The idea of students with sharp needles might freak out some patients, but others might be willing to give a student a break to save money. At the Edith Davis Teaching Clinic at the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (2501 W. 84th St., Bloomington, 952-885-5450, www.nwhealth.edu/natcare/mcaomed.html), patients pay $35 for 60 to 90 minute sessions. Licensed practioners charge $60 to $120, said Mark McKenzie, dean of the Minnesota College of Acupuncture. Some of the most common ailments that acupuncturists try to relieve are back, neck or joint pain, headaches, female fertility and stress reduction. Before students can poke the public, they spend about a year and a half in a supervised clinical program learning needling anatomy and practicing on each other, said McKenzie. The clinic is part of Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington.
The other acupuncture school in the Twin Cities is the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. It has two student clinic locations in Uptown (2930 Emerson Av. S., Suite B, 612-823-6650) and Roseville (1925 W. County Rd. B2, 651-631-0204). Prices are $32 per hour but print a 50 percent off coupon at www.aaaom.edu and scroll down to "Intern clinics half-price coupons."
