Please plan 90 minutes for your initial appointment. I believe that having a health care practitioner who spends time with you improves the quality of your health care by viewing symptoms not as isolated problems but as indications of your overall picture of health. Spending time with you allows me to answer any questions you may have.
Prior to arrival
Please dress in loose and comfortable clothing. Please refrain from brushing or scraping your tongue as looking at your tongue is part of an important diagnostic technique in Chinese medicine. It is best to have eaten prior to treatment, but to not be overly full.
Before receiving your first acupuncture treatment, you will need to fill out forms to authorize treatment and provide preliminary information.
For your convenience and information, please click here to print the New Patient Health History Form and Financial Policies Form and Consent to Treatment Form and view our Notice of Privacy Policies. Please complete the Health History Form, Consent to Treatment Form, and the Financial Policies Form and bring them with you to your first visit.
Upon arrival
At your first appointment, I will go over your intake forms and ask about your health history and your current health. If you are under the supervision of other physicians, I will likely ask you questions about this. Typically, you will also be asked questions about your sleeping patterns, digestive function, areas of discomfort, emotional quality and basic level of stress.
During treatment
Your treatment will involve the gentle insertion of hair-thin needles to balance your body’s vital energy (qi). Most people do not find acupuncture painful or sharp; instead, the sensation is more akin to a light, dull ache. You will then be left to relax with soothing music, retaining the needles in your body for 20-30 minutes--many people fall asleep during this portion. I may come back to re-stimulate the needles and to encourage your body’s qi to help in your healing process.
After treatment
People generally experience a very relaxed sensation. Side effects may also include minor light-headedness, bruising, euphoria, sleepiness, or residual muscle aches. Any of these side effects should only last for a short time. Staying hydrated after your treatment will help to minimize any side effects. Please feel free to contact me by email or telephone (707) 235-0280 if you have questions during this time.
On rare occasions, one's original symptoms may very briefly get worse, or "flare-up", after a treatment before they improve. It typically lasts for only a few hours. After a flare-up, your symptoms should begin to improve. In some conditions, the body must fully expel a pathogen in order for healing to occur. For example, if you have a cold, acupuncture may not fully get rid of the cold, but it can help accelerate the cold cycle so your body recovers faster. If you are fatigued and beginning to get a cold, acupuncture can help your body fight it off. In cases of chronic pain, your original pain may improve and then unmask less obvious pain in the surrounding areas.
Patient forms
New Patient Health History Form
145 Pleasant Hill Ave N, Ste 104, Sebastopol, CA 95472