primary care physician (MD or DO). We can provide complimentary care for conditions which require a physician’s attention. For instance, we often treat patients for the side effects of chemotherapy, or help patients prepare for and recover from surgery.
Flexibility
The community setting requires some flexibility from you. For instance, many patients have a favorite spot in the clinic, and when we are busy, someone may be sitting in that spot. We also have patients who snore. Feel free to bring earplugs, or your favorite music with headphones if our prefer yours to ours. Basically, we need you to understand that we are all trying to heal together, and that you can participate by making yourself as comfortable possible.
How Long To Stay
Tell the receptionist or the practitioner when you arrive if you need to leave by a specific time. We’ll make sure that you are walking out the door when you need to be. In general, if you feel done, open your eyes and give your acupuncturist a meaningful look. If your eyes are closed, we will assume you want to continue and will not bother you. We recommend 30 minutes for most treatments.
Community-Mindedness
The soothing atmosphere in our clinic exists because all of our patients create it by relaxing together. We appreciate everyone’s presence! This kind of collective stillness is a rare and precious thing in our rushed and busy society. Maintaining this reservoir of calm requires that no one talk very much in the clinic space, unless it is during the time you are being needled. If you would like to speak to a practitioner one-on-one at any length, please let us know. If you want to have a substantial conversation, we will probably need to schedule that separately and might need to do it by phone.
If you have questions about acupuncture and how it works, we have plenty of materials that you can read for more information. Unfortunately, we can’t explain what every point does, or how acupuncture works, while we are treating you – these are very large topics! If you have questions, we’ll be happy to give you reading material.
Part of our success is that our patients learn the “routine” and take on a lot of responsibility for the appointments. Re-scheduling and making payments happens at the front desk BEFORE each treatment, so you can relax and enjoy your treatment. Please take all personal belongings (bags, shoes, etc.) with you to the chair. Of course, please TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE OR OTHER NOISY DEVICES.
Commitment
Acupuncture is a process. It is very rare for any acupuncturist to resolve a problem in one treatment. In China, a typical treatment protocol for a chronic condition could be acupuncture every other day for three months! Most of our patients don’t need that much acupuncture, but virtually every patient requires a course of treatment, rather than a single treatment, in order to get what they want from acupuncture.
One big reason that we are able to keep our prices so low is because of the extraordinary amount of marketing our patients do on our behalf, saving us the cost of advertising. We cannot express how grateful we are for this. Our patients are such effective marketers because they have first-hand experience of how well acupuncture works, especially when they make it a course of treatment.
On your first visit, your acupuncturist will suggest a course of treatment, which may be anything from once a week for six weeks to every day for four days. This suggestion is based on our experience with treating different kinds of conditions. If you don’t come in often enough, or long enough, acupuncture probably won’t work for you. The purpose of our sliding scale is to help you make that commitment. If you have questions about how long it will take to see results, please ask us, or if you think you need to adjust your treatment plan, please let us know. We need you to commit to the process of treatment in order to get good results.
Last, but not least… enjoy the space, and your time with us. We do, and we hope that Pacific Coast Community Acupuncture will become an important part of your personal community and the community of Culver City and Los Angeles County.
Thank you,
Pacific Coast Community Acupuncture Staff
All visits must be booked on line. We no longer book in person. There are only three patients at a time in the clinic, and often only two. This allows for far more than 6 feet of distance between patients, and for us to have time to clean all contact points immediately.
If you are a NEW PATIENT please do the following:
- Book a community acupuncture treatment, or a private treatment if you feel your case is complicated and needs more assessment time.
- Print and fill out the forms above, and bring them in with you.
- We structure the visits in this way to reduce in-person speaking and contact time between the patients and practitioners for the safety of all during the Covid-19 partial quarantine.
On the day of your Community Acupuncture appointment:
- Please do not wear any perfume, cologne or scented lotions. Many of our patients are sensitive to smells.
- Arrive on time. You will not be admitted to the space early during the quarantine due to social distancing regulations.
- More than ten minutes late will forfeit your visit and you will not be refunded. So please arrive early.
- Knock on the door when you arrive. Please do not walk in without being invited at the door. Our waiting space is small and we want to make sure there is adequate distance between patients.
- Your treatment will last 30 minutes once needles are in.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing with sleeves that can be rolled up to the elbows and pants that can be rolled up to the knees.
- The treatment room has soft, soothing music playing, but you may bring earplugs or headphones if you prefer. If you bring your own music, please choose relaxing music or guided meditation to listen too.
- Please eat a little something beforehand. Acupuncture is not recommended on an empty stomach.
- Don’t plan to engage in any strenuous activity right after you receive acupuncture. Gentle exercise, such as tai chi, gentle yoga or walking, is best.
- Please be aware that we require a minimum of 24 hours notice for cancellations. If no notice and/or less than 24 hours notice is given, the cost of your treatment will not be refunded.
For onsite payments for herbal products, donations done on site, etc. Please bring a check, exact change cash, or credit card with you. We accept Visa, Master Card, and Discover.
We are located in Culver City at 11204 Braddock Dr., 90230. Ample parking is available on Washington and on the surrounding neighborhood streets.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT PACIFIC COAST COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE (PCCA)?
We treat in a community setting.
Most acupuncturists in the US treat patients on tables in individual rooms, while in Asia, where acupuncture originated, it usually occurs in a community setting. In our clinic we use gravity chairs in a large, quiet, soothing space. Treating patients in a community setting has many benefits: it’s easy for friends and family members to come in for treatment together; many patients find it comforting; and a collective energetic field becomes established which actually makes individual treatments more powerful. In some styles of acupuncture, the needles are removed after only a few minutes or after a half hour at most. The style of acupuncture we practice at PCCA allows patients to keep their needles in for 30 minutes, or longer if no one is waiting for a chair.
We have a sliding scale.
Most acupuncturists in the US see only one patient per hour and charge $65 to $175 per treatment. They tend to spend a long time talking with each patient, going over medical records, asking many questions. We don’t. The only way that we at PCCA can make acupuncture affordable is to streamline our treatments and see multiple patients in an hour. So we have returned to the traditional approach. Instead of asking you lots of questions, we rely on tongue and pulse diagnosis to decide how to treat you. This is exactly how acupuncture is practiced traditionally in Asia: many patients per hour, and very little talking.
Please see the enclosed form that explains our sliding scale. Because we have a sliding scale we cannot bill insurance (it is illegal to do so). If you think your insurance will cover acupuncture, we are happy to give you an a receipt which you can submit to your insurance (and it is perfectly legal for YOU to do so).
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
We want to make it possible for you to receive acupuncture regularly, frequently, and long enough to get better, and to stay better. We want our community to be welcoming to all different kinds of people. We want to give you the tools to take care of your own health so that you will not need to rely on corporations like Big Insurance or Big Pharma for costly, high-tech interventions. We will provide a safe environment with skilled practitioners.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
Responsibility
PCCA does not provide primary care medicine. Acupuncture is a wonderful complement to Western medicine, but it is not a substitute for it. If you think you have a problem that is not “garden variety” (meaning you are worried that you might have a serious infection, a malignant growth, or an injury that won’t heal), or if you want someone knowledgeable to go over the details of your medical history with you, you need to see a primary care physician (MD or DO). We can provide complimentary care for conditions which require a physician’s attention. For instance, we often treat patients for the side effects of chemotherapy, or help patients prepare for and recover from surgery.
Flexibility
The community setting requires some flexibility from you. For instance, many patients have a favorite spot in the clinic, and when we are busy, someone may be sitting in that spot. We also have patients who snore. Feel free to bring earplugs, or your favorite music with headphones if our prefer yours to ours. Basically, we need you to understand that we are all trying to heal together, and that you can participate by making yourself as comfortable possible.
How Long To Stay
Tell the receptionist or the practitioner when you arrive if you need to leave by a specific time. We’ll make sure that you are walking out the door when you need to be. In general, if you feel done, open your eyes and give your acupuncturist a meaningful look. If your eyes are closed, we will assume you want to continue and will not bother you. We recommend 30 minutes for most treatments.
Community-Mindedness
The soothing atmosphere in our clinic exists because all of our patients create it by relaxing together. We appreciate everyone’s presence! This kind of collective stillness is a rare and precious thing in our rushed and busy society. Maintaining this reservoir of calm requires that no one talk very much in the clinic space, unless it is during the time you are being needled. If you would like to speak to a practitioner one-on-one at any length, please let us know. If you want to have a substantial conversation, we will probably need to schedule that separately and might need to do it by phone.
If you have questions about acupuncture and how it works, we have plenty of materials that you can read for more information. Unfortunately, we can’t explain what every point does, or how acupuncture works, while we are treating you – these are very large topics! If you have questions, we’ll be happy to give you reading material.
Part of our success is that our patients learn the “routine” and take on a lot of responsibility for the appointments. Re-scheduling and making payments happens at the front desk BEFORE each treatment, so you can relax and enjoy your treatment. Please take all personal belongings (bags, shoes, etc.) with you to the chair. Of course, please TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE OR OTHER NOISY DEVICES.
Commitment
Acupuncture is a process. It is very rare for any acupuncturist to resolve a problem in one treatment. In China, a typical treatment protocol for a chronic condition could be acupuncture every other day for three months! Most of our patients don’t need that much acupuncture, but virtually every patient requires a course of treatment, rather than a single treatment, in order to get what they want from acupuncture.
One big reason that we are able to keep our prices so low is because of the extraordinary amount of marketing our patients do on our behalf, saving us the cost of advertising. We cannot express how grateful we are for this. Our patients are such effective marketers because they have first-hand experience of how well acupuncture works, especially when they make it a course of treatment.
On your first visit, your acupuncturist will suggest a course of treatment, which may be anything from once a week for six weeks to every day for four days. This suggestion is based on our experience with treating different kinds of conditions. If you don’t come in often enough, or long enough, acupuncture probably won’t work for you. The purpose of our sliding scale is to help you make that commitment. If you have questions about how long it will take to see results, please ask us, or if you think you need to adjust your treatment plan, please let us know. We need you to commit to the process of treatment in order to get good results.
Last, but not least… enjoy the space, and your time with us. We do, and we hope that Pacific Coast Community Acupuncture will become an important part of your personal community and the community of Culver City and Los Angeles County.
Thank you,
Pacific Coast Community Acupuncture Staff