FAQS

Acupuncture can also be used as a part of a balanced preventative self-care routine, much like diet and exercise.

Acupuncture needles are thinner than a human hair and are typically close to painless.  You may feel a small dull feeling or teeny tiny quick pokes.  In fact, many of our patients fall asleep once the needles are in.  Please let your acupuncturist know if you are feeling uncomfortable.  We want you to feel comfortable and relaxed during your treatment.

Yes!  We use single use, disposable, sterilized needles.  The needles are immediately disposed of properly and never reused. The acupuncturists in our clinic are fully licensed in the state of Arizona and nationally board certified by the NCCAOM. In order to be nationally board certified it is required to pass board exams, finish a 4- year Master’s Degree level program, pass multiple safety certifications and undergo yearly continuing education. In addition, Heidi has extensive clinical experience.  

Acupuncture is safe and gentle enough to use while pregnant.  It can really help with morning sickness and other pregnancy difficulties!  There are certain points that should be avoided so be sure to let your acupuncturist know if you are pregnant.  

Please wear loose clothing so that we can roll sleeves and pants up as necessary to reach needed acupuncture points.  We ask that you try to fill out your paperwork before you arrive.  It is best not to receive acupuncture on an empty stomach, we recommend eating a snack before your appointment if you have not eaten a meal recently.

You are in a community setting so if you are sensitive to light and sound please feel free to bring your headphones, earplugs, or eye mask with you as well.

Plan on spending an hour at the clinic for your first appointment and 40 minutes for follow up appointments.  The length of your follow up treatments can be shortened some if you have time constraints.  Please communicate your time needs to your acupuncturist.

Acupuncture treatments have cumulative benefits, it is a process.  Some issues are easily treated with just a couple of issues.  For chronic or long-standing issues, a course of treatment is necessary to achieve long standing results.  As symptoms go down the need for treatment frequency goes down.  Every person is different but a general guideline is: 3-5 treatments for acute or mild conditions, 10+ treatments for chronic or severe, and stress maintenance and general wellness is 2-4 times per month. Your acupuncturist will discuss a treatment plan with you.

Yes, acupuncture is safe for children!  At TCA, we will treat minors as young as 16, as long as they’re willing to receive acupuncture and the parent has signed a minor consent form. If you need a referral for a minor under the age of 16 you can check out our referral page at TempeAcu.com/TCArecommends.

A note for our patients with disabilities:

Our designated accessible parking is located on the North side of the building.   This entrance is wheelchair accessible and walker friendly with no inclines or high steps. Once you enter the building, there is a labeled doorbell on the wall and a chair to rest in, if needed.  Ring the doorbell and our front desk employee will gladly come to you to take care of the check in process.

Due to the age of our building there is a grandfather clause in place with regards to accessible bathroom space.  We have had architectural engineers assess the suite to see if any possible options were available.  We have done our due diligence to the maximum extent feasible to provide an accessible clinic, we apologize for any inconvenience it may cause that it was deemed technically infeasible by the engineers to alter the bathroom any further to allow for full wheelchair accessibility.