Community acupuncture opens in Missoula

Michael Peluso wonders how people have no qualms about being knocked out, cut open and sewn back up for medical issues, yet may be scared of tiny whisker-like needles that are encountered in acupuncture.

"People know that it does more than just treat pain and it's not scary," said Peluso, who just opened Missoula Community Acupuncture, Missoula's first community acupuncture clinic. "There's a cultural bias where people will be scared of these hair-thin needles, but then they'll go get a tattoo, or God help me, body waxing."

Missoula Community Acupuncture is located on Higgins Avenue and patients pay just $15 to $w35 per treatment, based on what they can afford.

"I don't want to charge an amount I couldn't afford," Peluso said.

Acupuncture makes up one of the oldest and safest forms of medical practice available to 80 to 85 percent of the population who usually couldn't afford traditional medical care, Peluso said. The clinic is part of the Community Acupuncture Network, a nationwide non-profit group whose goal is to make treatment more available and affordable.

The clinic houses one treatment room with four lounge chairs, which is more traditional than individual rooms for each patient. Peluso said it's beneficial for people to be in one room and heal together, rather than being cut off in separate rooms.

Acupuncture falls under the Chinese medicine umbrella and is known to treat ailments such as pain, menstrual-related conditions, insomnia, anxiety, stress and dozens of other problems.

Hannah Fields, a University of Montana senior studying psychology, said she was coming down with a cold and went to the clinic in its opening days.

"I've always wondered about acupuncture, I was scared to get pricked with needles, but it didn't hurt at all," Fields said. "I fell asleep and it calmed me down, it really worked for me."

Many people worry about acupuncture being scary or that it will hurt because it involves needles, but at most it may feel like a tiny pinch or like a little hair being plucked, Peluso said.

Peluso said acupuncture treats holistically, effecting individual physical, physiological and chemical composition. On average, 10 to 15 needles are inserted per treatment, normally into the arms below the elbows or into the legs below the knee.

On a personal level, Peluso said at the age of 25, his doctor gave him the option to either have surgery or take a pill for the rest of his life for a digestive problem. He knew there had to be another way, so he looked into natural medicine and found acupuncture worked for him.

Peluso emphasized that he doesn't knock traditional Western doctors and said different medical practices are appropriate for different problems.

Modern medicine is necessary for immediate medical emergencies, Peluso said, like broken bones and chest pain. For more chronic, hard to identify issues, like digestive regulation, mental illness and cramping, acupuncture may be able to help.

Missoula Community Acupuncture is also open for anyone who is simply interested in learning more about acupuncture, Peluso said.

emily.creasia@umontana.edu