Consultation & Treatment

     Your acupuncture treatment will start with us discussing and reviewing your intake form.  I will be asking questions along the way, some may seem unrelated. For example asking the quality of your bowel movements when you came in for back pain or your psychological state when you came in for menstrual problems but acupuncture treats the person as a whole and not just the symptoms.  The information gleaned from the consultation is essential for developing a diagnosis and creating a treatment plan that meets your individual needs. Go with it and answer questions honestly. Other diagnostic tools may come from looking at your tongue, taking your pulse and palpating your abdomen, muscles, meridian pathways or specific acupuncture points.  This individualization of the treatments is one of the strong points of Chinese medicine. It is why people may experience broad changes within themselves after receiving acupuncture for a specific complaint. It also means that the treatments can be modified over time if they are not proving effective.

     Next, we will begin the treatment with the acupuncture needles. Let's discuss the needles since it is usually the #1 concern for newbies to acupuncture.  They are sterile and disposable, one-time use.  Since they are hair-thin and flexible, it should be painless.  You might experience some sensations such as warmth, a dull ache or a heavy feeling at the needle site which indicates the arrival of "qi.".  I will be asking for feedback and encouraging you to share any sensations that you may encounter.  Overall, most patients report feeling very relaxed and its common to fall asleep.