Curious?
Does acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture uses extremely thin needles (as thin as a strand of hair) and some patients may occasionally feel a tiny prick while others may not feel the sensation of needle entry at any point. Some people are more sensitive than others and I adjust the pressure and needle size as needed. Acupuncture points have different sensations when stimulated (warming, achey, throbbing, heavy, etc.) which patients feel at varying intensities. If any particular point ever feels uncomfortable, I can make an adjustment or completely remove the needle.
Trigger point needling, or dry needling as some call it, causes tense muscles or fascial bands to relax and/or vesiculate (jump or twitch) until they are relaxed. For some patients this interesting sensation feels purely pain relieving and pleasurable, while for others it can feel more intense and less pleasurable though still pain relieving. Regardless of receiving regular acupuncture and/or trigger point therapy, I go at the individual pace of the patient.
What should I expect?
You will have my undivided attention in your session as I do not treat more than one patient at a time. When it is your appointment you can rest assured that it is our time together and you will have me until it is time for your treatment to end and for the next patient's to begin. Overall expect solid communication and for treatment that is fully customized to your needs, history and comfort.
Bring loose fitting and comfortable clothing such a roomy wide legs pants that easily roll up, loose shorts and a tank top or come as you are and utilize drapes which I will provide. Your comfort is very important to me.
In your initial session, plan to be in the office for 90 minutes. Before coming to the office you will have completely filled out your intake forms about your health complaint(s) and medical history which we will then review together at the beginning of your appointment. During this time, I will ask you a variety of additional questions to get a thorough picture of your wellbeing. We will spend more time in the consultation discussing your chief concern that has brought you in as well as other aspects of your health that may seem unrelated but can be of vital importance to not only treating your main concern but helping you reach your optimal level of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. This is a very thorough in-take which most often find to be longer and more detailed than a traditional western medical appointment.
You will absolutely be treated during the initial session but will have less time with the needles in and typically a lower needle count so we can assess how your body generally reacts to acupuncture. Think of the initial session as our time together to lay a solid foundation for not just your first treatment but for all your follow up sessions. We also allot more time so we can address any questions, comments or concerns you may have so you feel completely comfortable before you even lie on the table. For those whom are not new to acupuncture you may have more time on the table if you have less questions but regardless of a patient's questions or concerns, I ensure that every patient receives treatment in the first appointment as well as rest time alone with soothing music (unless you prefer silence) so you may rest, take a nap, practice breathing exercises or meditate. I will examine your tongue (please avoid using a tongue scrapper the day of your appointment so I can observe your true tongue coat) and pulse as part of every in-take aside from interviewing and physically examining and palpating. After your initial treatment, I will follow up with you to see how you are feeling the day after.
In your follow up sessions you can plan to be in the office for 60 minutes unless you have booked an extended follow up session, in which case plan to be here for 90 minutes. Follow up sessions have a thorough in-take just like the initial session, but less time is needed as the interview is more based on how you felt after your last treatment and if anything new has come up for me to know and/or for us to work on. You will have more time on the table for treatment with acupuncture and if needed, other techniques like cupping, gua sha, trigger point/dry needling, etc.
Regardless if your treatment is an initial or follow up session, I always like to know what you have planned for the rest of your day and the following week so I can customize your treatment even further. If you are headed back to the office for instance, I want to ensure you leave the session feeling blissful but energized to tackle the rest of your day. If you are headed home for a relaxing day of rest and/or self care I would like you to leave feeling focused but more tranquil. For those coming in for a later session, ready to unwind, or those focusing on treating restlessness or insomnia, for instance, I can focus on having your head home in an even calmer state if not feeling happily sleepy.
How many sessions do I need?
Acupuncture is accumulated and every person is unique in how their body reacts to treatments. Each person's treatment duration depends upon their individual needs with chronic conditions typically needing more sessions and time for treatment while acute conditions requiring less sessions and time. In our initial session, we will discuss this in more depth and further refine your personal treatment needs in the follow up session(s). I do my best in the initial appointment to provide an estimated number of treatments you will need to start seeing improvement. In the beginning, once a week treatments are typically recommended with treatments being further space apart as you heal until eventually you only need treatments once a season or even once a year!
I left my treatment and I forgot to ask a question. What is the best way to get in touch?
Communication is very important to me and I want you to leave every session feeling heard and having a solid understanding of what was addressed in your treatment as well as what lies ahead. If you forgot to bring anything up or the time came to a close before we were able to address all your questions, please call me at (856) 313-8412 and leave a brief message with your contact information and your question or send an email to [email protected]. I will return your call or email within 24 hours.