Acupuncture is simple. Acupuncture is quick. Each sterile needle costs approximately two cents. People are simple too. While our lived experiences vary, we all hurt in the same ways. When the stressors of our world (I’m so frustrated), our bodies (I’m so sore), our narrative (I’m so tired) and our innermost thoughts (I’m so afraid) start to pile up, we suffer. An experienced practitioner can learn all they need to know to deliver effective treatment from about five simple questions. So why does acupuncture cost so much? That answer is simple too: walls. One practitioner working with each patient closeted behind walls can’t move quickly. Shuffling patients into their individual cubbies takes time. Small talk takes time. Undressing takes time. Knocking on doors to check in and check in again takes time. Putting on clothes and coats, pulling on boots- it all takes time. And time, we’ve been told, is money. In a communal setting, one practitioner is able to keep watch over many patients at once. (This is how they do it in China!) Community acupuncturists work in a traditional style that does not require anyone to undress. Yes, we can treat your back pain without ever seeing your back. We are liberated from the shuffling, and the waiting, and the knocking, and the waiting. We don’t need all that extra time that walls demand. In turn, community acupuncture demands a lot less money.