4 minute read
On Pins and Needles
Dr. Stephen Gubernick founded Modern Acupuncture after hearing success stories about the alternative medicine form from his patients at The Joint.
(Photos by Dennis Murphy)
On Pins Needles and
Modern Acupuncture makes alternative medicine affordable
William McCalla, left, is the lead acupuncturist for Dr. Stephen Gubernick's Modern Acupuncture.
r. Stephen Gubernick saw patients with a variety of maladies while running a successful chiropractic clinic with The Joint in Scottsdale. Pregnant women suffering from low back pain visited him, and he referred them for acupuncture. The patients reported back with positive results.
This piqued Gubernick’s curiosity. Yearning to learn more, he pursued a license in acupuncture and took additional needle technique courses.
“I quickly implemented acupuncture into my practice and found the results to be even better than anticipated,” he says. “I realized that acupuncture is much more than just a complementary treatment for pain. It could stand on its own and be effective with numerous conditions outside of pain.”
Inspired, he founded Scottsdale Airpark-based Modern Acupuncture with former The Joint executives Matt Hale and Chad Everts, along with that company’s then-IT director Mike Nesteby, in 2016. They have since adopted the titles of chief executive officer (Hale), chief clinical officer (Gubernick), chief development officer (Everts) and chief information officer (Nesteby).
Celebrating its fourth anniversary, Modern Acupuncture opened its first Zen-inspired clinic in North Scottsdale at North Thompson Peak Parkway and North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in 2017.
The brand has expanded its reach with four additional franchises across the Valley, including Village at Arrowhead, Dana Park, SanTan Pavilions, and 16th and Camelback. Nationally, the brand has launched more than 500 licenses with nearly 50 clinics across the United States.
Since opening its first location, Modern Acupuncture has served more than 20,000 patients with 126,760 treatments across all five Arizona clinics.
“We’re going to open many more clinics,” Gubernick says. “I don’t know details on exact numbers yet, but we stayed strong during COVID, when there was a lot of pain and stress, depending on what happens with the country.”
According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture is an all-natural, holistic treatment clinically proven to alleviate chronic pain, relieve stress and treat over 30 diseases and conditions.
“In the last year, many people were unable to get into a doctor or manage their own mental health or stress,” Gubernick says. “We played a pivotal role in easing that.
The focus
All Modern Acupuncture locations align with a series of goals to allow patients to heal. • Provide exceptional modern acupuncture care in an accessible manner that is consistent and affordable for everyone. • Create a spa-like environment with scientific-based music therapy, relaxing nature scenes, soft lighting and heated zero-gravity massage chairs. • Develop its licensed acupuncturists with ongoing training based on the latest scientific evidence-based research. • Support its practitioners, or “Zen advisers.” • Offer pharmaceutical-grade supplements for pain, stress, fatigue, sleep and immune support that, paired with acupuncture, help patients live comfortably. • Partner with like-minded organizations and companies who share its mission. • Continue to educate the public on the benefits of acupuncture and provide treatments and products to help everyone reach and maintain their wellness goals.
Dr. Stephen Gubernick says Modern Acupuncture's treatments are accessible and affordable.
“They felt the benefits. They didn’t have to go into a doctor’s office when people were scared early on. We provided that option for people. Once they experience it, they continued.”
He says all acupuncture is effective, but Modern Acupuncture is different.
“Our treatments are accessible,” says Gubernick, who is also the Scottsdale franchise owner. “We built the company to make acupuncture affordable and convenient.”
Steve Dinkins is one of those patients. He says acupuncture has been a “saving grace” for him during the pandemic.
“I’m a member at Modern Acupuncture to get relief from my back and neck pain, but I found that the acupuncture treatments greatly reduced the stress and anxiety that 2020 brought as well,” Dinkins says.
“Acupuncture has evolved into a critical part of my wellness routine, and I’m so thankful for it.”
Gubernick says he’s able to build his clientele by keeping the clinics open seven days a week for extended hours and offering a membership model that makes visits affordable.
Memberships are $89 monthly and include two visits per month. Other packages are available.
“The price is important, especially now,” says Gubernick, who formerly worked for The Joint. “With acupuncture, like a lot of other therapies, consistency is important to be effective. Treating pain and stress with an affordable rate is important, too. We use a specific technology that’s very effective for pain relief while inducing relaxation.”
Gubernick says most patients come in for back and neck pain. However, once the discomfort subsides, they stay with Modern Acupuncture for maintenance.
“Acupuncture has that stress-relieving effect,” he says. “They feel calm. Stress ruins everything, but when patients come in, they can get a clear mind and stay calm. That’s what keeps people coming back.”
