Rebalance Yourself
410-961-9033
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Questions, Answered
How should I prepare for my first treatment?
On the day of your first treatment, come rested, wear comfortable clothing, and if possible do not wear make-up. Absolutely do not wear any fragrances. Eat a light meal before your appointment as some-times your blood sugar can drop from treatment. Bring the enclosed forms, filled out with you. If you have any questions, please write them down so you don't forget them.
What will my first session be like?
There will be a consultation where the acupuncturist will go over your health history form with you for clarification. There will be more questions about you, your family history, your childhood from a physical and emotional perspective, a discussion of your daily habits. After your consultation, you will be given a physical exam to help the acupuncturist find any areas that coincide with your symptoms. And then you will have your first treatment.
What should I expect from treatment?
As everyone is different and heals differently, giving expectations may not serve, however, most people generally feel relaxed after each treatment. They generally report sleeping better, having more energy, etc. You should be experiencing changes in your condition within 4-10 treatments. Some of this is in your hands as the practitioner will recommend things to you. These things will enhance treatment if you follow the advice. Another rule of thumb that is used is one month of weekly treatments for every year you have had a condition.
Do the needles hurt?
The needles themselves are the size of about 3 pieces of hair. When inserted in a non-acupuncture point, most patients don't feel the needle at all. When inserted into a point, the sensation varies from dull ache, to electrical type sensations.
The sensation is very momentary, and well worth the 1 or 2 seconds of feeling as the results can be astounding.
Does Acupuncture have any side effects?
Possible side effects of Acupuncture are: dizziness, fainting, bruising, discomfort at the needle site.
Everyone is different so you may experience one, all or none of these. In my 28 years of practice, I
have only had one patient faint, and bruising is the most common side effect. There are thousands of
tiny capillaries all over your body, so bruising occurs when the needle nicks a capillary. The needles
themselves are so small that they are unable to penetrate a larger blood vessel, so this most common
side effect is very mild and goes away pretty quickly.
How often should I receive treatment?
Acupuncture as a modality builds on itself. In other words you may not see immediate results, but over time you will. In the beginning treatments are spaced close together to help facilitate that accumulation of treatment, and as your symptoms begin to abate, then the treatments are spread out, with the goal always being to have maintenance treatments once every season. You cannot have too much acupuncture, but it is possible to space the treatments too far apart. If all your symptoms come back between treatments, then the spacing is too far and we will be in effect starting over every time. It is very important not to do this if you want to heal the cause of the problem.
Do you help treat terminal or chronic illness?
When I treat most people, I am looking to resolve situations to help their body, mind and spirit to restore their health. This is true with chronic illness. In the case of terminal illness, I shift my focus from getting my patient well, to helping my patient be as comfortable as possible as they go through their transition. This would be pain relief, breathing relief, anxiety relief and so forth. It's possible to live well, even in the process of dying, so quality of life is the focus.