Barrie acupuncture, given by Registered Acupuncturists

Who does it

Barrie acupuncture from Registered Acupuncturists

Barrie Acupuncture is the acupuncture service of Pro Motion Healthcare, a Barrie clinic founded in 2015 by Stan Chikh. The clinic’s team page lists two Registered Acupuncturists (R. Ac), both members of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO): Stan Chikh, R. Ac, the founder and clinic director, and Krisztina Boka, R. Ac.

Stan’s interests include fibromyalgia, sciatica, and neck, shoulder and headache pain. Krisztina trained at Georgian College and has over six years of clinical experience; her interests include options without needles, such as electro-stimulation and acupressure, women’s health, stress and anxiety, headache and migraine, Bell’s palsy and complex pain. When you book, ask which of them you will see. More about both, and about what the R. Ac title means, is on the acupuncturist Barrie page.

Acupuncturist or physio

Acupuncture from an acupuncturist, and acupuncture from a physiotherapist

Both can be good care, and it helps to know the difference before you book anywhere in Barrie. In Ontario, acupuncturist is a protected title: only members of the CTCMPAO may use it, as Registered Acupuncturist (R. Ac) or Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R. TCMP). Other regulated professionals, physiotherapists among them, may also perform acupuncture within their own scope of practice once their own college has rostered them for it, but they practise it as physiotherapists, not as acupuncturists.

• Your plan’s benefit. Treatment from an R. Ac is claimed under your plan’s acupuncture line. Acupuncture from a physiotherapist is usually claimed under physiotherapy, so it draws on the same yearly amount as your physio visits. If you have both benefits, using each for its own purpose can stretch your coverage further.
• The scope of care. A physiotherapist uses acupuncture for physiotherapy purposes: muscles, joints, nerves and movement. A Registered Acupuncturist’s scope also takes in the wider uses people come to acupuncture for, such as stress, sleep and menstrual pain.
• The title on the receipt. Insurers read the provider’s title and registration on your receipt. Ask for it before your first visit, wherever you go.

None of this makes one kind of practitioner better than another. It simply tells you which benefit pays, and what to ask. The checklist on how to choose the best acupuncture in Barrie puts these questions in order.

What it is used for

What people come in for

Most people come in for pain, and acupuncture is usually one part of a plan that also includes movement, exercise and the care their doctor recommends. Research on acupuncture is strongest for some kinds of pain, including low back pain, neck pain, knee osteoarthritis, tension headaches and migraine. Many people use it alongside exercise to help ease back and neck pain; how much it helps varies from person to person, and nobody can promise a result.

• Pain: low back pain and sciatica, neck and shoulder pain, headaches and migraines, joint pain and arthritis, tendon pain, fibromyalgia, and pain after surgery.
• Nerves: peripheral neuropathy and Bell’s palsy, alongside your medical care.
• Stress and sleep: some people use acupuncture to help them relax and to support better sleep.
• Women’s health: some people use it for menstrual cramps or during menopause, and some alongside their medical care during fertility treatment. Talk to your doctor too.

Acupuncture is not a reason to put off seeing your doctor. If your pain is new, severe, getting worse, or comes with numbness, weakness, fever or loss of bladder or bowel control, see a doctor first. Each area of the body, with what a visit for it looks like, is on the acupuncture Barrie treatments page.

How it feels

What acupuncture feels like, and is it safe?

Acupuncture needles are much finer than the needles used for a blood test or a vaccine. Most people feel a light tap as each one goes in, then a dull ache, warmth or a heavy feeling at the point. Many people find the time with the needles resting quiet and relaxing; some fall asleep.

Most people feel little discomfort. Your acupuncturist explains possible side effects before you consent: the common ones are mild soreness, a small bruise or a little bleeding where a needle went in, and feeling tired or light-headed afterwards. Tell them if you take blood thinners, are or may be pregnant, have a pacemaker (it matters for electro-acupuncture), have a bleeding disorder, or have felt faint with needles before.

Cost and coverage

Paying for acupuncture in Barrie

OHIP does not pay for acupuncture, so most people use an extended health plan through work, a spouse’s work, a union, a school or a private policy. Plans differ in how much they pay per visit, the percentage they reimburse and the yearly maximum. Some ask for a doctor’s note before they pay. Check your benefits booklet or call your insurer before you book.

Because your treatment is given by a Registered Acupuncturist, it is claimed under the plan’s acupuncture benefit, where the plan has one. The clinic’s own site says many private plans cover acupuncture from a licensed acupuncturist and that it offers direct billing. Pro Motion Healthcare also directly bills WSIB, ODSP, Veterans Affairs and auto insurers for many services, and has a coordinator for motor vehicle accident claims, so ask what applies to yours. The clinic does not publish a price per session: call for the current fee. The acupuncture insurance article goes through plans, OHIP and receipts step by step.

Finding the clinic

Acupuncture in Barrie’s west end, off Highway 400

The clinic is at 65 Cedar Pointe Dr, Unit 808A, in Barrie’s west end just off Highway 400 at Dunlop St W, with parking at the building. It is a few minutes from Edgehill and Letitia Heights, about 5 minutes from downtown, and about 6 from Allandale, Ardagh and Sunnidale. People also come in from Midhurst, Stroud, Innisfil, Angus and Shanty Bay. Searching for acupuncture near me? That page lists approximate drive times from each part of the city.

Pro Motion Healthcare also offers physiotherapy, massage therapy, custom orthotics and foot care at the same address, so if your assessment points to something acupuncture alone will not help, there are other people on the same floor to talk to. What the rooms are like and what to wear is on our acupuncture clinic in Barrie page. Hours vary through the week, so call for hours.