New Patient Appointments
Hello!
Thank you so much for your interest in Fireweed Acupuncture! I am a one-person show (I don't have a receptionist!), so it can sometimes take me a little bit to respond to voicemails and emails. So, I've set up this page to hopefully answer a few questions you may have about new patient appointments while you're waiting to hear back from me.
My current clinic hours are:
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10 am - 6 pm
Wednesday 1 pm - 6 pm
Please note that the clinic is closed all day on Monday and on Wednesday mornings.
You can expect to hear back from me within 1-2 business days, during those hours!
I currently have a waitlist for new patient appointments! You can read more about how it works below, or you can head directly to the waitlist to sign up and be notified when openings become available.
I recently sent out my availability for December and early January; I anticipate having a few spots available in late January, so make sure to sign up for the waitlist to be notified when these appointments open!
I’ve done my best to answer some of the FAQ’s about new patient appointments below. Of course, feel free to reach out with any additional questions! It's best to email me at kate @ fireweedacupuncture.com - that way, I can do my best to give you a thoughtful, well-thought-out response.
I hope to connect with you soon!
Take care,
Kate Thomas, LAc
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I currently have a waitlist for new patients!
I have an email waitlist that I use to notify people when I have availability for new patient appointments - click here to sign up.This list is only used for emails about upcoming new patient appointment availability, not general clinic news.
If you would rather not subscribe to the waitlist, you can check back here to see if the availability has changed; I keep this page updated with the most current status. However, my new patient appointments are almost always filled by people on the waitlist, so the best way to make sure you get an appointment is to sign up to be notified!
I also encourage people to sign up for my clinic newsletter - it's where I share about upcoming events, classes, new services, specials, seasonal health info, and more. This is where I will share about one-off events that may provide care but don’t require being an established patient. Click here to sign up!
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New patient acupuncture-only appointments are 90 minutes long and are $160. If we add cupping, gua sha, or other bodywork to the appointment, it is an extra $30.
Each new patient appointment includes an in-depth intake, initial treatment, and a personalized care plan after your visit that explains your Chinese medicine diagnosis and provides you with a collection of Chinese medicine techniques that you can do at home to continue your care between appointments. You’ll also get access to an app that has instructional videos showing you how to do acupressure points, moxa, qi gong, massage, and more!
Herbs and topical remedies that I recommend are an additional cost and vary by remedy. I don't always recommend something, but when I do, it is because I truly believe it will make a difference in your care. I am generally a minimalist when it comes to supplements, and I more often recommend that people take fewer supplements, rather than adding to their regimen. You always have the option to decline additional remedies without it affecting the rest of your care.
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I do not bill insurance directly and am not in network with any insurance company. However, I am happy to provide a receipt (also called a Superbill) with the appropriate coding that you can submit to your insurance company to try to get reimbursement. You can read more about insurance in this blog entry.
Appointments that include acupuncture are eligible for HSA/FSA, and you are welcome to use these cards to pay for your visit!
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All new patient appointments are 90 minutes long and include 45-60 minutes of discussion about your health story and what brings you into the clinic, and 30-45 minutes of treatment.
I don’t offer shorter new patient appointments; all new patient appointments are 90 minutes.
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This is usually difficult for me to say before hearing your health history, but I will do my best to give general guidelines:
Often, very recent injuries (within the past week to a couple of months) will see significant progress in 1-4 visits, though this can vary depending on your lifestyle. For example, if it is a repetitive use injury and you are still in the environment that created the injury, progress will be slower. On the other hand, if it was an injury like a sprained ankle, injured knee, etc., then results are likely to be faster. For best results, patients will need to come in weekly for 1-4 visits and do their best to follow through on the at-home care suggested. I'll be better able to predict progress after we see how these visits impact your pain level.
For more chronic concerns, it can often take longer to see significant progress. This varies a lot based on what caused the concern, what other treatments you’re doing, your current workload/stress level/lifestyle/etc. Generally, I tell people that the goal for chronic concerns is to see progress within 4-6 weekly visits, and then we will space visits out to every other week, then spaced out further after that. Progress can be faster if people are able to change aspects of their life. If not, we may work towards finding a comfortable baseline of improvement, but may not see full results (the classic "nothing changes if nothing changes"). Sometimes we are just looking for a way to deal with our current situation a bit better, and that’s a completely valid treatment goal!
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I am a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc) with a Master of Acupuncture degree. My license is though the Iowa Board of Medicine (IA-127). I am also a Diplomate of Acupuncture (NCCAOM), which means I passed 3 national board exams, and am Clean Needle Technique certified. I have practiced acupuncture in various clinical settings, including community and private clinics, and in inpatient hospital settings. I also have additional training in health coaching, Western herbalism, massage therapy, and other hands-on healing modalities.
You can read more about my background and training on my About page!
General Questions
Specific Conditions
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Almost certainly yes. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are extremely helpful for a wide range of muscle, joint, and nerve pain and concerns! I have experience working with a wide variety of injuries and pain conditions, from chronic to acute (recent) pain.
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Absolutely! I love working with people to help manage their perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Chinese medicine has a long history of treating these symptoms! My patients have improved their sleep, decreased hot flashes, improved their mood, and much more.
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I have worked with patients working on fertility concerns in the past, though I would not consider it my focus or specialty. Typically, to have the best chance of success, I prefer to start working with fertility patients at least 3 cycles (approximately 3 months) before they are starting (or restarting) the IVF process. More than 3 cycles is ideal, especially if you have unsuccessful IVF cycles. In Chinese medicine, we like to think of the process as “preparing” the body for a successful IVF. If this is something you’re considering, feel free to reach out to me via email (kate @ fireweedacupuncture.com) to discuss timing.