Treatment

What should I expect at my first treatment?

All treatment begins with a proper diagnosis which is based on:

  • an in depth interview covering: chief complaint, review of all organ systems, complete health history
  • the quality of your pulse
  • condition of your tongue

We spend a lot of time getting a complete picture of your health and lifestyle. We examine the condition of your tongue (is it cracked, coated, excessively pink? etc.), and from these observations we are able to determine which area of your body needs attention, as shown by the chart below.

We’ll also check your pulse on both wrists, the quality of your pulse also gives information about possible imbalances in certain organ systems.

We’ll also ask questions about your emotional state, and specific symptoms you may have during our initial interview. This is done because unlike Western medicine, we treat the whole person. Instead of merely focusing on the symptoms of your condition, we treat the underlying cause of those symptoms.

Also, we will have an in depth conversation about your expectations and our goals for the outcome of the treatment.  At this point, we will discuss any lifestyle factors that you yourself can undertake in order to maximize the benefit of the treatments.  This is done for two reasons:

  • We believe that it is important for patients to know that they CAN and DO have an effect on their own health, every day.
  • We also believe that our medicine is amazing, but we want you to use it to help you along your path to health, not become a crutch.

The first visit (with diagnosis) can last from an hour to an hour and a half, and end with an acupuncture treatment lasting another 25-45 minutes. Your subsequent visits will be much faster - usually an hour long. During these subsequent visits we will review your progress, assure that we are in line with our goals set in the first session and either provide an acupuncture treatment, prescribe herbs, perform a taoist abdominal massage, perform moxa or any combination of the above.

How often should I expect to be treated?

Typically treatments are given once a week. If the condition is acute and painful, treatments may be given 2-3 times per week until the effects are noticed. The exact duration of treatment depends on the gravity and duration of the condition, your basic level of health, and how well you respond to acupuncture.