Calm Community Acupuncture Opens Second Location

On Feb. 12, Calm Community Acupuncture opens a second location near Seminole Heights.

The business at 2310 W. Waters Avenue Suite A hosted a "soft opening" on Tuesday, and also operates a location in Safety Harbor.

We recently talked to managing partner Marissa Byrum, an acupuncture physician with a Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine, about what customers can expect and what acupuncture is all about.

Tell us about acupuncture and the business: "Acupuncture is thousands of years old, and originated in Asia. The community acupuncture model is designed to make it accessible, affordable and very efficient. We are focused and dedicated on you. We are doing all kinds of large scale diagnosis of your issues. It works very well. I can provide the same quality of treatment. We usually have six chairs we’re running.

We put in the needles and put a blanket over them. We find out what their problem is and treat it. The price point is a sliding scale from $15-40. Whatever they can afford, they pay us. They put it in an envelope and into a lock box. We leave it to the universe to tell us whether or not we’re going to succeed. We take cash or check, no debit or credit."

Why an area near Seminole Heights was chosen for a new location: "Kasie (Carlson, Byrum's business partner) tried to open a clinic in the South Tampa area. There's a lot of acupuncture down there. I couldn't think of a better community than Seminole Heights. There's couples with young children, the gay and lesbian community, older people."

On the importance of acupuncture: "The amount of things we can treat is phenomenal. The World Health Organization, they publish that we can treat, under their rules, over 40 different conditions. If you're healthy, you can still come. Acupuncture is fantastic for stress."

Misconceptions about acupuncture: "I have heard that we re-use our needles. I have heard that it is a horribly painful. The needles are the width of a hair. If it provides a powerful reaction, its usually because you really need it. Or, that we’re injecting people with things. With regular acupuncture, I am not injecting you with anything."

For more information, call 727-744-4245 or go to http://calmcommunityacupuncture.com.