Acupuncture - What to Expect?

 

 

There are many different phases of assessment when you go for your first visit.  We assess your appearance, we check you tongue and pulse - which is very important in letting us know the general state of your health - and we ask questions.  We may ask questions that seem unconnected or irrelevant to your particular illness, but Chinese medicine considers the whole person.  Therefore, we may ask about your emotions, sleep patterns, or eating habits etc.

 

Although treatment will focus on your main complaint, your whole being must be considered in order to develop the most appropriate course of treatment for you. It is important that you have not had a full meal within an hour or so before your treatment, but do not go completely hungry either.  

 

Needling is very gentle, and the pain ranges form that of a small mosquito bite (which quickly goes away) to feeling no pain at all. Although people experience different levels of sensitivity, we work with you to make sure your experience is a very comfortable one. Needles usually stay in for approximately 20 - 30 minutes, while we play soothing music and offer aromatherapy to help you relax.  Many patients tend to fall to sleep.

 

Your relief may be immediate or delayed for a few hours, or it may even take place in the next 1-3 days.  Each person is different, so of course you may react differently than another individual to treatment.  The length of the relief also depends on the person. It could last hours, days, weeks, or months.  However, if you continue a regular treatment regimen, over time, symptoms and disease will dissipate.