Manchester Acupuncture Studio is a community acupuncture provider, and 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  Community acupuncture is a social-business model that aims to increase patient access to acupuncture by offering treatments in a comfortable group setting and fees on an affordable sliding-scale, without income verification.  By doing so, more people have the chance to get treated as often as they need in order to find out how useful acupuncture can be, we are able to create sustainable jobs for acupuncturists and work-fellows, all while engendering a warm community atmosphere between clinic-goers and staff.   It’s a winning endeavor for both patients and the clinic.  

Acupuncture has been a community-based medicine for most of its long history. In Asia, acupuncture has traditionally been practiced in group rather than individual settings. For acupuncture to be most effective, patients need to receive it frequently and regularly—far more frequently and regularly than most insurance plans will pay for. As acupuncture has moved toward the mainstream, it has been forced into a paradigm of one-on-one treatments and high prices, which has decreased not only patient access, but treatment efficacy as well.

We are a part of a growing movement of clinics that are returning to this tradition. Community acupuncturists focus on using “distal” points (below the knee and elbow, and on the head and neck) so that patients can remain fully clothed during treatment. Community acupuncture clinics often use recliners rather than treatment tables, which many patients find more relaxing and comfortable.

Manchester Acupuncture Studio, our staff and many patients are members of the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture (POCA), a cooperative of stakeholders whose goal is to make acupuncture available and accessible to as many people as possible and to support those providing acupuncture to create stable and sustainable businesses and jobs.