We wrote about the Pin Cushion’s move to Olive Way this spring — and their community approach to providing affordable acupuncture. This week, we heard from another provider of affordable alternative treatment — Amber Blankenship of Infinity Acupuncture wrote to us to tell CHS about her new community clinic in the Broadway Building. You may have seen the sign in one of the second floor windows as you walked by.
infinityacupuncture.com
Blankenship’s e-mail explained in a nutshell why we’re seeing more of these kinds of services on the Hill:
Many of these clinics are sprouting up around the greater Seattle area because they are sustainable and affordable for both the patients and the practitioners. I have more information on my website www.infinityacupuncture.com regarding the how and why or you can visit www.communityacupuncturenetwork.org for an even greater understanding of the movement.
Infinity, like the Pin Cushion, has a sliding scale fee of between $20 and $40. Blankenship tells CHS she has extended a half-off offer through Friday to celebrate her first week on the Hill. CHS likes the mix of traditional marketing — 50% off! — with a pay what you want system.
We reported on the Broadway Building’s progress attracting businesses last month as we covered some of the challenges faced by the Joule development on the other end of the street. Broadway Building’s sales agents have been touting that their retail spaces are ‘75%’ full with signed tenants including Panera Bread, ZPizza, Emerald City Smoothie, and Genki Sushi.
… but acupuncture is about as scientifically viable as homeopathy or prayer.
Tiffany is right. I’m all for new businesses moving into the hill, but I hate to see scam artists here. Acupuncture is effectively a placebo, nothing more.
is anything in this building going to be useful to the neighborhood? It seems that just about anything new on CH is similar to what you can find in any largeish city in the US..the decent-average to very poor sushi (already available at a number of places), the fatty fat soup and sandwiches from Panera (and accompanying trash), more Pizza (is that needed?), and now acupuncture to satiate our desire to adopt and “expensify” ancient practices to our lifestyle (see yoga).
It seems that around the time the light rail station arrives here the hill will be slightly less interesting, slightly more wealthy, and a lot more like everywhere else. It has been extremely interesting watching this change, twisting and shape my fellow hill workers and residents..an exciting time but one that will most likely drive the creators out of the neighborhood and replace them with consumers.
It’s sad to see folks here making uneducated and blind comments about the validity of acupuncture, a health option like any other. To say that something needs to be scientifically proven for it to be valid is a null argument. We don’t “prove” love through science, and yet it simply exists and is a powerful force.
It’s disappointing to see that so many of us are indoctrinated into believing that alternative medicine is just rubbish, a prayer, a placebo. Yoga, like acupuncture has its place and value anywhere in the world where people wish to pursue it for their own well-being and benefit – not for the reason that it’s “hip” to pay more than you should for ancient practices. Who’s to prove that new practices are better than the ancient? The individual should be encouraged to adopt any kind of healthy, healing modality they respond to the best. Just because you don’t respond to it, doesn’t mean that it simply just does not work period. We’re all humans, but we’re not cookie cutter systems – we all have unique needs. One person may respond better to acupuncture, another may respond better to pharmaceutical pills.
If you believe they’re scam artists, then there as just as many if not more traditional scam artists (doctors, nurses, specialists) out there. We don’t often criticize our doctors who charge us $125 for a visit to poke and prod us only to tell us we have the common cold/flu/etc. That, I say, is a scam. Yet, we are ready to rip apart an acupuncturist who has committed to improving the health of the community, via a non-invasive modality. And on top of that, for far far less than most acupuncturists. To have any medical professional treat you for $20-$40 per visit is unheard of these days. I find it incredibly rude and cowardly to rip apart a medical professional in the the public sphere, without being acquainted with her work or acupuncture practices. Shame on you.
Open up your minds, give it a chance, you never know what’s out there in the world until you try it yourself.
I’ve had insomnia for almost fifteen years. I’ve been to doctor after doctor, put on every medicine known to man for sleep disorders and even medicines for schizophrenics and stroke patients with the thinking being if it can calm them down or just make them feel better it’s got to knock me out (totally not healthy sleep anyways) but nothing worked. So for the past five years I’ve been self medicating with double doses of Nyquil and or Benadryl and I’d hate to think how much I’ve spent over the years at Walgreens. If acupuncture is just as useful as prayer than I say thank freakin’ god. I’ve been going to the Pin Cushion for two months where not only do i get to relax and feel like I’m really being listened to I’ve also started sleeping unaided by medication for more than six hours a night, every night. My liver and stress level have never been better.
Yoga has tangible health benefits for entirely different reasons than acupuncture. They’re not comparable, even if they’re lumped in together for some silly reason.
Can’t argue with the utter lack of reason displayed in some of these posts. What a species! Gotta love the stone age magical thinking that continues on…
give me magical stone age wisdom over your illogical “i’m a modern superior ape” indoctrinated think bubble any day. just cause things are they way they ARE doesn’t mean that it’s correct or has to BE. what a species!
Curious as to what makes T or Tiffany experts on homeopathy, prayer or acupuncture.
Apparently 2000 years of effective treatment aren’t enough…Would 4000 years do?
Good Grief…even Dr. Oz has touted the effectiveness of acupuncture for a variety of things. Wake up people!
Obviously you have never tried acupuncture or you would be aware of its many positive effects. This is quite an ignorant comment…And how is providing sliding scale affordable treatment to people a scam?
This is COMMUNITY Acupuncture…not atrociously expensive treatments requiring insurance nightmares and impersonal interactions. Perhaps you need to give it a try. It might help your attitude! I have had repeated acupuncture treatments for a variety of things and some of the results have been downright amazing….and without poisoning my system with pharmaceuticals the “scientific experts” prescribe. (many of which they are now admitting actually kill people or make them have other serious ailments). Reading the news could be helpful for you both T and Tiffany, in case you are currently poisoning yourselves with some of these “scientific” treatments while lining the pockets of big pharma and the insurance companies.
Chowtime…….How could this business “expensify CH when it is Community Acupuncture on a sliding scale fee basis so it is affordable. And is expensify even a word? Although I do agree with your statements about the chain businesses changing the CH atmosphere and culture.