FAQ – Ilana Harms Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine, Inc.

About Acupuncture

I’m not sick or injured, should I get acupuncture?

YES! While acupuncture and Integrative East Asian Medicine are excellent at treating illness and injury, the beauty of the medicine is in preventing injury and illness from occurring in the first place. When you receive Integrative East Asian Medicine regularly, typically anywhere from 1-2x/month in healthy folks, you are taking charge of your health, increasing your resilience to stressors and decreasing your likelihood of injury. Also, most people experience stress, occasional insomnia and other day-to-day ails that aren’t as bad as being sick or hurt – acupuncture helps with these issues too!

Does acupuncture hurt?

Generally, no. The needles I use are about the thickness of a human hair, which is 10-times thinner than the typical needle used in your doctor’s office. For most areas of the body, I also use a guide tube. A guide tube is a small tube used to help insert needles into the skin in a more painless way by distracting the body’s sensory nervous system. This means most people barely feel needle insertion. That said, everyone’s sensitivity is different so we stay in conversation throughout treatment to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible. On the rare occasion of high needle sensitivity, I will use acupressure or other modalities to achieve treatment goals.

What are the side-effects of acupuncture?

Most people leave an acupuncture treatment feeling one of two ways: calm & relaxed or energized. How your body responds depends on a number of factors such as the time of day of your treatment, whether you’ve eaten recently, where you’re at in your menstrual cycle (if you menstruate), if we want to calm or energize you, etc. After the first appointment, folks who come in for acute pain usually experience a moderate reduction of their pain, and those who come in with chronic conditions usually see a calming of their symptoms for 24-72 hours after their treatment. The therapeutic effects of acupuncture are cumulative so the more treatments you have, the more relief you will feel. This does not mean you have to do acupuncture forever! We’ll determine the number of treatments as well as how long we’ll treat (e.g. 2x/week for 2 weeks) so that we can measure change over time and ensure that we are moving you toward your health goals.

Occasionally folks may feel a little dazed or even lightheaded after a treatment. This is normal and we have light snacks and fluids to help you get back to normal quickly. Typically there is no rush after treatment, so you are welcome to relax in the waiting room with a cup of tea if you’re not quite ready to get on the move immediately after a treatment.

What should I expect during my session?

Each session begins with intake and assessment followed by the treatment. Treatment can include, but is not limited to: acupuncture, acupressure, moxibustion, gua sha, cupping, e-stim, tui na, and movement/exercise. I may also recommend herbs, supplements, labs, and nutrition + lifestyle modifications to support your health goals.

During intake I will ask a variety of questions, some directly related to the main concern and others seemingly unrelated. The most important thing to remember is to answer honestly and thoroughly. East Asian Medicine requires the practitioner to take the entire person into consideration when making a diagnosis and treatment plan. The beauty of this medicine is that I get to treat the whole person, not just the symptom – this allows for more effective and sustainable outcomes.

During acupuncture needling, you may feel sensation at needle insertion and/or during needle retention. Common therapeutic sensations are: dull ache, tingling sensation local to the needle or elsewhere in the body, a sensation of fullness, energy moving through the body, relaxation, or a sensation of tightness. If sensations feel sharp, hot, or “nervy,” that is not considered therapeutic and I will adjust or remove the needle.

After treatment you may feel grounded, relaxed, and possibly “spacey,” which is normal. Folks are encouraged to in the waiting area until they feel comfortable to leave.

Tips to Enhance Your Treatment

Wear loose fitting clothes that can be easily rolled up to elbows and knees. You may need to expose your abdomen from your rib cage to the top of your hips, so dress accordingly. Drapes are provided, if needed.
Be sure to eat at least a light meal within a few hours of arriving for treatment. Avoid overeating immediately before treatment.
Avoid alcohol on the day of your treatment, especially before your treatment.
Drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated after your session.
For best results, avoid strenuous activity immediately following a treatment.

About Cost & Payment

Do you take my insurance?

No. I am not in-network with any insurance companies. If you need, and with at least 48 hours notice, I can generate a courtesy Super Bill which you can submit to your insurance company or HSA/FSA provider to request reimbursement. I do not guarantee that your insurance company or HSA/FSA provider will reimburse you for services rendered. Due to the number of vendors and the vast differences in approved reimbursable services, I cannot make adjustments to Superbills to increase likelihood of reimbursement.

Do you take FSA/HSA?

Yes. My clinic is a Medical Practice and as such can take FSA/HSA funds for services.

I have limited financial resources, do you offer discounts?

Great question! Financial accessibility is a priority at my clinic and I support access in a number of ways:

Educator and Student discounts at 35% off the full-price rate for in-person appointments. Educator and Student discounts do not apply to Telehealth or herbs, supplements, or labs. For the purposes of this discount, I consider Educators to be teachers and people working in K-12 schools; I consider Students to be folks enrolled in a high school or an accredited higher education program (undergrad, graduate, trade-school).
Sliding Scale Saturday once per month. This offering is for a 50-minute one-on-one session at a sliding scale rate of $50-75. Sliding Scale Saturday sessions are open to new and existing patients. Sign up for my monthly newsletter or check my booking page for the next available Sliding Scale date..
Please also check my referral partners list which includes community clinics that have acupuncture offerings at an accessible rate.

About Working With Me

Which type of session should I book?

Great question! For a brief overview of my current service structure as well as how to select the best session length and type for your health and wellness needs, check out this Blog Post.

Still not sure? Schedule a Complimentary 15-minute Consultation and we can determine the best option for you.

Do you work with pregnant people?

Yes! I work with folks throughout the entire pre-conception, conception, birthing, and postpartum experience. I love helping folks at whatever stage they’re at in their family planning journey, from regulating cycles to first trimester symptoms, to labor (or cesarean) prep, and the myriad of postpartum experiences that may arise.

My Doctoral research focused on supporting miscarriage and abortion experiences and I have a special place in my heart for working with pregnant folks who experienced a prior pregnancy loss.

Do you have a Specialty or Area of Focus?

My Graduate Medical Education trained me to treat and support all bodies for a myriad of acute and chronic conditions. My Doctoral work focused on supporting pregnancy loss including miscarriage and abortion. Post-graduate training includes certifications in the following specialties:

Classical Herbal Formulation focused on Internal Medicine for chronic conditions (e.g. PCOS, Perimenopause, Diabetes, High Cholesterol), acute conditions (e.g. Cold, Flu, COVID-19, rashes), and even longevity and graceful aging.
Comprehensive Pelvic Care for all bodies. I work with folks experiencing chronic and acute pelvic issues such as urinary urgency, bladder leakage, bowel issues, postpartum recovery, perimenopause/menopause changes, low back pain, sciatica, hip pain, SI joint pain, and more.
Tao of Trauma: Integrating Five Element Theory and Trauma Healing – a trauma care approach rooted in integrating Eastern (TCM, Five Element Theory) and Western (Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Theory) paradigms to restore balance and regulation in survivors of traumatic stress.

I heard you can order labs, how does that work?

Yes! In the state of California, acupuncturists are licensed to order labs and imaging.

I work with a group that collects and processes labs through LabCorp. I also offer comprehensive GI and Hormone testing using urine, stool, saliva, and blood spot samples.

Once I place a lab order, the patient is welcome to go to any LabCorp location, at their convenience, with their photo ID. The necessary sample(s) will be collected and then once I receive the lab results, it typically takes my office 24-48 business hours to review and interpret the labs.

You will receive a copy of your lab results as well as my interpretation and any recommendations based on the findings.

I am happy to provide an estimated cost before placing an order so that you can make an informed decision.

What modalities do you use in your practice?

As a Licensed Acupuncturist in the state of California, I have a variety of health and wellness modalities in my scope-of-practice, which means I have a lot of tools in my toolkit to get you back to feeling your best. Modalities I use in my clinic include:

Acupuncture – using thin needles inserted at specific body points to elicit a balancing reaction in the body to reduce pain, tightness, swelling, heat, and other symptoms. Acupressure and ear seeds provide similar results without inserting needles into the skin.
Electro-stimulation – using a handheld device to send mild electrical currents through specific acupuncture points to help aid in healing and body function. (if you’ve ever used a TENS machine, it’s very similar).
Moxibustion – burning dried mugwort at or around acupoints to add warmth, movement, and nourishment to specific acupoints (great for pain relief and rebuilding after injury or illness).
Cupping – I use both glass and silicone cups to bring blood and lymph to body areas to enhance healing and recovery.
Gua Sha – using a rounded tool to gentle “scrape” a body area in order to bring blood and lymph to (or from) an area, great for injury, tight neck and shoulder, and even facial rejuvenation.
Bodywork – Tui Na (a form of asian body work) to help increase range of motion in joints and spread qi and blood throughout the body. A very calming and restorative modality.
Therapeutic Exercise – providing guided and buildable therapeutic exercise regimens to help with mobility, stability, and longevity.
Nutrition – East-Asian based, and researched backed, nutrition recommendations to support healthy eating habits and support your health goal needs.
Herbal formulations in powdered, capsule, and tincture format.
Supplements via Fullscript – if interested, and necessary, I prescribe supplements via Fullscript to help with deficiencies that are typically noted afer lab testing.
Lab Ordering & Interpretation – ordering labs for deeper insight to your personal health and wellness needs (and measure success!). These labs can be used to inform our work together as well as help your MD better care for your health.