Hello Wellness

Your Natural Healing Journey Starts Here!

Happy new patients after first acupuncture treatment.

New Patients

At GoldStar Acupuncture, we love meeting new patients. Whether you are new to acupuncture or are looking for a new acupuncturist in Modesto, CA, we are ready to serve you!

We put in the effort to provide you with a positive and comforting experience, focusing on delivering quality acupuncture and traditional naturopathic care, excellent customer service, and a relaxing environment to maintain a lasting relationship.

Acupuncture Benefits

Woman receiving acupuncture for beauty and longevity.

Acupuncture has been providing relief to people from all around the world for over 2000 years. It is a complete holistic medicine system focused on benefitting the spirit, mind, and body, with a long documented history of use for treating various ailments and diseases, promoting health and cultivating longevity.

While still not well-understood scientifically, acupuncture is widely celebrated as a conventional alternative that stimulates the body’s own natural healing process. It has many well known health benefits that can naturally improve physical and mental-emotional well-being, and support long-term health and wellness, including:

  • Alleviates pain & inflammation

  • Promotes healing of wounds & injuries

  • Regulates blood circulation

  • Reduces stress & improves mood

  • Improves sleep

  • Strengthens immunity

  • Promotes digestive function

  • Improves skin health

Conditions Treated With Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been recently popularized for its use in the treatment of pain, stress, allergies, insomnia, and a wide variety of Western-defined disorders, diseases, and poor health conditions. Reports by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicate acupuncture can be used as effective treatment alone or in combination with conventional therapies in the treatment of many different types of health problems, including:

  • Cardiovascular Conditions– stress, essential hypertension
  • Eye, Ear, Nose & Mouth Conditions– acute conjunctivitis, toothaches, post extraction pain, gingivitis, pharyngitis
  • Gastrointestinal Conditions– spasms of esophagus, irritable bowel, colitis, gastroptosis, gastritis, gastric hyperacidity (i.e. acid reflux), duodenal ulcer (pain relief and without complication), constipation, diarrhea
Woman receiving acupuncture on her back and shoulders.
Closeup of woman's tummy during preventive health acupuncture tuneup.
  • Gynecological Conditions– infertility, PMS, dysmenorrhea, menopause syndrome, benign irregular menstruation and amenorrhea
  • Hormonal imbalances– metabolic syndrome, diabetes and pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia
  • Immune disorders– seasonal/perennial allergies, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, autoimmune conditions, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, low immunity
  • Musculo-skeletal Conditions– muscle pain, swelling, stiffness and weakness, localized traumatic injuries, sprains, strains, tendinitis, contractures, arthritis, fibromyalgia, work and sports related injuries, low back and/or neck strain, osteoarthritis, tendinitis (ie “frozen shoulder”, “tennis elbow”, etc), sciatica
  • Neurological Conditions– headache and migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, facial palsy (early stage, within three to six months), paresis following stroke, peripheral neuropathy, Meniere’s disease, neuralgia, disc problems, post-operative pain, Parkinson’s disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Psychological Conditions– stress, depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, insomnia
Woman resting receiving acupuncture treatment
  • Respiratory System Conditions– acute sinusitis and rhinitis, common cold and allergies, tonsillitis, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, respiratory infections
  • Skin Conditions– acne, dermatitis, eczema, hives, pimples and zits, rash
  • Other Conditions addictions, withdrawal from alcohol, and recreational and pharmacological drugs, appetite suppression, obesity, infections

Your First Acupuncture Visit

Closeup of new patient filling out paperwork for first acupuncture appointment
  • Plan for your appointment to last from 1 to 2 hours.
  • Please make sure to shower and clean your body before your visit.
  • Eat a hearty meal and drink plenty of fluids 1-2 hours before your appointment.
  • Plan on wearing loose, comfortable clothing that can be easily rolled up or removed.
  • Plan on removing your shoes and socks, and clothes that may interfere with examination and treatment. For your comfort and convenience we offer a clean medical gown and clean athletic shorts.
  • Arrive 10-15 minutes before appointment time to check in, complete New Patient Forms, and use the restroom.
  • If you’re taking any medication or supplements be sure to include this information in the forms you fill in and let your acupuncturist know.
  • You will be asked to remove your shoes and socks, and any clothing that may interfere with examination and treatment (if necessary a clean medical gown and clean athletic shorts are offered to change into).
  • We will ask you about the nature of your visit and follow up with you on the information you provided in the forms.
  • We may ask you a series of detailed questions about any health problems or symptoms you might be having.
  • We will examine your health using a wide variety of acupuncture and traditional Oriental medicine diagnostic methods including facial, tongue, and pulse diagnosis.
  • We will determine if treatment is appropriate, and discuss treatment options and frequency, financial arrangements, and any other concerns you may have.
Acupuncture for shoulder and neck pain.
  • If acupuncture treatment is decided, it will be provided during the same visit.
  • Your acupuncturist will select specific locations on your body, such as points located on your hands or feet, or your arms or legs, or the head, the face, or the front or back of the torso, and place needles there.
  • While receiving treatment your acupuncturist may consult with you about changes to your diet and lifestyle that can best suit your situation, and they may also prescribe herbal medicine or vitamins and minerals, and guidance for meditation and exercises, as needed.
  • Lay back and relax, it’s okay to fall asleep!
  • Avoid overexertion and plan to take it easy afterwards to give the mind and body time to adjust to the treatment as it can produce strong shifts.
  • Follow all instructions for diet and lifestyle modification, meditation and exercise, and dosing with nutritional and herbal medicine supplements.
  • Schedule your next appointment according to the treatment plan established for you.
Arrangement of supplements from Pure Encapsulations brand.

Acupuncture Pricing | Modesto, CA

Coins arranged into a yin-yang image symbolizing costs of acupuncture to new patients.

Your health is your best investment, and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to receive the best natural care when you need it.

The cost of your acupuncture treatment will vary depending on your individual needs and treatment plan. We will discuss with you the cost of your treatment, pricing options, and each of your available payment options before you begin, so that you can choose what will work best for you.

Office Payment Policy

All payment is due at the time of service. Our office accepts cash, checks, visa, mastercard, discover, and amex.

INSURANCE

We are an Out-of-Network healthcare provider and certain PPO plans that include acupuncture coverage components may be eligible for use with our office (see our FAQs section below).

If you have a PPO insurance policy with acupuncture benefits and would like to try to use it with our office, we will put forth our best effort into giving you a personalized pre-determination of your benefits prior to beginning treatment. Please contact us today to request prior authorization and get started with the verification process.

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TESTIMONIALS

GoldStar Acupuncture is fully committed to providing our patients with world-Class natural health and integrative wellness services. Learn more about the high level of dedication and quality we offer from patient testimonials:

Dr Rene is unlike any other doctor I’ve met. He really takes his time to get to know you to understand you and your history and get to the root of the problem, and his recommendations have been spot on. Thanks!!

DEVIN T.

Dr Rene has helped me completely transform my health. When I first came in, I was tired and stressed, getting sick all the time, and my joints were really starting to hurt. The acupuncture really helped me feel a lot better than I thought, a lot faster than I thought. I feel like a whole new person!

JASMINE H.

I have had chronic neck and lower back pain for years that woke me up out of my sleep a few times every night. Last night, after my first visit to Dr Rene, I had the first pain-free, full-sleep night in a long time. Thank you!

ELIZABETH B.

Dr Rene was very helpful and informative, and helped me find a permanent natural solution. He truly made me feel listened to and cared for, and he always helped put a smile on my face. Would highly recommend to anyone!

DAVID I.

I had been to many different doctors and no one had been able to help until I went to see Dr Rene. I was blown away how helpful and informative he was, and how effective the treatments were. Make the call, you will be forever grateful!

AMBER T.

Dr. Rene is one of the most compassionate people you’ll ever meet. He took his time with me, listened to me and let me get it all out, and he gave me the most relaxing acupuncture treatments. It was great!

MARK G.

Dr Rene is a good detective and really works hard at trying to help. He was straightforward and honest with me, and didn’t try to upsell any service or products. The acupuncture was amazing and it really helped. He’s the real deal! Thank you!

MEGAN K.

Thank you, Dr Rene! I truly appreciate everything you have done for me and always making me feel welcomed and cared for. Your acupuncture treatments are amazing! I am grateful to you for helping keep me healthy and balanced.

JOHN S.

FAQs

Unfortunately, there is no straight easy answer. Insurance coverage for acupuncture varies widely among insurance companies both statewide and nationally, with plans requiring certain criteria to be met before coverage is applied. This criteria is not standardized, and insurance companies all make their own policies, including exclusions, limitations and restrictions, regarding acupuncture coverage.

As a result, even when insurance companies advertise they offer acupuncture coverage, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will actually pay for all of it, or even some of it. Most people with an acupuncture-friendly health insurance plan that want to try to use it to pay for acupuncture should expect to accrue at least some out-of-pocket costs, anywhere from co-pays and deductibles to paying for uncovered procedures and products such as herbal medicine and nutritional supplements. It is also not uncommon for acupuncture-related claims to be entirely denied by insurance companies, leaving insured patients responsible for paying the total amount billed.

Fortunately, our office is well-versed on these details to help you understand how and when it is possible to use your insurance to help pay for acupuncture. For more information, or to begin the verification process and request prior authorization for using your PPO insurance with our office, please send us a message.

No, you do not need a referral to receive acupuncture treatment. California acupuncturists are primary care providers and can provide you treatment independently without referral. Some people may seek a doctor referral for acupuncture to try and use their insurance to cover expenses or for help finding a practitioner, but this is not required.

Acupuncture itself is very safe in the hands of a competent practitioner. It generally presents little to no side effects and rarely makes a condition worse. If these do occur it’s usually indicative of the healing process and any ill effects disappear within days of treatment.

However acupuncture is not for everyone, and there are times when precautions must be made. For example, people who are not eligible for acupuncture include those with hemophilia or contagious skin diseases. On the other hand, people on blood-thinning medication, or who tend to bruise easily, or who are pregnant, can receive acupuncture but should disclose their medical history to their acupuncturist prior to treatment so that certain precautions are made.

Where severe danger exists is in the inappropriate application of acupuncture by poorly trained and unskilled non-acupuncture therapists and physicians, many which do not receive the same instruction and training as licensed acupuncturists. To ensure safety when receiving acupuncture, it is highly recommended to use a practitioner who has received proper education and schooling in acupuncture, and is certified and licensed to practice acupuncture by an official governing acupuncture board, agency, or organization.

In general, acupuncture will not minimize any treatment or medication you have used or will use. Recent studies suggest acupuncture may actually enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of other treatments and reduce some of their adverse reactions.

However because acupuncture and some herbal and nutritional supplements prescribed by acupuncturists can sometimes diminish or potentiate the effects of other treatments, it is advisable that you disclose all of your medical history to your acupuncturist, especially if you’re taking medication or are undergoing other types of treatment, or have recently undergone other treatments, so that any precautions can be made prior to treatment. For more information, send us a message.

Depending on the type of service, total visit time is between 60-90 minutes, with 20-75 minute acupuncture treatment time.

Everyone responds to acupuncture differently but in general the approach we use is so gentle and the acupuncture needles we use are so thin that most people won’t even be aware when the needles are inserted. If they feel anything at all, it may be a slight pinch at the site of needle insertion followed by a brief dull ache that dissipates within seconds. Other common sensations felt during treatment include slight tingling, subtle muscle twitching and spasms, heaviness, extreme relaxation, and warmth in the hands and feet.

Comparison chart of acupuncture needles to matchstick, hypodermic needle, and sewing needle.

Most adults looking for a natural approach to health and overall wellness are candidates for acupuncture. But if you have a specific health condition and you’re not sure if acupuncture is right for you, the best way to find out is to request an appointment for an evaluation and consult.

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