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Licensed acupuncturist, Brandon SD, 10 minutes from Sioux Falls

Find out what's actually causing your pain.

You've tried the pills, the PT plan, the adjustments. We start with a diagnosis.

  • 40+ five‑star reviews
  • 3,000+ training hours
  • Patients drive in from three states
Lidia Esper treating a patient with cupping therapy under a warming heat lamp in the treatment room at Therapy Unlimited Wellness Clinic in Brandon, South Dakota

Acupuncture in Brandon and Sioux Falls, SD

Which one is you? Pick the closest fit.

Medication and surgery manage what is already happening.

Neither explains the pattern underneath it.

That is the part we look for first, and we tell you what we find.

Book Your First Visit “Standing straighter than I had in months.” — Karen M.

You'll leave knowing what's wrong.

We diagnose, then treat, on day one.

Chiropractic / dry needling

  • One protocol, applied broadly
  • Treats the area
  • Chases the symptom
  • Technique‑first
  • 45 minutes, same money

Therapy Unlimited

  • A real diagnosis first
  • Whole‑system assessment
  • Treats the cause
  • 3,000+ hours of training
Why the difference matters

The technique‑first approach

Chiropractors and physical therapists do valuable work, and dry needling is a legitimate tool — usually a certification added to another practice, used to release a tight muscle where you point.

A technique‑first session typically runs forty‑five minutes. Ours runs sixty, and the first visit runs ninety.

The diagnosis‑first approach

A licensed acupuncturist trains for thousands of hours in diagnosis before treating.

Sleep, digestion, stress and old injuries all inform where the needles go, which is why the treated area often is not the painful one.

For many patients, their first visit here is the first time anyone actually diagnosed them.

Your first ninety minutes.

Four steps. Nothing rushed.

  1. 1

    Questionnaire by email

    Lidia studies it before you arrive.

  2. 2

    Thirty minute conversation

    History, symptoms, everything already tried.

  3. 3

    Hands‑on assessment, first treatment

    About an hour. Treatment begins today.

  4. 4

    A written treatment plan

    Yours to keep, with the number of sessions.

What most people feel afterwards

Most people leave the first visit feeling real relief that same day, and most notice real change within about four sessions. A full plan usually runs three to five sessions for an acute issue and five to ten for a chronic one.

We treat your body like a puzzle. The first visit is where the pieces start fitting together.

An acute issue

Typically three to five sessions, as an estimate.

A chronic issue

Typically five to ten sessions, as an estimate.

Both are estimates. The exact number comes from the written plan after your first visit.

Bundle, discounted

Covers the length of your plan. Quoted after your first visit.

Session by session

No package. Stop whenever you like.

If you don't need more sessions, Lidia will say so.

Lidia Esper sitting with a patient and reviewing her assessment findings before beginning treatment
What to wear, how to prepare

Nothing complicated. These few things make the assessment easier.

  • Loose, comfortable clothing.
  • Sleeves and pant legs that can move above the elbow and knee.
  • Nothing tight through the waist or knees.
  • Eat something beforehand rather than arriving hungry.
  • Go easy on caffeine that day.
  • Skip strong lotion or perfume on the areas being treated.
  • Bring a list of current medications and supplements.

Only what your diagnosis calls for.

Acupuncture leads. The rest is chosen, never default. The initial evaluation comes first.

Acupuncture

Hair‑thin needles at points chosen by your diagnosis.

  • Back & neck pain
  • Migraines
  • Neuropathy
  • Digestion
  • Infertility
  • Allergies
  • Pregnancy & labor
Read more

The needles change how your nervous system, circulation and muscles are behaving. Where they go is decided by the diagnosis, so the treated area is often not the painful one.

Lidia Esper carefully placing acupuncture needles for a relaxed patient in the bright treatment room at the Brandon clinic

Start here

Required first step

Initial Evaluation and Acupuncture

$150 90 minutes

The full diagnostic visit: conversation, hands‑on assessment, first treatment and your written plan. Every acupuncture session begins here, so this is the visit to book first.

Book Your First Visit

Lower commitment

Saturday virtual assessment

Free 30 minutes, telehealth

Consultation and visual examination from home, so Lidia can tell you whether she can help.

Start the questionnaire

Once you have a plan

Times and prices are live in the booking system. Bundles are quoted after your first visit, once the number of sessions is known.

Acupuncture 60 min $90 Requires initial consultation Check times

Your regular treatment once a plan is in place. Needles go to the points your diagnosis calls for, and the session may also include gua sha along tight fascia, tui na bodywork through a restricted joint, or warming moxibustion where tissue is slow to heal.

Requires the initial consultation first.

Check times for Acupuncture
Initial Auricular Acupuncture 45 min $90 Requires initial consultation Check times

A first ear-only session. The outer ear maps to the rest of the body, so Lidia charts the points that apply to you and begins treatment the same visit.

Requires the initial consultation first.

Check times for Initial Auricular Acupuncture
Auricular Acupuncture Lowest cost 30 min $35 Requires initial consultation Check times

A short follow-up on the ear points already mapped for you. Often used for anxiety, cravings, sleep and long-standing pain, and easy to fit into a workday.

Requires the initial consultation first.

Check times for Auricular Acupuncture
Cupping 30 min $45 Requires initial consultation Check times

Suction cups lift the tissue instead of pressing into it, drawing blood flow into stiff, congested areas. Good for tight backs and shoulders, and for recovery after hard training.

Requires the initial consultation first.

Check times for Cupping
Ear Allergy Protocol 45 min $45 Requires initial consultation Check times

A set sequence of ear points used through allergy season to calm the response that leaves you congested, itchy and tired.

Requires the initial consultation first.

Check times for Ear Allergy Protocol
Initial Herbal Consultation 70 min $75 Check times

A full intake for herbal medicine. Lidia matches a formula to your diagnosis and explains how to take it, so treatment keeps working between visits.

Check times for Initial Herbal Consultation
Herbal Consultation 70 min $50 Check times

A review of how your formula is working, with adjustments as your symptoms change.

Check times for Herbal Consultation

Also here: Myofascial Release · 7 Systems Weight Loss

Lidia Esper placing acupuncture needles at Therapy Unlimited in Brandon, South Dakota

Meet your acupuncturist

Lidia Esper, L.Ac.

Over ten years of clinical experience. She diagnoses before she treats.

  • Licensed Acupuncturist, practicing since 2015, with over ten years of clinical experience
  • Degree in Acupuncture from Brazil, and a U.S. acupuncture degree completed in 2021
  • Degree in Physical Therapy from Brazil, and a Licensed Physical Therapist in Brazil
  • Advanced training in Dry Needling, Chinese Diet Therapy, and the Balance Method

Clinical interests

Fertility support Digestive health Pain management Emotional well‑being

See Lidia's full schedule

Read more about Lidia

She works slowly on purpose. Before treating, she wants to know how you sleep, how you digest, what your work does to your body, and what happened the last time you thought you were getting better.

That is usually where the answer is hiding. Her background is a graduate education in acupuncture alongside a physical therapy degree, rather than a needling certification added to another practice.

She is trained in dry needling as well, which is why she can say plainly when it is and is not the right tool. Patients often say nobody had ever asked them these questions before.

“A dozen rounds of dry needling in my shoulder. Lidia treated my hip instead, and the shoulder finally let go.”
Derek H. — Harrisburg, SD

People drive past three clinics to get here.

Brandon is ten minutes from Sioux Falls.

  • 10 min

    from Sioux Falls

  • 3 states

    patients drive in from MN, IA, NE

  • Free

    Saturday assessment if you are far

Therapy Unlimited Wellness Clinic

1402 East Cedar Street
Brandon, SD 57005
605‑582‑1178
Mon – Thu
9 am – 6 pm
Friday
9 am – 3 pm
Saturday
9 am – 12 pm
Sunday
Closed
Book Your First Visit Open in Google Maps
Parking & directions

Free parking in front, ground‑level entry, no stairs. I‑90 east to exit 406, then Splitrock Boulevard south to Cedar Street.

Wider view of the Therapy Unlimited treatment room with a cupping session in progress

Free · Saturdays · Telehealth

Find out from home whether we can help.

This is the start of the questionnaire Lidia reads before your visit, so nothing gets asked twice. About forty seconds.

Step one of two

Where does it hurt? Pick as many as apply.
How long has this been going on?

Questions people actually ask.

Does acupuncture hurt?

For most people, no. The needles are about the width of a human hair, far thinner than the one used to draw blood.

You may feel a brief pinch or a warm heaviness that fades in seconds.

How is acupuncture different from the dry needling my chiropractor or PT does?

Dry needling is a technique aimed at a tight muscle where it hurts, usually added to another practice through a short course. A licensed acupuncturist trains for thousands of hours in diagnosis first.

Where the needles go is decided by that diagnosis, not by where the pain is.

What conditions can acupuncture treat?

Most often back and neck pain, migraines, neuropathy, digestion, infertility, allergies, and pregnancy and labor support.

If we do not think we can help, we will say so.

How many sessions will I need?

Most patients notice real change within about four sessions. A full plan usually runs three to five sessions for an acute issue and five to ten for a chronic one, and you get a written plan with your specific number after the first visit.

Lidia will tell you when you no longer need to come in.

How often should I come in?

Usually once or twice a week at the start, then spacing out as symptoms improve. Your written plan sets the schedule and we adjust it as your body responds.

Who should not get acupuncture?

Acupuncture is safe for most people. Tell us about bleeding disorders, blood thinners, a pacemaker, pregnancy or a compromised immune system — these rarely rule out treatment, but they change how we treat.

Your intake and consultation cover all of it first.

Do I need a doctor's referral?

No, you can book directly with us in South Dakota. If you are already working with a physician or physical therapist, we are glad to work alongside that care.

Does insurance cover acupuncture in South Dakota?

Some plans do and some do not, since coverage varies by employer. We can provide documentation for reimbursement or HSA and FSA use, and we give you clear pricing up front.

Call 605‑582‑1178 and we will help you check.

Still wondering? Contact us · Blog

Let's find out why it hurts.