Initial Visit

What happens?

You will be listened to carefully and treated with respect and courtesy. Most acupuncture clients find the experience of the consultation and the needling therapy relaxing and rejuvenating. Symptoms are often relieved quickly and your requested music, books on tape, guided meditations or restful silence enhances the pleasant and uplifting experience.

Your first visit begins with an in-depth assessment of your condition and your initial treatment. At your request, the treatment may include a combination of gentle needling therapy, manipulation, massage, and therapeutic electromagnetic heat.

During the assessment, we may ask you about aspects of your life that you might not initially associate with your chief complaint, such as thoughts and emotions, sleep patterns, and eating habits. In determining how to be most useful to you, Chinese medicine considers the whole person, not just isolated symptoms. When we put together the range of symptoms and signs you are experiencing into a coherent whole, “patterns of disharmony” are revealed. Although treatment will focus primarily on your chief complaint, the whole of your personality and physicality must be considered to develop the most appropriate course of treatment. Chinese medicine is unique in that it recognizes that health conditions may be identical, but the individuals suffering from them are unique. Therefore, treatment has to be tailored to you specifically.