Practicing Compassionate Medicine
What Happens in a Typical Visit?
Much like the first visit to a Western doctor, the visit starts with medical history forms. It is important to answer all questions accurately to assist the medical staff in evaluating your condition.
Allow at least an hour for the first visit. The actual treatment will last around 30 to 40 minutes and it may take several visits to make progress, depending on the seriousness of the condition and the length of time it has been causing you discomfort.
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Let's Discuss Acupuncture
If you are a bit nervous about trying out an Acupuncture session, don't worry...you are not alone. Since Western medicine uses needles in a different (and sometimes painful) way, it is natural for us imagine the pain of becoming a human pin-cushion.
In Western medicine, needles are used to inject medicine or to withdraw fluids from the body. The needles are hollow and the tip is beveled and sharpened so that it can cut the skin upon entry. In comparison to Acupuncture needles, Western needles are huge because the diameter of the needle needs to be large enough to transfer the thick fluids of the body.
Acupuncture needles are very thin and solid. They are not designed to cut the skin, but to displace the skin and stimulate areas beneath the skin. The needles are sterile and are disposable single-use only.
The needles are usually inserted by placing them in a "tube-like" holder to keep them from bending upon insertion, then the examiner will "tap" the top of the holder to insert the thin needle to the desired depth. The holder is then removed, leaving the actual needle in place. The needles are left in place for a presribed period of time (up to 30 minutes) before removal. Depending on the treatment plan, from one to several dozen needles could be inserted in various points.
While Western patients are mostly concerned about the needles, the real treatment begins with the diagnosis.
Diagnosis
Acupuncture is part of "Traditional Chinese Medicine", which is typically a more holistic approach than Western medicine, so questions which may seem unrelated to your reason for making the visit are often important to the diagnosis (questions about sleep habits, ability to tolerate heat and cold, current diet, etc.) After reviewing your records, the acupuncturist will visit and begin the diagnosis.
A session usually begins with letting you describe your condition verbally. Then, depending on your condition, we may do a rather extensive tongue examination and an unusual pulse examination. The Chinese pulse examination is a major diagnosis technique for traditional Chinese medicine. It is a method of establishing the condition of the "meridians" or pathways of "qi" (energy) within your body.
Then, using all of the information gathered from the diagnosis, the examiner will determine the "cause" of the symptoms that you have described (the reason for your visit). Needles will then be inserted into very specific acu-points that will help bring the body back into "homeostatis" or balance, thus removing the source of the symptoms.
Origin of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a very ancient form of healing that predates recorded history. Legend has it that acupuncture developed when early Chinese physicians observed unpredicted effects of puncture wounds in Chinese warriors. The oldest known text on acupuncture, the Systematic Classic of Acupuncture, dates back to 282 a.d. Many stone needles and needles made from bamboo and bone have been excavated from ruins in China.
Theory
The tradition of acupuncture theory believes that energy flows within the human body and this energy can be channelized to create balance and health. This energy flow is called qi. This qi moves throughout the body along 12 main channels known as meridians. These meridians represent the major organs and functions of the body. When illness leads to an unbalanced, obstructed and irregular flow of qi, acupuncture can help.
Acupuncture aims to correct imbalances of the qi and restore health through stimulation. The dry needles are inserted through the skin at specific locations called acupuncture points (acu-points) along the meridians of the body. There are hundreds of different acupuncture points which are specific for different diseases and disorders.
Definition of acupuncture
Acupuncture literally means to puncture with a needle.
Safety
Acupuncture needles are always sterilized and acupuncture is a very safe procedure when performed by an experienced practitioner. The depth of insertion of needles varies, depending on which qi channels are being treated. Some points barely go beyond superficial layers of skin, while some acupuncture points require a depth of 1-3 in of needle. The needles generally do not cause pain. Patients sometimes report pinching sensations and often pleasant sensations, as the body experiences healing.
Depending on the problem, the acupuncturist might spin or move the needles, or even pass a slight electrical current through some of them. Moxibustion maybe used, a process in which an herbal mixture (moxa or mugwort ) is either burned like incense on the acupuncture point or on the end of the needle, which is believed to stimulate qi in a particular way. Also, acupuncturists sometimes use cupping, during which small suction cups are placed on meridian points to stimulate them.
Know your Acupuncturist - PDF