Many health care professionals recommend acupuncture to help relieve pain or improve function of your body. Acupuncture is used to treat a variety of medical conditions including, but not limited to arthritis, diabetes, headaches, asthma and more serious injuries. It is important that you feel comfortable with your decision to have acupuncture done, and to feel more confident in your decision here is what you should expect when being treated with acupuncture:
Just like when visiting any health care professional, your acupuncture practitioner will ask you a series of questions to gain an understanding of your lifestyle, health and the reason for your visit. Some questions that they might ask include how active you are, what your diet is like, any medical history or medical issues they should be aware of, what your symptoms are and when they started. Although some of the questions asked may seem that they don’t correlate to the issue at hand, they do. Be sure that you’re fully honest with your acupuncturist so they can know how to treat the issue. After your consultation your acupuncture practitioner will come up with a treatment plan that is suited to your specific needs.
If you’re a little uneasy of the idea of having needles inserted into your body, do some research on the history of acupuncture, you’re sure to come across exactly how long acupuncture has been a treatment for many ailments and some other interesting facts. Your acupuncturist most likely told you how to prepare before your treatment but there are some things you should keep in mind.
Dress Accordingly: Wear clothes you feel comfortable in, but that can also be removed or folded up easily to allow the access for the acupuncturist.
Be Early: Allow yourself some extra time to get to your appointment early so you can feel more comfortable.
On your first visit your acupuncturist will try to make you feel comfortable and relaxed to make the treatment process less intimidating. Once you are relaxed, your acupuncturist will walk you through the process and explain what is happening. They will start by inserting, one time use, sterilized needles in the areas needed, you should not feel any pain or much discomfort as the needles are extremely thin. After the needles have been inserted the acupuncturist may have to adjust them slightly, this is needle manipulation. The needles will stay in place for however long your acupuncturist recommends, allowing them to serve their purpose. When they remove the needles you usually do not feel anything.
Everyone reacts to acupuncture differently, most people tend to feel lighter, relaxed and energized.
