First Time Patients

1. During your first visit, we will need to learn a great deal about your current situation and health history. Although a Health Questionaire will be available to you at the clinic, it is beneficial to fill out the form ahead of time. You may download the form using the link on the left hand side of this page.

2. Please bring any information about your case you may have from your doctors, including lab tests, blood work, reports of x-rays or MRI's, etc.

3. For all acupuncture visits, be sure you have eaten at least a light meal within a few hours prior to arriving. Avoid overeating immediately before treatment.

4. Wear loose fitting clothes that can be easily rolled up above your elbows and knees. Also, you will need to expose your abdomen from your rib cage to the top of your hips, so avoid one piece suits or dresses.

5. During the intake, you will be asked many questions, some related specifically to your complaint and others seemingly unrelated. Oriental Medicine requires the entire person be taken into consideration so we can determine what is causing the disease. We treat the whole person, not just the symptom.

6. During the physical examination, we will look at your tongue, feel your wrist and/or neck pulse, and check your abdomen by pressing gently between the hips and rib cage. This examination will confirm or alter our diagnosis and help us choose the best treatment option.

7. After the pattern of disharmony has been determined, you will lie on the treatment table, either on your stomach or your back, and needles will be inserted. The acupuncture points may also be stimulated with moxa, safety warmer, or a heating lamp.

8. After the needles are inserted, you will rest on the table for 10 minutes or longer. Often, you will receive a treatment first while you lie on your back, then another while you lie on your stomach.

9. The number of treatments a patient needs varies with each person. We will be better able to determine the treatment course after we evaluate the body's response to the first treatment.

10. When necessary, we will suggest "homework"to strengthen the effect of the treatment. Homework may be in the form of simple physical or breathing exercises, dietary advice, or recommendation for internal or external herbal remedies.

11. For best results, avoid strenuous activity immediately following a treatment.