What to Expect From Acupuncture Treatment

Before your first acupuncture session, there are several things you should bear in mind:

• A significant portion of commonly accessed acupuncture points are in the lower arms and legs. It is best plan ahead and wear clothing that facilitates ease of access to these areas.

• Try to avoid having an empty stomach or a full stomach before treatment. Eat something light!

• Please inform our staff if you are new to acupuncture. This will allow us to take extra time with you and explain what happens during the session, answer any questions you may have, ensuring you are comfortable with the process.
  
  

Your First Consultation

It is important that we obtain a thorough understanding of your chief complaint as well as your general health and lifestyle before beginning the actual acupuncture session. You will be asked questions about your medical history, current symptoms, and areas such as sleep patterns, appetite, digestion, and your emotional well-being. Women will be asked about their menstrual cycle, pregnancies, and childbirth.

If it seems that there are questions unrelated to your condition, don’t worry; everything you convey helps us to form a more accurate picture.

We may also take your pulse (both wrists), examine your tongue, and palpate areas to determine tension or pain.

Your Chief Health Complaint

We will ask you to describe what the symptoms feel like as well as their severity, duration, and frequency. You should inform us of all prescribed and nonprescribed medications and any other therapies you have tried in the past.

Traditional Chinese medicinal theory uses diagnosis to inform the right treatment approach, therefore it is important to obtain specific details as to what is going on with your body. To illustrate with lower back pain, further questioning might include where the pain travels (e.g., leg, hip), if it changes according to the time of day, whether movement or rest alleviates the pain, if there are accompanying symptoms (e.g., stiffness), benefits of applying heat or cold, and if climate improves your symptoms or makes them worse.

Treatment Plan

Based upon the information provided, we will make a diagnosis and plan your treatment. Your plan may include advice (e.g., lifestyle, dietary), acupuncture, Chinese herbology, homeopathy / supplements, acupoint injection therapy, laser therapy, electromagnetic therapy, and/or bioenergetic sensitivity & enzyme therapy.

Acupuncture uses very fine single-use, pre-sterilized needles. It stimulates specific points on your body; as the energy meridians are located over the entire body, the points we target in acupuncture do not automatically correspond to the location of pain or discomfort. In other words, if you suffer from headaches, needles might be inserted in your foot or hand.

Techniques

As well as needling acupuncture points, we may use other techniques and modalities such as:

• Electro-acupuncture: this is a very low frequency electrical current (1Hz) is applied to the needle to increase blood flow, relax muscle tissue, and clear stagnant qi (energy).
• Moxibustion: heat is applied to an acupuncture point or meridian (energy pathway) using moxa (a therapeutic herb) and/or heat lamps to warm and relax muscles and qi (vital energy).
• Tuina: this is a type of Chinese therapeutic massage. It is an excellent reliever of muscle tension and is accomplished by stimulating acupressure points, opening energy meridians and stimulating the flow of qi (vital energy).
• Cupping: glass cups with a vacuum seal are placed on the skin to stimulate blood flow and clear stagnation of your vital energy.
• Guasha: vigorous rubbing of the skin increases blood flow and clear stagnation of your vital energy.
• Acupuncture Point Injection Therapy 
• Chinese Herbology 
• NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques)
• Bioelectromagnetic Therapy
  

Lifestyle advice

Your treatment will be more effective if you follow our advice, focusing on the ways you can facilitate the long-term effects of your treatment. Your diet and daily routine may be affected. We will also provide a referral if you are in need of a healthcare practitioner for specialized care beyond the scope of our expertise.

After-Effects

Most people find acupuncture relaxing, often feeling peaceful and tranquil after treatment. It is completely normal to feel a little tired. This should be accounted for if you drive or use heavy machinery immediately thereafter.

Refrain from vigorous exercise after treatment. If possible, give yourself the gift of a bit of rest. We do not recommend you drink alcohol for several hours after treatment.

Acupuncture has very few side effects! Those that do occur are typically mild and self-correcting. Cupping and guasha can sometimes temporarily mark the skin. Such bruising is painless and generally clears within a day or two.