How to Get the Most Out of Your Acupuncture Session

It is best not to come hungry, thirsty or rushed to a treatment Please eat a few hours before treatment and do not come full of caffeine, using recreational drugs, or while fasting.

At Jade we often give both front and back treatments in the same session, acupoints on the back are powerful immune boosters, system strengtheners and pain relievers so please remove clothing down to underwear and get under the flat sheet as you would for a full  body massage.

If you are in a hurry and don’t have time to undress and redress - let me know and wear loose comfortable clothing that allows access to knees and elbows without constriction and I will adjust the treatment plan.

Please remove sports bras and stay covered with the sheet. Traditional bras should be unhooked if points on the back will be used. This is a time when clothing that is tight or binding should be loosened or removed so you can take a deep breath and allow the body to expand and relax.
 
All of you is important and interconnected. You may be experiencing an illness or discomfort that is the branch but underlying that is the primary imbalance that is the root, I will try to find that and correct it by questioning, observation, listening/smelling and touch. The different systems are all related and interdependent so things you may think are not important or relative, often really are.

Your tongue says a lot about you. I may ask you to lay it out like a carpet so I can see the state of your systems. Please refrain from scraping your tongue, or artificial coloring before your appointment.

During treatment please lay back and relax as much as possible, it is important to turn off the phone, remove watches and jewelry, take off your glasses and let your hair down.
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Your treatment should be comfortable, on insertion you may feel pressure or a prick but that should rapidly resolve into a pleasant distending sensation, if a point is still uncomfortable after 10-15 seconds it may be pulling on a hair follicle or too close to a sensitive structure so please tell me and I will change it.

If possible, allow the rest of the day to be relaxing and allow the treatment and the body to work.  Most people feel better and return to normal activity too soon to get the most from the treatment. If possible take a gentle walk, meditate, do some gentle stretching and relax.

Age, degree of problem, medications, stress level, surgical history, work situation, nutrition and more can hamper the full effects of acupuncture helping your body to heal itself. If you are particularly nervous before the first treatment it may take a couple of treatments for your nervous system to adjust.

If the pain or dysfunction you are experiencing is related or caused by to something you do regularly and you continue to do this the treatment is not going to be as effective as it would if you stopped or changed whatever that might be.

China and Japan treat more often and longer than we do in the states. Often patients are seen three or more times a week. Treatment courses are often ten visits with a week long break and then another ten treatments. However, China has a socialized medical system. It may be cost or time prohibited here to do the same but it should be kept in mind for prognosis evaluation. Studies do tell us that acupuncture is cumulative and is more effective after 10-15 treatments.

We may use tools apart from acupuncture such as acupressure, ear seeds, tuina, cupping, moxibustion, guasha, herbal formulas, teas, Qigong, meditation, e-stim or electro acupuncture, TDP lamp, to help you.