Costs
The cost of a session of acupuncture is 20-80€, depending on the duration of treatment and effort. If the treatment is part of a pain therapy of the lumbar spine or knee joint arthrosis, the costs are covered by the statutory health insurance. However, the treatment must be carried out by a doctor with the appropriate additional qualification and not by an alternative practitioner.
10-15 sessions within a year are then covered; after that, the treatment must be paused for a year. For other clinical pictures, acupuncture treatment is considered a so-called hedgehog service and must be paid for by the patient himself. Private health insurance or additional insurances often cover the costs.
Acupuncture against smoking
Acupuncture can be used for smoking cessation in combination with other smoking cessation strategies. The decisive factor is that the patient is firmly determined. Then acupuncture can help reduce the desire to smoke and relieve restlessness and nervousness.
Patients report that acupuncture has eliminated sleep disorders and they have had fewer vegetative symptoms such as increased sweating or trembling. In contrast to other measures, there was no significant weight gain because the addiction was not postponed to an uncontrollable food intake. In order to quit smoking, nicotine addiction points on the pinna are treated.
The needles are usually inserted at weekly intervals. Alternatively, permanent needles can be placed, which remain in the ear for 2 weeks. The success is controversial, because the affected person is only passively treated by acupuncture. He does not deal with his smoke pattern. Therefore, the Association of Medical Professionals recommends psychological and physiological weaning strategies in addition to acupuncture.
Acupuncture against migraine
The effectiveness of acupuncture against migraine has been scientifically proven and is recommended in the treatment guidelines for migraine. Nevertheless, the treatment costs are not covered by the statutory health insurance companies. The reason: Acupuncture is only suitable as a prevention of migraine and not in the acute stage.
Acupuncture can reduce the frequency of migraine attacks and alleviate the intensity of the attacks. Many affected people notice significant improvements after just a few sessions. No side effects are known so far.
It is not yet clear what effect acupuncture has on migraine. Our Western idea that migraine attacks are caused by circulatory disorders in the brain with severe vascular spasms is not taken into account here. Chinese medicine rather assumes that Qi is accumulated. Acupuncture releases this blockage so that the body relaxes and the nervous system regulates itself again.
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