Networking with other health professionals in the same area can be a valuable tool in obtaining new patients for a practice.  If you have a specialty area or would rather work in one specific target area then network toward that goal. For example, if you specialize in treating patients who have headaches or TMJ problems, network with dentists in the area. Try to set some time aside to meet with them and explain to them how your treatment works. Many who work with western medicine or dental practices are happy to have avenues to offer patients who are not responding to traditional treatments.

Another way to network with others in your area is to think about joining local organizations such as the chamber of commerce or civic clubs who work within communities. This is an excellent way for you as a practitioner to meet others who can and will refer you patients once they find out what you can do.

Another way of networking is to educate the public on what treatments you have to offer as an acupuncturist.  Offer to give talks or demonstrations at luncheons or meetings of these organizations. This will help other professionals see how you work and what you can do for your patients. It also helps the general public to be more knowledgeable as to how alternative therapies work and how they can help them in case a need arises in the future.

One of the biggest problems that acupuncture practitioners face is keeping their appointments scheduled with patients consistently. Many health practitioners find after practicing for some time and building up a steady practice of regular patients, they still are not seeing enough new patients coming into their practice. This can lead to empty appointment times in their future. The only way to keep a practice healthy and thriving is to have an influx of both new and returning patients on the books consistently.

This leads to acupuncturists scratching their heads to find ways to entice more new patients in their doors. Something effective that is frequently overlooked is to get their existing patients to help them do this. Basic marketing courses will tell you that word of mouth advertising is one of the best ways that a business or practice can use to become successful.

So how do you get existing patients to help you get new people in the door? One successful acupuncturist sends out a nice Christmas card with two vouchers for a free exam and consultation to his existing patients each Christmas season. These are to give to friends or loved ones as a gift. He only asks that these be given to people who have not been seen by his office before and could benefit from his services. This has been a very successful marketing campaign for his practice.

Another great way of keeping your office and practice in the front of your patient’s mind is to keep up with your patient’s birthdays. Send them a nice birthday card. If the patient has not been seen in some time, offer a visit at a reduced rate as a birthday gift to them. You can include a voucher for a friend or a loved one at that time as well. Patient’s love to give away things and will tell others how great you are when they give these out as gifts. It is an excellent example of two ways you can market your acupuncture practice in an effective manner without having to pay for expensive advertising that may or may not give you the results that you are looking for.

For most patients their first contact with any practitioners’ office will be through a phone call.  It is very important to remind staff members to keep the smile in their voice when dealing with patients on the phone. This is especially true of new patients. They want to feel that they are being invited to use the services offered and have a pleasant experience while using the services in the office.

One way to make sure that this is being carried out is to call the office at random times from an undisclosed phone number. Listen to the tone and cadence of the person who answers the phone. Evaluate how they answered the phone.  Another is to ask a friend to call and pretend to be a patient looking for an appointment time or inquiring about services. Give them a few criteria to evaluate the office person’s phone etiquette. If there are problems work with staff members to improve these issues.

Next take a good look at your front office or waiting area. Is it open and inviting? Is there comfortable seating and material for patients to read while waiting to be seen? A relaxed environment will help a patient feel more comfortable and at home with the acupuncture office in general. The more comfortable a patient feels, the better the chances are they will return for further treatment in the future.

The functions of all individuals are governed by the fundamental energy that is the basic underpinning of all Asian medicine. Qi, as it is known, is believed to flow through the whole body, along lines known as meridians, which connect the body’s major organs.Throughout the body there are certain points, along these meridians, which are located close to the skin’s surface. These points have been carefully mapped over the thousands of years that acupuncture has been practised: it is into a combination of these points that the acupuncturist places the needles. According to Eastern medicine, the Qi can be influenced through the stimulation of these points, re-balancing the energy so that if flows freely. According to Western medicine, when an acupuncturist stimulates these meridian points an effect occurs on the biochemical and metabolic condition of the body, enabling the brain to release endorphins.

Acupuncture is becoming so much part of mainstream medical practice that it is being widely recommended due to its proven efficacy in reduction of chronic pain through the release of endorphins which are known to be more than 200 times stronger than morphine. In fact, studies carried out by Harvard Medical School on how the stimulation of the meridian points in acupuncture affected the activity of the brain went a long way in proving this fact. In this particular study they used 13 healthy individuals between the ages of 27 and 52 years of age, and functional magnetic resonance imaging to check on the brain’s activity. The acupuncturist inserted the first needle into the Hegu point between thumb and forefinger with the result that each candidate was found to have a calming effect exerted deep in the structures of the brain – in the hippocampus, hypothalamus and amygdale. At the same time, the sensory area of the brain’s cortex was stimulated.

Acupuncture is particularly effective for conditions that produce pain such as arthritis, sciatica, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions such as lower back pain. The list of conditions that can be treated with acupuncture is quite extensive, but apart from pain acupuncture is very effective for everything from hay fever to poor eyesight; anaemia to high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome to food allergies, morning sickness to Lupus.  Addictions such as smoking, drugs and alcohol are also successfully treated with a course of acupuncture treatment. There is, in fact, a huge range of human conditions can be treated effectively with acupuncture that, it is always as well to arrange a consultation at an acupuncture clinic if you are suffering from mental, physical or emotional problems that you would like to have treated.

When selecting an acupuncture clinic that has a Western medical doctor in its staff, ask if he is licensed. Each american licensed acupuncture doctor will have letters L.Ac. after the his name.