YOUR FIRST VISIT
Before we begin treatment I’ll spend 90 minutes to 2 hours with you to talk about your current health, medical history, lifestyle, your passions, your likes, dislikes—in fact anything you feel comfortable talking about.
My goal is to get to know you. I’ll also do a short physical examination; I'll check range of motion, areas of pain, blood pressure, etc. In addition I'll check things that are unique to Chinese Medicine. For example, I’ll look at your tongue and complexion and take your pulses.
You’ll also receive your first acupuncture treatment.
HOW I WORK
Acupuncture treatment and methods
My relationship with my patients is a partnership, and I look forward to your active participation.
Before we begin treatment
I’ll spend 90 minutes to 2 hours with you on your first visit. During this time we’ll talk about your current health, your medical history, your lifestyle, your passions, your likes, dislikes—in fact anything you feel comfortable talking about. My goal is to get to know you. I’ll also do a short physical examination; I'll check range of motion, areas of pain, blood pressure, etc. In addition I'll check things that are unique to Chinese Medicine. For example, I’ll look at your tongue and complexion and take your pulses.
During your first visit you’ll also receive your first acupuncture treatment.
Treatments
Acupuncture is a very safe procedure; I use sterile disposable needles in my practice.
I initially insert needles in a couple of acupuncture points. Generally the needles only stay in for a few seconds. After each set of needles are inserted and removed, I’ll stay with you and take your pulses. Your pulses tell me how to proceed with your treatment - then I’ll add a few more needles. In general the treatments take 30 minutes to 1 hour, and I focus on 8 to 12 acupuncture points.
On some acupuncture points I may apply moxibustion first—small cones of an herbal mixture of mugwort are placed on the acupuncture point and lit—to warm, tonify, and bring energy (Qi) to the point.
After a few treatments, I may use oriental medicine such as Chinese herbs to complement the acupuncture.
I generally start a new patient with one treatment a week until I know the treatments are lasting; your pulse will tell me if your treatment has lasted the whole week. When this is the case, we can schedule less frequent treatments.
The number of treatments required varies with each patient, depending on the duration, severity and nature of the patient’s complaint.
What you can expect
You may or may not notice results after the first treatment. As your treatments progress, however, in addition to improvements in your symptoms, you may notice other unexpected benefits: better sleep, more vitality, feeling calmer, more relaxed, better digestion, etc.