Your First Visit

• Wear loose, comfortable fitting clothes
• Make sure you have eaten at least 1 hour prior to your appointment.
• Refrain from overexertion, drugs, alcohol for up to 6 hours prior to appointment.
• Make sure to get plenty of rest.
• Arrive early to fill out new patient paper work.

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The first step to schedule an acupuncture session is to call the acupuncture office and find out whether or not acupuncture is most likely to offer you some type of relief.

The initial visit will take about an hour and includes an extensive medical history, exam and treatment. Treatment usually lasts about 30 minutes. During the treatment, very thin disposable needles are inserted into several very specific points on your body while you are lying on a comfortable table. The needles are so thin that they do not cause pain; however, you may feel a sensation of a hair being plucked (although no hairs are plucked) or tingling or numbness.

The needles are left in the body for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of treatment that is offered.

Many people report that they feel more and more relaxed during treatment. This is a common benefit received after treatment. According to a 2001 study by the British Acupuncture Council of 132 acupuncture patients, researchers reported that:

• Physical symptoms were relieved 75% of the time
• Emotional and mental symptoms were relieved 67% of the time.
• "Inner life changes" were experienced by 54% and 27% patients felt major life changes.
• During the course of their treatment, 42% of the patients decided to use acupuncture to treat another illness.

The needles are not meant to draw blood, and only occasionally you will see a tiny drop of blood when they are removed. Acupuncture treatments are usually performed over the course of a few weeks or months, depending on the condition treated.