The first time acupuncture ever appeared on my radar was over 25 years ago when I was in school working toward my undergraduate degree. I fellow classmate asked me if I were interested in learning how to be an acupuncturist. At the time the suggestion was as ridiculous to me as if she had just proposed that I move to Antarctica.
Fast forward about ten years. I had pulled a muscle in my hip that was seriously hampering my plans to hike the Grand Canyon. In total desperation and willing to try anything for relief, I went to an acupuncturist. Happily, after about three sessions on his table, my problem was solved. That hip injury was the beginning of my fascination with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Fast forward again to today. I am a licensed acupuncturist, a credentialed herbalist, and one of the owners of Acupuncture in the Park—and have been for more than a dozen years. It’s amazing how much things change–in this case, my mind over the course of time.
Our clinic is in Minneapolis, a forward-looking Midwestern city. We have our share of great acupuncturists and acupuncture clinics. But there’s more—if you are looking for acupuncture in the Twin Cities, here are a few things you might want to know:
-There are a couple of styles of clinics here. One is the traditional private-room set up, in which you are treated on a massage-style table in a single room. There are also community acupuncture clinics, where you can be treated in a large, quiet room with other patients while parked comfortably in a reclining chair. In addition, you will now find acupuncturists working in integrative health clinics, in which several different health services are offered.
-Almost every hospital in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and several outside of the Twin Cities offer acupuncture to their patients.
-The cost for acupuncture here in Minneapolis and St. Paul is generally a little bit less than what you would pay on either the East or West coast, especially in larger cities, like L.A., San Francisco, and New York City. In addition, the cost for community-style acupuncture is usually considerably less than that for a session in a clinic with private rooms.
-In Minnesota, we have about 400 practitioners of acupuncture, many of whom are concentrated around Minneapolis and St. Paul. That said, many acupuncturists have opened their doors to patients in cities, such as Rochester, St. Cloud, and Duluth. Compared to Minnesota’s 400, there are 5,600 acupuncturists in California, 2,600 in New York, and almost 1,500 in Oregon. On the leaner side, there are fewer than ten acupuncture practitioners in North and South Dakota, and 11 in Mississippi.
-Here in the Twin Cities, we have two accredited acupuncture schools, offering advanced degrees in Acupuncture and in Oriental Medicine (Acupuncture plus training in Chinese herbs).
-Licensed acupuncturists (LAc’s) in Minnesota are granted their license by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice after thousands of hours of training and rigorous testing. There are other practitioners who can perform acupuncture here in the state, however, they generally have less training in acupuncture and Chinese medicine than LAc’s and are certified to do so by their own professional organizations—not the Board of Medical Practice.
The bottom line is that here in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and around the state of Minnesota, there are a number of well-trained acupuncturists practicing in a variety of clinical settings. If you are ready to try acupuncture, Minnesota’s practitioners are available, nearby, and ready to help you!