Our treatments are tailored to you during a process that gives us the opportunity to listen to you.  Your first session will probably take around one hour and a half as we get to know you and your history related to the condition for which you seek our help.  During that initial session, we typically will gather pertinent data to develop a treatment plan, deliver on that plan with acupuncture and other therapeutic approaches are appropriate for you.  We conclude our first appointment with a discussion of your anticipated treatment progression, an “assignment” of self-care “homework” (if appropriate), and advice on what to monitor for indications of effects from the treatment. 

During follow-up treatments, which typically take about an hour, we will review your observations since the last treatment, review your “homework”, analyze what did and did not work in the previous visit, revise the treatment strategy and deliver a new, improved treatment to you.  Follow-up sessions are concluded similarly to the initial visit.

You should expect to have more than one treatment to see improvement in your condition.  Many health problems are a result of cumulative stresses on your body and do not arise overnight.  Do not expect a condition that has been developing for a period of time to resolve immediately although on occasion it does. Some problems may significantly improve after a few treatments; some may require ten or more treatments before significant benefits accrue.  However, you should expect to see an improvement in your overall well-being as your main condition improves.   

Here are a few specific suggestions to make your experience even more comfortable:

• Wear or bring loose fitting clothing.  Many of the points we use are on the arms and legs.  Patients tend to be more comfortable relaxing in their own clothes rather than a hospital gown.
• Make sure you’ve eaten within the last few hours prior to your appointment.  Your body must be “strong enough” to receive the message being sent to it during treatment.  Eating ensures that you’ll feel strong throughout. 
• Some people find that scheduling a little bit of “down time” immediately after treatment allows them to prolong the relaxed feeling from the treatment.
• If this is your first treatment, remember to bring your completed forms for new patients.