Your Initial Appointment
The first visit gives us, my patient and I, a good opportunity to learn about each other. My patient gets the opportunity to share his/her current health concerns/goals, past medical history, diet, exercise, and lifestyle in detail so that I can get a good picture or holistic summary of his/her energy pattern. I introduce the concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), my treatment approach, and how I work with my patients. I would proceed with the TCM assessment which often involves taking the pulse, looking at the tongue, and doing a physical examination. Acupuncture pulses are a qualitative reflection of the six major energy systems of the body. They are taken on both wrists. The information obtained goes far beyond the heart rate. The tongue reflects the internal systems hence a good diagnostic tool. Once I have the energy pattern or TCM diagnosis, a treatment plan would be derived, and the first treatment provided. For first time patients, I will explain the treatment step by step as I proceed.
The first appointment usually takes an average of 1 and half hours. I welcome questions and encourage treatment discussions. I am all for teamwork and would like all my patients to take responsibility for their own health rather than depending on me to take over.
Dress Code
I recommend that wearing comfortable loose-fitting clothes over undergarments. If you are coming directly from work, you may bring a change of comfortable clothes with you. Depending on the treatment, you might even remain fully clothed. If you prefer, gowns and linens are always available. In some cases, I may recommend a gown if necessary. Loose tops should be easily pulled over the elbows. Loose bottoms should be easily pulled over the knees.
Treatment
Patients are encouraged to leave plenty of time both before and after their treatment. Rigorous exercise, sexual activities, eating a full meal, and consuming alcohol should be avoided immediately before and after a treatment for at least 1 hour. In many cases, acupuncture effectiveness may be augmented by other complementary therapies such as cupping, massages, moxibustion, auricular acupuncture, auricular seeds, gua sha, acupressure, amethyst healing mat, essential oils, E-stim treatments, etc.
Most find treatments to be their best hour of relaxation. When the needle initially penetrates the skin, it feels like a small pinch. After the needle is inserted, it may be stimulated it to encourage the arrival of Qi to that acupuncture point. The arrival of Qi may feel like a dull or heavy ache, tingling, numbing, warmth, or an electrical sensation. On occasions, the needle sensation may be uncomfortable which can be alleviated by adjust ing the needle. Occasionally, there could be bruising at the needle site.
How would you feel after a treatment?
Most find treatments to be their best hour of relaxation. Some bounce out of the treatment full of energy and recharged. Others may feel like a wet noodle and a feather; all tension melted away and ready to float home. Depending on the treatment there may be some temporary soreness from the acupressure/massage.
Follow-up Visits
Follow-up visits usually last from forty-five minutes to one- and one-half hours. I will begin by asking you about any changes you might have felt since your last treatment and if you have any new concerns. After the assessment, I will proceed with the appropriate treatment.
How often you will need treatment, will depend upon your individual needs. Acupuncture works in a cumulative way. In the beginning treatments may need to be closer together. For average conditions, I recommend at least one treatment a week. However, for more severe conditions, treatments can be more often. Most conditions show significant improvement within three to twelve sessions.
For health maintenance or preventative care, I recommend four treatments per season or 12 treatments per year. Health maintenance is essential to daily health and should be taken seriously to may modulate our system to heal from irregularity before they become a medical condition.
