von Mary F. B. Riggin

In den USA werden die Kosten für Akupunkturbehandlungen nur von einzelnen Krankenkassen erstattet. Trotzdem hat sich die Anwendung der Akupunktur in den letzten Jahren enorm ausgeweitet. Im folgenden finden Sie eine Kurzdarstellung, wie Patienten die Methode der Akupunktur und ihre Honorierung vermittelt wird:

An Outline of How to Explain Acupuncture, Acupuncture Treatment and Insurance Issues to Your Patients

Mary F. B. Riggin

• How to Explain Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in About a Minute
• How to Explain Acupuncture Treatments to Your New Patient
• How To Explain Why Insurance Doesn’t Cover Acupuncture Services

How to Explain Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in About a Minute:

Acupuncture and herbal therapy are key components of Traditional Chinese Medicine; a modern development based on 2500 years of research in what is commonly known as "Oriental Medicine".

TCM's effectiveness is due to its ability to directly restore balance to the body's systems. Both eastern and western medicine agree that optimal health is based on optimal balance, or homeostasis. Just as western medicine balances chemical levels in the body, TCM directly balances the energy levels that supply and control the body's various systems.

The energy TCM manipulates is called Qi (pronounced "chee"), and is generated by electrical energy in the nervous system and organs. With Acupuncture, these energy fields are directly manipulated by very fine needles that act like antennae. Properly inserted into the skin along key energy paths, they act like a switch that reprograms the body to a healthier state.
  

How to Explain Acupuncture Treatments to Your New Patient:

Since the energy fields of the body are so small, modern science has not been able to directly measure them. However, since these energy fields have an affect on all the systems of the body, scientists have been able to measure some of the physical effects of treatment.

The chemical effect of acupuncture, as proven by modern science, includes a release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller. It also increases blood circulation to the diseased area as well as the whole body, thereby enhancing the body’s ability to heal.

In most cases for treatment to be effective a course of treatment is necessary, like a course of antibiotics. A course can be anywhere from 6 to 15 treatments within a 2 to 6 week period.

The effects of acupuncture are cumulative. This means that with each treatment the effects build one on top of the other. In the beginning, the treatments are closer together to build up the effects. Three times the first and second week, then two times a week, then one time per week. Some conditions may require monthly maintenance. How soon improvement can be seen is dependent upon the individual and the condition being treated. Some respond quickly and some take a little longer.

Other benefits include deep relaxation and a feeling of enhanced well being.
  

How To Explain Why Insurance Doesn’t Cover Acupuncture Services:

Health insurance was originally designed to cover catastrophic illnesses, the kind of situation that would require tens of thousands of dollars worth of care to treat - perhaps a fifty thousand dollar surgery, or maybe one hundred thousand dollars worth of treatment and rehabilitation. These types of situations would cause dire hardship for a family to take care of, and perhaps could cause them to loose all their assets and even their home.

Health insurance was never designed to cover health maintenance, and when the industry tried to, they caused a dysfunctional health care delivery system.

Everyone pays for their vitamins, buys their vegetables, pays for their teeth to be cleaned and filled, pays for oil changes and tune-ups for their cars, budgets for home repairs like appliances, roofs, flooring, and list goes on. Your health maintenance is your responsibility. It’s as simple as budgeting of a few thousand dollars a year to take care of your own healthcare. This puts you in control of your own health and not some company dictating what you can and cannot do.

Mary F. Bochichio Riggin, D.A., A.P., Dipl. NCCAOM is a licensed Acupuncture Physician (FL). She is currently the host of the alternative medicine segment for a local TV news magazine show and is also a published author. She regularly teaches classes to both the public and medical professionals. She was appointed by two governors to Florida’s State Board of Acupuncture and was elected to serve two consecutive terms as President of the Florida State Oriental Medical Association. She is currently in practice in Clearwater, FL.