About Us

This tiny needle could end years of pain in moments, calm frazzled nerves and stop food and nicotine cravings in their tracks. 

ASP ear needles (semi-permanent needles) are made in France in 1978. They were designed by a French physician to stay in the ear for a length of time. Here in the USA, they tend to stay in for 3 to 4 days. In France, it is not uncommon for a doctor to leave them in for a month or more at a time. ASP needles are frequently used by the military in a type of auricular acupuncture referred to as Battlefield Acupuncture.

ASP ear needles come in gold, stainless steel, silver and titanium. The titanium needles are safe to leave in during an MRI or PET scan (we are out of stock currently). We have used these needles with great success for years, to reduce pain, migraines, PTSD, Anxiety and more in our patients. Our patients like that the needles get “reactivated” every time they touch them.

Fees - $45 Includes up to 12 ASP NEEDLES

This service is not available from Maria. An Appointment with Dr. Kerns is required.

Chronic Pain

If your pain lasts more than three months, it is considered chronic or persistent pain, and you may require help from your provider to understand the cause and determine treatment.

We estimate that nearly one of every four adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain. At East Lake Acupuncture, we rely on experienced primary care providers, expert specialists, and a balanced, interdisciplinary approach to treating both the physical and psychological effects of chronic pain:

• Understand the cause. A variety of syndromes and conditions can cause chronic pain. It is essential to identify the root of the pain, as well as managing the pain itself. Different conditions require different types of treatment, what may work well for a migraine headache may aggravate an inflamed colon.
• Involve the patient. We include patients in their own pain management process, asking them to set goals, contribute to planning, and track their progress as chronic pain is experienced differently by each of us.
• Treat the pain and other symptoms. While medicines are useful tools in providing relief, they should not be the only part of the chronic pain equation. This is especially true when considering strong substances such as opioids, which can cause addiction and other serious side effects.Your primary care provider may also recommend physical therapy, massage, anti-inflammatory medicines and exercise, meditation and relaxation practices, and working with a behavioral health professional to help with self-regulation of the pain symptoms.
• Monitor results and follow-up. You can expect regular follow-up appointments with your primary care provider to manage your progress, make changes to your treatment plan, and support your recovery.

ASP needles are shaped like tiny darts that are inserted into auricular (ear) acupuncture points. The ASP needles are designed to stay in the ear for 2-7 days for continued results. ASP needles either fall out on their own or are removed by the patient. 

ASP ear needles (Aiguille Semi-Permanente) or semi-permanent needles are made in Lyon, France. They were designed by a French physician to stay in the ear for a length of time. Here in the USA, they tend to stay in for several days to a week or more. In France, it is not uncommon for a doctor to leave them in for a month or more at a time.

ASP ear needles come in three different types of metal: Gold (pictured above), Stainless Steel and Titanium. The different metals are used to treat a wide variety of conditions. The titanium needles are safe to leave in during an MRI or PET scan and can be used for pain relief and to promote recovery after surgery (with permission from your doctor). 

East Lake Acupuncture in Saint Cloud, Florida, has been using these needles with great success to reduce pain, anxiety and relieve PTSD symptoms in veterans, for many years. 

ASP needles work best went used as an add-on to standard acupuncture. It has been our experience, that they do not work as well as traditional acupuncture, or as a stand-alone treatment, but they make a phenomenal "booster" and work well to help get you through until you can get a full acupuncture treatment.   Most popular conditions treated with ASP needles: 

• Travel/flight anxiety - Frequently used to help soothe anxiety when traveling.
• PTSD and general anxiety - ASP needles may help calm frazzled nerves, and provide enough relief from anxiety, to allow you to enjoy an outing, or help calm the mind to promote a more peaceful night's sleep.
• Digestive issues - A patient favorite add-on for chronic constipation or diarrhea triggered by emotional upset
• Pain (any type of pain)

ASP needles get “reactivated” every time you get up or move

BONUS - $2 Per ASP needle add-on to any acupuncture service

Care and removal Instructions

Like the idea, but not a fan of needles?  Ask us about Eare Seeds (aka ear beeds) which are similar to ASP needles but no needle is required!

Due to the high-demand and limited availablity of new patient appointments, we require a $50 deposit to hold a new patient appointment. Deposits must be paid at the time of booking or before. Your deposit will be applied to the cost of your visit, or held on account to cover your copays, co-insurance, or purchases. If you have a $0 copay on your insurance, this deposit will be refunded back to your credit card once your claim is paid by your insuance. We do not require a new patient deposit for veterans booked thorugh the VA.

We require two business days' (48-hours) notice to cancel or reschedule the visit. Please keep this in mind if you cancel over a weekend. Two business days will allow us to rebook the appointment and prevent a lost booking. 

A new patient appointment requires the same amount of time as 3-6 established patient appointments (we like to spend as much time as possible with our patients), so cancelling or rescheduling far enough ahead of your appointment, will alow up to six other patients to be seen. If you fail to show up for your appointment or cancel outside of the required notice, the amount will be forfeited to offset the lost booking.

We realize that sometimes life puts obstacles in our way and there are times a person simply can't make it and aren't able to provide two business days' advance notice to cancel or reschedule. That's okay! We understand and there are no hard feelings. That's what the deposit is for. Though it won't cover the full cost of your visit, it will help reduce the hardship of the lost bookingto the clinic. We are small, woman-owned, Native America-owned, small business, and like many small businesses, we too, were hit hard by the pandemic. We allow two canceled or rescheduled new patient appointments. 

Making an appointment on behalf of someone else - Appointments made on behalf of family member have the highest frequency of no-shows. We can't tell you how many times someone has booked a visit for a spouse, parent, or friend because they wanted them to experience the joy of acupuncture, or a massage by Maria, only to have that person not show for the visit becaue they really didn't want to come, but didn't want to cause hurt feelngs by saying "no."

If you are making an appointment for a family member, friend, etc., you will be responsible for the the full amount of the visit in advance and seek reimbursement from the patient. This is due to the higher liklihood of a no-show. We recommend purchasing a gift certificate and having your family-member or friend book their own appointment. This way, your feelings aren't hurt if they don't show and your lose your depoisit.