After nearly three years in Bedford, Perfect Point Acupuncture owners Sarah and Kevin Ferst chose Wilton for their second location which opened in March.
As the newest acupuncturists in town, the Fersts said their classical Chinese herbalism-based practice focuses on improving client health through running cupping, tui na massage, moxa needling and herbal topical application among other methods.
Tui na helps ailments such as osteoarthritis and back pain while moxa needling is a technique where mugwort is burned on a needle inserted in the skin, according to Kevin.
The pair said acupuncture’s Eastern philosophy differentiates it from Western modalities. While Eastern practice uses many herbs, they said Western methods use a single herb in large doses.
“Eastern herbalism is more synergistic,” Kevin said.
The specific name for the practice, Shang Han Lun, or the Treatise on Cold Damage, originated in China long before the Communist Party took power, according to the Fersts.
“There are many styles, as most forms originated through a family lineage before the CCP tried standardizing it during the Mao era,” Sarah said, referring to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
The couple said their approach is tailored to each patient and described their methods as “eclectic.”
“It’s always custom,” Kevin said. “Migraines, for example, are not the same for each person, so we use several different tools to assess them.”
“Through Shang Han Lun we look at the individual person’s constitution, such as cold, dry and moist,” Sarah added. “Then we use herbs to remedy the out-of-balance issues.”
She said the approach is holistic and assesses both constitution and symptoms.
They also cited what they believe separates them from other acupuncturists.
While some clinics run communal acupuncture, Perfect Point provides one-on-one sessions. The Fersts said the approach helps with comfort and relaxation.
They also emphasized that they accept insurance.
“We’re one of a minority of offices that accept insurance,” Kevin noted. “We just don’t directly bill Medicare.”
According to Kevin, if their clients don’t respond to one form of treatment, they have plans B and C, as they offer multiple types of therapy.
Sarah grew up on an organic farm in Michigan and then went to Middlebury College in Vermont. She eventually moved to Seattle and worked toward a master’s degree in acupuncture and East Asian medicine through the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine.
She studied under acupuncturists from China, Japan and Taiwan.
“While living in Canada for a bit, I received acupuncture,” Sarah said. “I thought it was helpful and enjoyable and because I had some interest in the alternative medical field, I decided to pursue it.”
Kevin, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, got his start as a librarian. After getting a master’s in library science, his lifelong interest in alternative health led him to Seattle where he met Sarah while also studying acupuncture at the Institute of East Asian Medicine.
“I always had a lifelong interest in alternative medicine like herbs and natural therapeutics,” he said. “My mother got acupuncture once and thought it was helpful, so that also drew my interest.”
In 2013, the couple worked in New York before opening their Bedford practice in 2023.
Because they call Wilton home, the husband and wife said they wanted a location closer to home. They also said it helps with getting their children to and from school in Dublin.
As the Fersts settle in, they hope to one day add a raw herb pharmacy to the Wilton location.
“Raw herbs create the strongest remedy formulas,” according to Kevin. He said raw is just another word for dry. “While they’re dried, they’re not processed.”
Perfect Point Acupuncture is located at 69 Main St., Wilton.