East Side Acupuncture

03/13/2025

Hibernation season is coming to a close. If this winter left you not feeling your best or shoveling snow caused some issues give me a couple. We have openings in both Oneida and East Syracuse.

06/01/2023

Today marks 14 years since opening East Side Acupuncture. I have at least that many more ahead.
One thing that has come up in conversation lately is how much has changed in the opinion and perception of acupuncture over the course of my career. There is still room for improvement but it has come a long way.
For those of you reading this who haven’t tried it yet, what are you waiting for?

02/10/2022

Did you know acupuncture can help with Bell’s Palsy?

Today was the last treatment with a patient who had Bell’s Palsy start in August. He had difficulty chewing food and needed eye drops because he couldn’t completely close the eye on the affected side. He also loves swimming and couldn’t close his mouth to hold his breath at the onset. Now he can and is looking forward to warmer weather. We had estimated about 10 visits would be needed but only needed 9.

07/31/2021

I don’t post much but this has big impacts.
Medicare currently covers acupuncture (the procedure) but does not reimburse when it’s done by Licensed Acupuncturists unless directly supervised by an MD. Not only does this create a lot of confusion for Medicare beneficiaries but also reduces access for them to use their benefits. This bill, if passed, closes what is essentially a bureaucratic loophole.
For the under 65 crowd as Medicare coverage expands then private coverage tends to follow so this bill can help increase the number of policies with acupuncture benefits.

https://chu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-chu-introduces-acupuncture-seniors-act-2021?fbclid=IwAR2K0Ctyq20bm1Hwv1miRO91kkCv8KO7tF6SCk2Q0B2cX0UFS1w5NODirho

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) introduced a bill to increase access to acupuncture in our healthcare system, the Acupuncture for Seniors Act. The Acupuncture for Seniors Act ensures that licensed acupuncturists can participate as providers in Medicare so that seniors have another ...

08/31/2020

I’ve had quite a few people tell me acupuncture didn’t work for them, only to find out they did it only once (and sometimes only a demo at a health fair). I’ve even had people tell me they were pain/symptom free for a few days after the one treatment yet since the symptoms came back they concluded acupuncture doesn’t work at all.
It’s hard to know how many treatments it will take to meet someone’s goals, but healing is a process.

05/27/2020

As posted previously we are re-open and are trying to start getting new patients scheduled as well. NY state has removed the restriction requiring a prescription.

05/16/2020

I am now clear to open, with the restriction that it has been prescribed by a doctor. For VA patients there is no additional action needed. For all others we will need a prescription from a doctor. They can be emailed or faxed to (315) 637-3999. It needs to have your name, doctors name and a diagnosis.

We will start calling existing patients on Monday.

04/20/2020

We are currently closed but hoping to open again soon. If you are a current patient we will be calling everyone that had appointments cancelled once we re-open.
If you are a patient that hasn’t been in for a while or a new patient give us a call and we can put you on the call list as well.

03/18/2020

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has much more to offer than just acupuncture.
It’s been on my mind for years but given the current crises I’m considering offering other services that don’t require in person care.
Some ideas are health coaching, diet/nutrition counseling, herbal medicine (which I already offer but don’t publicize much), as well as movement techniques like tai chi and Qi gong. Comment below if you have any interest in any of these services. Please no personal health information, I just want to stimulate conversation.
Thanks!

10/17/2019

Food for thought for those contemplating or using cortisone injections to manage pain. Acupuncture can offer long term relief without the risks.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/15/cortisone-injections-hip-knee-pain-dangerous-thought/

Cortisone injections for hip and knee pain lead to more complications than previously thought, research has found.

07/02/2019

Stay tuned to see if Medicare will be covering acupuncture in the near future.

A decision to expand coverage would thrust the government health insurance program into the long-standing debate about whether the practice is good medicine.

02/01/2019

There is overwhelming evidence for acupuncture’s effectiveness for a variety of conditions. Just as important to note is that acupuncture outperforms standard of care (ie what doctors normally prescribe) for many conditions.
Take a quick look at this article if you’d like to learn more.

Research into acupuncture as a medical treatment has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, with over 13,000 studies conducted in 60 countries.