PREPARING FOR YOUR INITIAL ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT
What to Expect:
Everyone has a different experience during their first acupuncture treatment but generally most patients report feeling extremely relaxed and sometimes even euphoric but also occasionally one may also experience more fatigue or soreness around the treatment points which should eventually dissipate within a few hours.
It is important to note that there are few ideal ways to prepare for your initial treatment for the ideal healing experience.
Helpful Tips:
How much time should I plan for my initial visit last?
Your initial treatment will consist of questioning or intake, diagnosis and treatment. Please schedule one and a half to two hours for your first treatment. Allowing extra time to fill out the required paperwork beforehand will help maximize your treatment time as paperwork can take anywhere between 10-20 minutes to complete. You may also choose to download and print these forms directly from the website to complete at your own convenience and bring with you.
* If you require any special assistance please inform our office beforehand so that we may make the necessary accommodations for you or your family member.
Everyone has a different experience during their first acupuncture treatment but generally most patients report feeling extremely relaxed and sometimes even euphoric but also occasionally one may also experience more fatigue or soreness around the treatment points which should eventually dissipate within a few hours.
It is important to note that there are few ideal ways to prepare for your initial treatment for the ideal healing experience.
Helpful Tips:
- One should try to avoid arriving on an empty stomach. Ideally one should have eaten a light meal or snack at least but no later than 2 hours before your treatment to minimize risk of nausea or light headedness
- Try to avoid feeling rushed particularly stressed or emotionally distraught prior to your treatment sometimes we cannot avoid these feelings but these emotions can easily disrupt our flow of qi and treatment result
- Avoid consuming heavy or greasy foods and alcohol or other intoxicants at least 24 hours before or after your treatment. It is also best to drink plenty of fresh, room temperature water after treatment to minimize fatigue and flush out impurities.
- Pay close attention to any cold drafts after receiving gua sha and/or cupping therapy as these treatment modalities open both the channels and pores and leave us more susceptible to Cold Wind invasion which will result in a severity of symptoms
- Please refrain from vigorous exercise at least 2 hours before and after treatment
- Sometimes it’s ideal to book an initial treatment after work or on a day off in order fully relax afterwards and reflect on the experience
- Please notify your practitioner if you have any allergies or sensitivities to latex or essential oils, if are pregnant, taking blood thinners, wear a pacemaker, or have a history of fainting around needles; or have any other specific medical precautions.
How much time should I plan for my initial visit last?
Your initial treatment will consist of questioning or intake, diagnosis and treatment. Please schedule one and a half to two hours for your first treatment. Allowing extra time to fill out the required paperwork beforehand will help maximize your treatment time as paperwork can take anywhere between 10-20 minutes to complete. You may also choose to download and print these forms directly from the website to complete at your own convenience and bring with you.
* If you require any special assistance please inform our office beforehand so that we may make the necessary accommodations for you or your family member.
About Acupuncture - Questions + Answers
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What Does Acupuncture Treat?
Acupuncture can be beneficial for anyone! It can be used as preventative or complementary medicine in patients of all ages! Not only is acupuncture used to help the body heal itself in times of illness, but it may also help strengthen the body’s immune system by maintaining the body’s natural balance. In a 2003 report, the World Health Organization (WHO) published an official report listing over 31 symptoms, conditions and diseases that have been shown in controlled trials to be treated effectively by Acupuncture. The following is the list of conditions shown through 200+ controlled trials to be treated effectively by Acupuncture:
Root + Branch
Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that the patient is like a tree; the disease symptoms are the branches, but the root cause is even deeper, hidden in the soil. A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine uses the terminology ‘root and tip’ as the primary and secondary aspects of disease. The root is the primary condition and the tip or branch is the resulting secondary condition which presents as clinically observable changes in the body. The concept of “root and branch” is very symbolic in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine since we always treat the whole individual and no two treatments are alike as every patient is unique and has individual variations. As energy continuously changes as with the seasons, time of day, health and illness, so does the “Qi” along the meridians. In Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, the practitioner is always gathering feedback from the patient before, during and after treatment by monitoring their tongue, pulse and/or abdomen. This allows us to create a dynamic engagement with the “Qi” and to help us determine which points along affected meridians are best for treatment at that time. By treating the whole individual, we are addressing not just the branches or symptoms; but also the root cause of the particular imbalances or disease which has been creating the problem to begin with. The significance of meridian therapy as treated with acupuncture and non-needle techniques is to bring the body back into homeostatic balance and allow for the most profound healing changes to take place with longer lasting results. One of the reasons why acupuncture can also be regarded as an extremely effective and complementary medicine to other treatment modalities is that these interventions such as chiropractic, massage, osteopathic, physical therapy, clinical counseling etc. usually focus on treating the “branch” while acupuncture will treat the root. When such treatment styles are combined patients often experience the best therapeutic results. How long will my treatment last?
Once the needles have been inserted a patient will typically start feeling very relaxed and their eyes will feel heavy indicating that your body is already shifting into a “rest and restore state” of complete relaxation and deep meditative state. Typically, the practitioner will leave you to rest quietly for anywhere between 15-30 minutes. This usually depends on the patient’s age, constitution, pattern and diagnosis. If a patient is young, weak or elderly, the needles may be left in for a shorter period of time. Whereas a patient with a strong constitution may have the needles left in for a longer period of time. We also provide a patient call button so one can rest assured that there is always a way to reach us if necessary. After the initial acupuncture points are removed, your practitioner may further treat or assess any remaining treatment areas including the ears, abdomen, back, neck and shoulders and/or add moxibustion, cupping or gua sha therapies when appropriate and depending on the individual treatment plan. |
How Does Acupuncture Work?
Acupuncture is a branch of Chinese Medicine which is over 3,000 years old which works by stimulating the body’s “Qi” (pronounced “chee”) or vital energy. In Traditional Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, “Qi” refers to the vital force which runs through our bodies along certain pathways, or meridians. By activating the body’s natural healing abilities, it helps prevent or fight imbalance. Illnesses are thought to arise out of blockage or disharmony in the flow of the “Qi” and Yin and Yang energies of the body. Many times, this energy becomes stuck or stagnant due to various factors such as injury, disease, stress, diet, lifestyle, etc. and this can create a blockage of “Qi” or energy flow along meridian pathways. When this stagnation occurs, vital organs and cells are without nourishment. In addition, one’s “Qi” can be deficient or excess, again creating a situation or environment where organs and cells are not being properly nourished. This too can result in disease, pain and unbalanced functioning. Acupuncture uses tiny, hair thin needles that are inserted into the skin to stimulate and release energetic blockages, or to stimulate deficient Qi and/or disperse excess Qi. Acupuncture needles are used to stimulate the flow of Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang at specific points in order to restore balance and strengthening the natural healing process. The selection of indicated points during treatment will depend on the patient’s diagnosis or symptoms. It is thought that the needle itself acts like a lightning bolt that taps into the body’s bioelectrical energy. This sends a message from the acupuncture point to the brain via the meridian pathway thus releasing natural endorphins and other neurotransmitters and stimulating “Qi”. How Often do I need to have acupuncture?
This will depend on the individual and their diagnosis or pattern as determined by the Doctor which is made after assessing the patient’s needs and completing a thorough in-depth intake during the initial consultation. The recommended length of acupuncture therapy will vary on the severity, length and associated symptoms pertaining to what is being treated. Most patients benefit from more frequent treatments in the beginning before gradually reducing to not needing treatment or continuing with the typical maintenance treatments for overall well-being and good health especially around seasonal changes and or life events. Do the Needles hurt?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions and perceived notions because of the general fear that many patients may have concerning needles. Acupuncture needles are surprisingly very thin- almost like a human hair compared to average hypodermic needles that are much thicker. Did you know that about forty pediatric acupuncture needles could fit inside one hypodermic needle? That’s just how small they really are! The acupuncture needle is sterile, disposable, one-use and consists of a small plastic or metal handle and a solid stainless- steel body. The needles are only inserted a few millimeters into the skin or muscle depending on the location of the selected points and the area being treated on the head, abdomen, back, hips, arms or legs. We always try to make the needle insertion as painless as possible but if you are feeling particularly nervous about the needles or concerning possible discomfort please communicate this with your practitioner as it is perfectly normal and so that we may take the time to orient you and or even provide a quick needle demo beforehand which usually eases any apprehensions. Of course we can also offer a non-needle treatment as another option. Every individual feels something different. During your treatment typical subjective needle sensations around certain points after insertion may occur including a feeling of numbness, tingling, heaviness, achiness or cramping, itching or even a sensation of warmth or vibration radiating from around a particular needle insertion site or in some cases along the meridian or channel being treated. This feeling usually subsides within a few seconds to minutes but it important to share anything that you may be experiencing with your practitioner if anything feels painful or particularly uncomfortable during your session. What if I’ve had dry needling? What is Dry Needling?
Some patients receiving acupuncture treatment have completed or are also concurrently undergoing Physical Therapy where dry needling or even cupping may be part of their existing treatment plan with their therapist. This does not usually interfere with the acupuncture treatments but some exceptions may include avoiding a repeat modality around an affected area being treated by your PT unless cleared beforehand. It is best to schedule your physical therapy or chiropractic appointments on separate days than acupuncture to allow the body to adjust between sessions and prevent any adverse reactions such as overtreatment. Dry Needling can be currently practiced by trained physical therapists in Rhode Island although it has been opposed in other states such as Massachusetts. It is usually implemented in the session and used to treat areas of muscle tension or frequent spasm resulting in chronic pain and alignment issues. Physical therapists usually use a larger gauge needle in order to illicit a muscle fasciculation or “twitch” in the affected muscles which is usually a motor or trigger point. The therapist will also manipulate the needle with a varying amplitude and depth in order to achieve maximum results and pain relief in the muscle fibers. In acupuncture, particularly using a Chinese style of treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain or even with orthopedic acupuncture and sports medicine, similar needle techniques will be implemented depending on the case since eliciting a muscle twitch or a “de qi” sensation around the needle site- which usually feels like a deep ache or heaviness to the patient - can yield the best results for lasting pain relief in some individuals. Please consider that your Doctor of Acupuncture has also studied and practiced varying needle techniques through intensive graduate and post graduate training over several years in order to excel at this art whereas most physical therapists have completed their dry needling training in a much smaller time frame. If dry needling is recommended by your physical therapist, it is best to find someone that has a lot of experience in this technique. |
