Advanced Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions
☯ What happens during the initial evaluation session with Dr. Toomim?
☯ What happens during follow up sessions?
☯ What is Advanced Classical East Asian Face Reading?
☯ What is Advanced Acu-Energetics?
☯ Explain Cranial-Sacral Therapy
☯ What is Classical East Asian Pulse and Tongue Evaluation?
☯ How many treatments will I need?
☯ Do I have to be "sick" in order to get acupuncture? What about Wellness visits?
☯ Does insurance cover acupuncture?
☯ What do I need to do prior to my evaluation session
☯ What do I need to do to prepare for my in-person visit?
☯ How will the treatment feel?
☯ What will the treatment cost?
☯ What happens during the initial evaluation session with Dr. Toomim?
The initial visit includes a 90-minute complete evaluation and review of your health history. This initial encounter is done via Zoom, Skype or other online format in order to minimize face-to-face contact during the pandemic.
The health history is a review of past health concerns, previous treatment, medications, and any other contributing factors. Given the systemic approach of Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine, the evaluation is thorough and involves a full inquiry into all health and wellness issues.
Dr. Toomim will also review Advanced Classical East Asian Face Reading signs indicating the current state of your health and well-being. Your treatment will be based on all information from the health history review and examinations.
☯ What happens during follow up sessions?
Following the evaluation, your treatment will be scheduled for either a separate in-person visit - or - you may choose to experience the powerful energetic healing offered via a distance Advanced Acu-Energetics session.
Both types of sessions allow you to experience the power of acupuncture. The former is done in office, and the latter occurs within the comfort of your own space, while sharing an online session with Dr. Toomim.
The Advanced Acu-Energetics may also be included as an advanced healing modality during an in-person acupuncture session. Dr. Toomim highly recommends amplifying your acupuncture session with this powerful technique.
☯ What is Advanced Classical East Asian Face Reading?
Your face provides indicators of the relative health of your physical and emotional body. Advanced Classical Face Reading provides another window into your relative health and well-being.
You may also choose to undergo an additional in-depth analysis with Dr. Toomim, providing an understanding of how your life experience has shaped you, with a window into your future well-being as well.
Dr. Toomim will explain how some of your personality traits are natural to you, and others have been adopted for various reasons. She will discuss how those traits serve or hinder your personal growth, physical health, and overall well-being.
Often, an understanding of life patterns emerges. You will work together to begin your shift out of stagnant patterns, using Advanced Acu-Energetics.
You have innate and inherited gifts! Understanding the nature of your True Path, who you were born to become, arises as a result of this work.
This is powerful work! Amazingly, you will see your progress show on your face as your life and health change through the process. Some lines and wrinkles may decrease or distinctly soften. Skin tones may become more even.
☯ What is Advanced Acu-Energetics?
Dr. Toomim developed this advanced energy healing.
She employs her expansive knowledge of the body's inner pathways to tap into the vibrational frequency of the intricate energy flows and the acu-points along them for profound healing. Engaging those energies – she is able to elicit healing and relief on the deepest levels of being.
Many times, our physical illnesses and frustrating life patterns can be traced to old emotional wounding. These emotional (and frequently physical) "scars" affect our ability to be fully vibrant. Dr. Toomim evaluates where and how these stuck points reside in the body and/or energy fields. Using energetic distance "acupuncture", energy clearing techniques and NLP-based processes, the old "programming" can be released. A healthy internal knowing of your True Self and higher wisdom will lead to living your personal True Path.
☯ Explain Cranial-Sacral Therapy
Sometimes pain and other disfunction are related to current or old injuries. They may even go back to in-utero or birth trauma. Dr. Toomim offers a gentle hands-on therapy that restores freedom of movement from head-to-toe. Here is how it works.
The cranium has 22 bones. These bones fit together like puzzle pieces, engineered to move in specific directions – just like all your other bones.
For instance, your elbow bends in only one direction. The bones of your arm are designed to make sure of that fact.
The cranial bones are designed in the same way. They move ever so slightly to allow your cerebrospinal fluid to circulate around your brain, down your spinal column and back up again.
Injuries, birth trauma and other issues may cause some of those cranial bones to shift, and these puzzle pieces become slightly jammed.
The flow of the cerebrospinal fluid may be impeded. The regions of the brain beneath those cranial bones may not receive adequate circulation.
Because the spinal column connects the cranium to the pelvis, an injury anywhere from head to tailbone can cause restriction in the gentle movement along the cranial-sacral continuum.
Gentle pressure and releasing of the connective tissue that holds the structures in place restores the cranial-sacral ease of movement and flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.
Recent and long-standing pain and dysfunction patterns may be released through this powerful work. Studies indicate that patients with vertigo, neck and back pain, migraine, headache, fibromyalgia, epicondylitis, and pelvic girdle pain may gain long-term relief with Cranial-Sacral Therapy.
☯ What is Classical East Asian Pulse and Tongue Evaluation?
In East Asian Medicine, there are three pulse positions on the radial artery of each wrist. The pulses are palpated on both wrists. Each of these pulse positions relates to two of the acupuncture channel pathways and the internal organ that is connected to the pathway.
These pulse readings take more into consideration than the speed of the heartbeat. There are 27 different qualities possible. For example, the blood vessel may feel tense like a drum skin, or tight like a guitar string.
The various qualities of the pulses indicate the nature of any imbalance in the system, and the organ/pathway associated with that imbalance. A modern medical dictionary will list a similar number of pulse qualities. Modern medicine does not use the various pulse qualities as health indicators – favoring objective data from laboratory testing. However, we are all aware of someone who has had medical testing done, without answers to the nature and/or cause of their health concern.
The pulses will always indicate what is going on in the body, and where. The pulses will show what systems are out of balance from an Acupuncture and East Asian Medical perspective.
The tongue is also an indicator of the body's relative health and functioning. The tongue body, texture, coating, and color are all considered. Different areas of the tongue relate to different internal organs. The assessment of tongue, pulses and the facial indications provide a clear picture of the current condition.
Once Dr. Toomim understands the nature of the imbalances, the treatment is designed to support bringing your body into balance. Many conditions and symptoms may be completely relieved. Many of them will improve to some degree. With severe conditions, the results may be more about slowing the progression of the disease or alleviating some of the symptoms associated. Results depend on the individual patient, the nature of their condition and how far it has progressed.
Patients are often surprised at the powerful results of treatment, with conditions that they had assumed would be with them for life.
☯ How many treatments will I need?
Dr. Toomim's treatment philosophy is, "Your life is about being out in the world and expressing your true nature." Her treatment emphasis is to get the greatest results in the fewest visits possible, while empowering you to make lifestyle choices that support and enhance your ability to do so.
The number of treatments needed is based upon individual needs and the condition of each patient at the time that treatment is sought. Some conditions are easily and quickly relieved. Chronic conditions generally take longer to resolve. Each person arrives in their own state of health. Response to treatment is individual as well.
Dr. Toomim will have a better understanding of your ability to progress in treatment after evaluating the results of the initial visits. The more information that you can provide about how each session affects your condition, the better Dr. Toomim is able to assess the necessity of follow up treatments.
☯ Do I have to be "sick" in order to get acupuncture? What about Wellness visits?
Dr. Toomim highly recommends using Advanced Acupuncture and/or Advanced Acu-Energetics as part of your ongoing wellness maintenance.
In ancient Asia, people would get their "tune-up" treatment of acupuncture regularly, at least during each change of season, to maintain health. In Traditional East Asian Medicine, there are considered to be five seasons, with late summer considered a separate season.
When general health and balance are present, regular tune-ups support long-term health and strengthen the immune system as well as all organ systems. Depending upon your personal health goals, you may choose to have your tune-ups monthly, every six weeks, or with the change of seasons. For some, with high levels of stress in their lives or work situations, weekly is appropriate.
In China, where cost is not a concern, patients often have treatment daily for a set number or series of treatments. If their condition persists, they will undergo further rounds of treatment. These may be in series of five, ten, fifteen or twenty treatments. The number of treatments would depend upon the severity and/or duration and progression of the condition.
In the U.S., with busy lives taken into consideration, one treatment session per week is the most common frequency during the initial treatment process. Occasionally it is valuable and necessary to increase that frequency.
This depends on individual needs and results. As soon as is relevant, Dr. Toomim will suggest spreading treatment sessions over more extended time frames.
☯ Does insurance cover acupuncture?
Insurance coverage varies from policy to policy. There are more and more insurance companies providing coverage for acupuncture.
There are certain questions to ask of your insurance company if you want to understand coverage provided through your specific policy:
- Does my policy offer acupuncture coverage?
- Is Dr. Toomim in my network?
- Are there in-network and out-of-network coverage differences?
- Do I have a co-pay? Co-Insurance?
- Is it different than my regular co-pay? Co-Insurance?
- Has my deductible been met, or is there a separate deductible applied for treatment modalities such as acupuncture?
- Are there any limitations to my acupuncture coverage?
- A limit to the number of visits per year
- A limit on the dollar amount of coverage available
- A limit on the nature of the conditions that are covered, i.e. neck pain, back pain, migraine, nausea during pregnancy, etc.
- Other limitations?
- Does Medicare cover acupuncture?
- Medicare has some extremely specific and limited acupuncture coverage.
- It MUST be done in a medical doctors' office, by an either the doctor or an employee of the doctor(who has the licensure to provide acupuncture).
- It is only available for the specific diagnosis of lower back pain that has been present for over 12 weeks.
- Dr. Toomim does not work in an MD's office, or as an employee of an MD. She is legally unable to bill Medicare for acupuncture services.
☯ What do I need to do to prepare for my Initial Evaluation session?
- Download the patient forms from this website and fill them out thoroughly. Even though a particular question on the form doesn't seem like it relates to your condition – go ahead and provide the answer. Acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medical theories often connect conditions that seem unrelated.
- Please note all medications and supplements that you use.
- Email your forms prior to the first visit: AdvancedAcupunctureSarasota@gmail.com
☯ What do I need to do to prepare for my in-person visit?
For in-person sessions - wear loose, comfortable clothes. Many of the most powerful acupuncture points are located from the elbows, down to the hands, and from the knees, down to the feet. Make sure those areas are accessible. If treatment is necessary on other points of the body, Dr. Toomim will let you know.
☯ How will the treatment feel?
After Acupuncture/Acu-Energetics, most people feel deeply relaxed. It has been described as feeling like awakening from a very deep nap – feeling extremely rested. Some describe it as feeling as though they have just had a vacation! Along with the deep sense of inner calm, there is commonly a feeling of mental clarity that continues throughout the day. The experience is one of feeling relaxed and alert at the same time. There may be a sensation of feeling energized.
With in-person acupuncture, frequently there is no sensation on having an acupuncture needle inserted. An acupuncture needle is extremely fine, similar in thickness to a cat's whisker.
Sometimes there is a brief Qi sensation associated with the stimulation of an acupuncture point.
Occasionally the pleasant flow of energy through the channels is perceived.
Often, patients fall asleep during treatments, whether with in-person acupuncture or distance Acu-Energetics.
Cranial-Sacral sessions feel like gentle massage therapy techniques. They are powerful and relaxing.
☯ What will the treatment cost?
Initial Evaluation: This 60-90 minute session has a basic cost of $150.
Acupuncture Sessions: These are 60-minute sessions and cost $100 for each follow-up visit. They include an evaluation of previous results, a re-evaluation of current conditions, as well as the treatment. Additional charges for extended evaluation and treatment episodes or modalities may apply.
Advanced Acu-Energetics sessions: These are 60-90 minutes long. The fee for these sessions, whether in-person or online is $140.
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