Your first treatment
Initial assessment and acupuncture treatment for new patients
The first time you visit us I’ll spend some quality time getting to know you, your health issues and your goals. Your initial assessment and first treatment generally takes around 1.5 hours. I understand that you may never have had acupuncture before and you may have questions or concerns about it. I want you to feel relaxed and comfortable when you visit me for your treatment, so I’ve put together the following information to help give you an idea of what happens before, during, and after your treatment.
You can also find more general information on our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. I hope these answer all of your questions, but do feel free to contact me if there’s anything more you’d like to know before you decide to visit.
Before Your Appointment
Prior to your appointment you’ll receive:
A confirmation email of your booking and a reminder the day before
Information on a few simple things to do before your appointment, like what to wear and whether to eat a meal
Directions to the clinic
Any relevant COVID related information
Assessment
When you arrive at the clinic we’ll guide you through the following:
A brief introduction to acupuncture and answer any questions you may have
Discuss the areas of your health you’d like to improve
Explore other factors including your lifestyle, diet, and exercise
Body examination including limbs, abdomen, tongue, and taking your pulse
Time for you to ask questions or share concerns you have
Treatment Plan
Your treatment plan:
Together, we will agree on the focus of your first treatment, the locations of needles, and whether any complimentary treatments are recommended in this session (for instance Moxibustion, Cupping, or Tuina)
We’ll discuss your longer-term health plan and agree your progress review date
Acupuncture Treatment
You’ll be made comfortable and we can start your acupuncture treatment:
Clothing will be moved out of the way in areas where the needles will be inserted. In some cases clothing may need to be removed to access the acupunture points, in which case we will leave the room whilst you change in order to preserve your modesty
Ultra fine needles will be inserted in the acupuncture points and sometimes gently manipulated if required
Needles are removed after approximately 20 minutes and disposed of hygienically
Moxibustion, Cupping, or Tuina may be added to the treatment if necessary
Wind Down
Once your treatment is over:
It’s likely you may feel relaxed at this point, so you’ll have time to rearrange or put back any clothing that was removed during treatment
We can discuss any further questions you may have and ensure you know how to get the best from today’s treatment. We may also make suggestions on things you can do between treatments to improve your health
If required, any further appointments can be scheduled at this time or booked at a later date
Follow-up Treatments will begin with a review of progress and then continue with your agreed treatment plan. For information see Follow-up Treatments.
Free consultation
Find out how acupuncture could help you now. Book a free 20 minute telephone consultation quickly and easily online, or call 01737 420221
Book a treatment
You can book a treatment quickly and easily online, or call 01737 420221.