Before Your Appointment

Prepare for your first visit

We kindly suggest you prepare the following on your first appointment:

  • Bring a list of current medications you are taking, including any prescriptions, herbal supplements, etc.
  • Also bring any lab or medical reports relevant to your condition.

To enhance the value of therapy the following are also important:

  • Wear loose, comfortable clothing as acupuncture points are located all over the body, and mostly the unique sliding fire-cupping therapy will be applied on your whole back at our clinic.
  • Do not rush to your appointment – better to be a few minutes ealier that you may have a rest, and visit washroom.
  • Avoid intense physical activity before and after your scheduled treatment so that after treatment you can get some rest and thus allow your body to gain the maximum benefit.
  • Avoid heavy or large meals prior to and immediately after treatment.
  • If you bathe or shower after treatment, use comfortably warm water; avoid hot or cold. In certain cases, shower is not recommended on the same day after treatment.

The Initial Assessment

Your first visit starts with an in-depth assessment of your condition and an initial treatment. During the assessment, you may be asked about things that you might not think are connected to your chief complaint, such as your emotions, sleeping and eating habits. Chinese medicine considers the holistic pattern, not just one isolated symptom. Although treatment will focus on your main complaint, your whole being must be considered in order to get the best effects.

During Treatment

Acupuncture treatments involve placing hair-thin needles of varying lengths into certain areas of the body. The number of fine needles – as few as three, as many as 20 – and the length of time they are kept in place depends on the ailment being treated. During the treatment, the needles may be manipulated few times in order to intensify the healing effects.

Some patients may feel a tiny prick when the needle is inserted, and others feel a tickle. Most patients say they experience  electrical-like currencies or feel numbness, soreness or heaviness at certain area during treatment, which is good – it is called Acupucnture Sensation, it means your body responds acupucnture very well. Along the meridians, the sensation might run all over the body,  and even induces some sounds from you stomach.  In some cases, the sensation might remain few hours, or even longer, actually the longer and stronger, the better effect is.

Less well know, but equally important is that acupuncture helps the body to relax. It has effect to calm the mind and the physiology of the body. Many patients will end up napping during their session, yet energized after the treatment

After Treatment

Your relief may be immediate, within few hours, or even develop after one to three days. In many cases and conditions, one session is enough. Individual response to treatment varies.

On rare occasions, original symptoms may briefly get worse, or “iritated” after a treatment. This will generally disappear 12-24 hrs.