Your First Treatment & What to Expect
You probably have some questions if you’ve not had acupuncture before. Here’s an idea of what to expect when you book a treatment with me.
1) It’s like a doctor’s appointment but not
Assuming you’ve filled out the intake forms already (online) I will have a good overview of your health history and what your chief complaint is. When you arrive, I’ll take you to my treatment room that looks like a massage therapist room to go over other questions I may have and to clarify what I’ve read in your intake form. The first visit is also a good time for us to get to know each other, if you have any questions for me, please ask! I’m aware that at times, a practitioner and a client sometimes aren’t a good fit. Our first session is an important one for you to see and feel if I’m a good fit for your overall health goals and to be comfortable with me.
2) Interview process – lots of questions
This is where I put on my detective hat so to speak. While it may seem that some of the questions I’ll be asking has nothing to do with the neck pain for example, you are coming in for, it’s what makes Chinese medicine such a powerful and effective medicine. Questions about your lifestyle (ie. sleep, work habits, eating habits, urination, bowel movements, etc. ) are important for me to know as I’m looking for a pattern (or root cause in TCM terms) that may be contributing to why you experiencing this neck pain and perhaps, why it’s not responding to other treatments you may sought for it. That’s the beauty as well about this medicine, if four people showed up at my office with neck pain for example, I would treat them all quite differently depending on the pattern their body is presenting, as I mentioned the we call it the root cause.
3) Checking the Pulse, Tongue & Palpating
I’ve been trained in pulse taking which is not at all the same as when a western doctor takes your pulse. I’m feeling for the quality of your pulse that will further provide me with clues with what’s going on inside your body. Also, I may look at your tongue for even more clues (see, I’m really a body detective!) Sometimes, if you are comfortable, I may do some palpating (which means feeling around your abdomen, limbs, back or anywhere else they feel might need to be checked). Again, I’m looking for sensitive points or other qualities like temperature and so on.
4) Time for needles – nothing to be scared of
This is one of the first questions I get asked…will it hurt? The needles I use are incredibly thin, thinner than one strand of horse hair. You might feel a slight prick or poking sensation as the needles are inserted (nothing like getting a needle at a doctor’s) and sometimes once the needles are in other sensations can show up like a soreness, a deep ache, or itchiness – all very normal (I can explain more in depth why this may occur during our session). Typically, the first treatment with me, I do both the front of the body and the back of your body which is why my treatments can be a bit longer. I’ll leave you to rest with the needles in - it may not sound relaxing but surprisingly most of my clients fall asleep during their sessions or find themselves in a deep meditative space – this is the best space for healing to occur!
5) What you can do to get the most out of your treatment
If at any time during your treatment, you don’t feel comfortable (maybe the bolster needs to be adjusted under your knees) or something doesn’t feel quite right - please make sure you let me know. This treatment is about you so I want to ensure you are as comfortable as you can be so you can drift off into the healing zone.
Sometimes also depending on where you are at that day – let’s say you had too much caffeine, or didn’t sleep well the night before, or for women if you are having a menstrual cycle, you may feel more sensitive that day (make sure you let me know if I forget to ask) I always recommend to eat a little before the appointment (at least 2- 4 hours before) – don’t come in on a completely empty stomach, especially if you have a morning appointment.
Lastly, you may or may not feel some strong or strange emotional sensations. An acupuncture session can be very vulnerable - you have just told this person you don’t know (me) some intimate details of your life (not everyone is comfortable taking about poop!) and then I put needles in you to do something. Sometimes the body needs to release energy so it’s completely normal to feel like you want to cry or laugh or feel anxious, and perfectly normal if you feel nothing at all! But again, if something feels not quite right, please let me know.
6) Length of treatment
You will lay on the table for anywhere from 20-60 minutes, depending on your condition and how what I think will be a good treatment for you. It all just depends.
7) What to expect afterwards
After removing all the needles, I recommend you rest on the massage table for a few moments (no rushing!) to help support the treatment. Typically, there is no sensation when removing the needles and while it doesn’t happen often, there can be a little bleeding or bruising but it will go away and there is nothing to worry about if there is.
While I recognize not everyone can go home and rest after a treatment (which is awesome if you can do this), I recommend not to “overly stimulate” your body afterwards nothing overly extreme – no caffeine or other stimulants, refrain from exercising (walking is okay), try to avoid stressful situations, and no watching horror movies! Why…your body has received a treatment to harmonize or balance it – you want to do things that support this (rest, stay warm and cozy, go to bed early). This helps your body “hold” the treatment. And, it helps me next time I see you how you respond to acupuncture so the next 24 hours after a treatment is where I ask you to pay attention to how you are feeling, did your pain go away or is reduce, how was your sleep, poop - just be aware of any changes that you may experience. Sometimes, my clients can experience what I call “acu-stone” right after, you might just feel a little sleepy or spacey, and that’s pretty normal.
8) Follow-up
During our initial conversation, I’ll go over what I think a good treatment plan is for you based on what your end-goal is (maybe better sleep or less pain). The most often used phrase in my acupuncture school was “it depends’ so I use this here….how long will it take to meet your end-goal? It depends. With chronic conditions, progress can be slower, but that means it will be longer lasting. Every condition is different, but I usually recommend 5-10 visits as a good starting point to see if you and I are a good fit and if you are seeing and feeling benefits from your treatments.
I hope this answered any questions you had about acupuncture and remember to ask more when I see you!