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What is an appointment like?

Your first appointment (1h.30min) is what we call “Traditional Diagnosis,” in which we talk about what’s going on in your life and about any specific symptoms you are experiencing, discuss your goals for treatment, and then have a brief physical exam that helps me assess your current condition.I will check your pulse and your tounge. I can also palpate your legs, arms and abdomen. It is better to wear comfortable clothes. Gathering this information will inform my treatment plan and provide a basis to assess your progress. I will also answer any questions you may have and perform your first needle treatment.

All other treatments (one hour) start with a conversation about progress since the previous appointment and any current concerns, following the needle treatment.

There is nothing wrong with me. Why should I consider acupuncture?

Throughout history, acupuncture has been used as a preventive tool as well as for treating specific disorders. You don’t have to have any major problems for acupuncture to be beneficial. Moreover, “not having anything wrong” may be different from being “healthy”. Many people have small irritating concerns for which they would not consider seeing a physician. Perhaps you are more tired than you think you should be for your age and condition. May be you would like more focus and direction, or more ability to experience joy. May be you get colds too regularly, digestive problems are beginning to limit your enjoyment of food, or you get “the blues” during particular season. May be you’re just not as satisfied with your life as you might be. Acupuncture can help. In addition, it is good to recognize that physical or emotional symptoms are often the “tip of the iceberg” and rarely show up before an imbalance has gone unrecognized for quite a while. For example, angina (chest pain) often occurs only after the blood vessels around the heart are over 75% occluded. Does it mean a person is "heathy" when the vessels are only 74% blocked? In acupuncture we help people find ways of tending themselves so they can thrive in every way -body, mind and spirit.

Does the acupuncture needle hurt? Is it safe?

The sensations that patients experience during acupuncture range from nothing at all to a brief ache or heaviness in the area being needled. Some points are more sensitive than others. Patients describe the sensations as fleeting and often deeply relaxing. Needling is absolutely safe because we use only sterile disposable needles. They are used once and then disposed of immediately.

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