Our community room is open!
Welcome to our dedicated community space!
Here we provide focused, individualized acupuncture treatments in a peaceful group setting. This practice allows you to receive frequent treatments that fit into your busy schedule, and at an affordable, sliding-scale rate.
Community room hours:
Weekday afternoons till 6pm
Thursday mornings 9am-noon
Here we provide focused, individualized acupuncture treatments in a peaceful group setting. This practice allows you to receive frequent treatments that fit into your busy schedule, and at an affordable, sliding-scale rate.
Community room hours:
Weekday afternoons till 6pm
Thursday mornings 9am-noon
What is Community Acupuncture?
Throughout its long history, acupuncture has traditionally been a community-based medicine. In this room, we treat in soft, comfortable recliner chairs in an open, quiet, relaxing space. The group setting provides many benefits: treating in recliners allows patients to relax easily. Friends and family members can come in together for treatment, and many people find being in a room with other peacefully relaxing people to be very comforting, especially if they are new to acupuncture treatment.
Throughout its long history, acupuncture has traditionally been a community-based medicine. In this room, we treat in soft, comfortable recliner chairs in an open, quiet, relaxing space. The group setting provides many benefits: treating in recliners allows patients to relax easily. Friends and family members can come in together for treatment, and many people find being in a room with other peacefully relaxing people to be very comforting, especially if they are new to acupuncture treatment.
How does the sliding scale work?
We make our treatments available for a sliding scale of $25-50, with a one-time first-visit consultation fee of $15. For acupuncture to be most effective, patients need regular and frequent treatments, often far more than insurance plans will pay for, or more than people can pay for out of pocket on top of other healthcare costs they may have. Treating in a group setting allows us to offer treatments at far lower cost than is possible otherwise, and allows you to follow a course of treatment that will lead you to lasting results more quickly than if you only received acupuncture once every few weeks.
What should I expect from treatment?
Acupuncture is a process of rebalancing and harmonizing. It is very rare for any acupuncturist to be able to resolve a problem with one treatment. In China, a typical treatment protocol for a chronic condition could be acupuncture every other day for three months! Most of us won't need that much acupuncture, but virtually every patient requires a course of treatment, rather than a single treatment, in order to get what they want from acupuncture.
On your first visit, we'll suggest a course of treatment, based on our experience with treating different kinds of conditions. The purpose of our sliding scale is to help you receive a full series of treatments. If you have questions about how long it will take to see results, please ask us, or if you think you need to adjust your treatment plan, please let us know. We are committing to helping you get the results you seek.
So, welcome! We hope that Cotati Community Acupuncture can be an important part of your healthcare. Thank you!
We make our treatments available for a sliding scale of $25-50, with a one-time first-visit consultation fee of $15. For acupuncture to be most effective, patients need regular and frequent treatments, often far more than insurance plans will pay for, or more than people can pay for out of pocket on top of other healthcare costs they may have. Treating in a group setting allows us to offer treatments at far lower cost than is possible otherwise, and allows you to follow a course of treatment that will lead you to lasting results more quickly than if you only received acupuncture once every few weeks.
What should I expect from treatment?
Acupuncture is a process of rebalancing and harmonizing. It is very rare for any acupuncturist to be able to resolve a problem with one treatment. In China, a typical treatment protocol for a chronic condition could be acupuncture every other day for three months! Most of us won't need that much acupuncture, but virtually every patient requires a course of treatment, rather than a single treatment, in order to get what they want from acupuncture.
On your first visit, we'll suggest a course of treatment, based on our experience with treating different kinds of conditions. The purpose of our sliding scale is to help you receive a full series of treatments. If you have questions about how long it will take to see results, please ask us, or if you think you need to adjust your treatment plan, please let us know. We are committing to helping you get the results you seek.
So, welcome! We hope that Cotati Community Acupuncture can be an important part of your healthcare. Thank you!
About our community acupuncture director
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Demetra Markis, L.Ac., has specialized in the practice of community acupuncture for the past 15 years. After 7 years of running one of the country's largest community acupuncture clinics, in San Francisco, she shifted gears to a rural life in northwestern Sonoma County, treating her neighbors in the gardens, old barns, and living rooms. Now she is very happy to back in the community room here in Cotati, helping you feel better. Full bio here->
"I love helping people get back to feeling like themselves again- sleeping more soundly, relaxing more deeply, getting a chance to slow down and heal up. My favorite part of community acupuncture is getting to know people well by seeing them frequently! I also love knowing that people have a space to come to with just about any problem, because we have timeless tools to help you here." |
"Having given over 30,000 acupuncture treatments, I've discovered that frequent acupuncture is a safe and simple tool that can change people's lives." ~Demetra
About Dena Ito, L.Ac.
I graduated from American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco in 2012. I consider Chinese Medicine to be truly affordable, holistic and sustainable healthcare. I admire how acupuncture works with the innate ability of the body to heal and am often reminded of the power of the human body and the human spirit. WE are amazing!
I like offering acupuncture in a community setting as a way for more patients to come in for treatment and to come in as often as their treatment plan may call for. I'm excited to contribute to this community and look forward to seeing you.
Outside of work I enjoy eating yummy food, taking my son to amusement parks and spending time with family.
I like offering acupuncture in a community setting as a way for more patients to come in for treatment and to come in as often as their treatment plan may call for. I'm excited to contribute to this community and look forward to seeing you.
Outside of work I enjoy eating yummy food, taking my son to amusement parks and spending time with family.
Questions + Answers about acupuncture
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Top 5 reasons people get acupuncture:
1. Muscle and joint pain
The most common reason people come in for acupuncture is muscle and joint pain. Acupuncture helps your body change its response to muscle tension, and even adapt to structural changes. Whether you woke up with a stiff neck, or have chronic pain after an injury, acupuncture can help your body adjust and heal. 2. Stress, anxiety, and depression In our modern world, our bodies' stress responses are constantly triggered. Today's stressors are usually mental or emotional in nature, but our body's response is still physical. Acupuncture can help your body and mind learn how to calm down again, and adapt to having a more moderate response to the pressures of daily life. 3. Migraines and tension headaches Don't suffer needlessly! It's best to come in well before a migraine starts, so we can work on changing the pattern that causes it, but even if you are feeling a headache just starting to come on, or have chronic persistent pain, a treatment can usually reduce the pain- or stop it altogether. 4. Allergies and sinus issues In our climate, with plants pollinating year-round, sinus issues and allergies are extremely common. Sneezing, watery eyes, and sinus congestion are all ways your immune system has to prevent airborne irritants from penetrating deeper into your respiratory system, but too much of this response can make you feel miserable. Acupuncture quickly calms an intense histamine response, reduces sinus inflammation, and over time, improves resistance to allergens. 5. Better quality of life! Getting regular acupuncture helps you feel like yourself again. Most acupuncture "regulars" report better sleep, better libido, better digestion, fewer menstrual cycle complaints, more energy, and greater enjoyment of life. It's a tool that, like healthy meals and moderate exercise, makes you healthier the more that you do it. |
Top 5 questions about acupuncture:
1. Does it hurt?
Most people don't feel a thing- in fact, they often feel so relaxed that they fall asleep. Acupuncture needles are so tiny that they're more like eyelashes or cat whiskers than needles. We call it "nap-time for grownups" because naps are the most common side effect. 2. Is it expensive? Nope. Community acupuncture visits are available on a sliding scale of $25-50/treatment (plus $15 for the first visit. By offering treatments in a shared space, we ensure that you can afford to get treated as often as needed to make lasting changes. 3. Will I need more than one treatment? Most likely, which is why we make it easy to get treated frequently. Acupuncture is like exercise: you get stronger the more that you do it. Most people come in anywhere from a few weeks to several months, and many decide to just make it a regular part of their healthcare maintenance. 4. Do I have to get undressed? Not at all; just slip off socks and shoes, and roll up your sleeves and pant legs. The acupuncture points we use most often are generally located from the elbows and knees down to the hands and feet, and on the ears and head. We can use these points to treat issues throughout the whole body, even the back. 5. Does it really work? Yes, it really does. And after providing over 30,000 community acupuncture treatments, we can say that from experience. There are various studies attesting to acupuncture's effectiveness, but more than anything, our ongoing clinical experience shows us that frequent acupuncture is a safe and simple tool that can change people's lives. |