Ann Mongeau, L.Ac., RN
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

My Philosophy

If the System is "Broke", Fix It.

Conventional acupuncture in Minnesota, charging $65 to $100 and up for a visit, is expensive. This limits who can afford it and the number and frequency of treatments people can afford. For those without insurance, any type of health care - conventional or alternative - may be too expensive.

Acupuncture is a very effective form of health care for a wide range of health problems (see Conditions Treated) so long as treatments are frequent enough and carried out for long enough to get the best results possible. Under the current fee schedule, this usually isn't feasible.

Community Acupuncture addresses concerns of cost by creating a treatment room where several people can receive treatment at once at much more affordable rates. In my clinic, the sliding fee scale is $25 to $45 for the initial consult and treatment and $15 to $35 for return visits. No proof of income is needed. The fees are set like this so more people can afford enough acupuncture to get better and stay better.

Community treatments also utilize the energy of the group for healing. If you have experienced the difference between yoga, meditation or prayer in a group vs. at home alone, you know what I mean. Maybe this is one of the reasons why treatments in China, which often involve dozens of people in a single large treatment room, often show such remarkable results.

In my clinic I have two treatment rooms with recliners. Because I practice a distal point style of acupuncture, you do not need to undress for treatment. The points selected are on the lower arms (from elbows to hands) or lower legs (from knees to feet) or on the ears. As long as people remove their shoes and socks, wear pants that can easily be rolled above the knee and sleeves that can be pushed above the elbow, they can be treated in this style. A private treatment room is available if needed.

The community acupuncture concept has been used successfully in Portland, OR (www.workingclassacupuncture.org), Boulder, Cape Cod and St. Louis with many more springing up around the country. Acupuncturists are choosing to be part of the solution to the high cost of health care.

Click Here for an excellent video that sums up community acupuncture and shows it in action.

Please read this recent article on community acupuncture (for article Click Here).

Research In the United States (as well as thousands of years of tradition in Asia) has shown that acupuncture is most effective when it is done frequently and regularly - once a week is usually the minimum required to make progress on any kind of health problem.