What to Expect on Your First Visit

A Consultation involves a detailed account of your life to date including, your present ailment, its nature and duration, past medical history, your diet, lifestyle and emotional state, as all of these factors will influence your treatment. From this information, your acupuncturist will formulate a treatment protocol for you, detailing amount and frequency of treatments. Acute conditions can usually be treated effectively quite quickly, while chronic ailments usually require more intensive treatment over a longer period of time. Chinese Herbs are sometimes used as an adjunct to acupuncture. These will be very specific for your condition.

Do the needles hurt?

The needles used are very fine, sterile and disposable. The procedure is nothing like an injection or having blood taken, but there will be a “sensation” when the needles are inserted. This depends on the area of insertion quite often, but usually the sensation varies from a feeling of “heaviness” to “tingling” to “movement”, and many people have varying experiences. Usually though, once the needles have been inserted, there is just a sensation of relaxation and well-being.

After a session…what then?

Usually you will feel quite relaxed following a treatment and sometimes quite tired for the rest of the day. This is normal. Occasionally, and for SOME people only, conditions or symptoms may appear to get worse for a day or so. This is usually a good sign, and symptoms following this begin to respond much more quickly.

Following your session of acupuncture your acupuncturist will advise you about diet, exercise or any other lifestyle changes which may need to be made.