Your First Acupuncture Treatment

There are two things that are important to keep in mind when going to an acupuncturist for treatment

1. Acupuncturists are medical providers, similar to nurse practitioners and other physicians.
2. Acupuncturists do more than acupuncture, they practice a complete system of integrated medicine to nourish health. In New Mexico and several other states they are primary care providers

Acupuncturists are more than acupuncture! They are physicians that have undergone over 2500h of graduate level education in integrated medicine. Acupuncture is rooted in traditional wisdom of how humans interact with the rest of nature and our bodies place in the larger ecosystem. It is a medicine that focus on nourishing health over fighting disease or just controlling symptoms of illness. Even though acupuncture is a traditional treatment method, modern acupuncturists are trained and well versed in modern science and biomedicine. The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) requires that all accredited programs in acupuncture provide at least 400 hours in biomedicine. Many acupuncturists have undergraduate backgrounds in biology and other sciences. It is because of this understanding of both holistic health and modern science that acupuncturists are primary care providers in several states.

Your visit to an acupuncturist will most likely start before you even set foot in their clinic! Like all modern medical professionals, acupuncturists have initial paperwork for patients to fill out before the receive treatment. It can be overwhelming and seem tedious, but the more thoroughly you fill out a clinic's paperwork the better able to help you your providers, including acupuncturists, will be. Many acupuncturists offer their new patient paperwork online, either in downloaded forms or a patient portal. Filing out the paperwork before you arrive allows you to take your time and allows your acupuncturist to review it before your visit; it's an easy way to become one of your acupuncturist's favorite patients!

After your paperwork is completed, your acupuncturist will talk with you and ask about your reasons for seeking treatment. They will likely want to get as much information as practical about what is going on with your health and your body. This will include detailed questions about your main complaint, or the main reason you are seeking treatment. These questions may include: when did it start? What caused it? What makes it better or worse? And, what other symptoms occur with it? One of the most important questions is how bad is it? For pain, many physicians, including acupuncturists, use the zero to ten scale. Which means, asking the patient to give their pain a number between 0 and 10 with 10 being the worst pain imaginable! This is adequate for acute, or recent, pain. However, many acupuncturists are moving to a modified scale originally developed by the Department for Veteran Affairs in the United States. It still uses 0 to 10, but provides images and descriptions of the varying categories to help guide patients rating. You can see an example here.

Your acupuncturist will also likely ask some general health questions. These include questions about your sleep, digestion, mood, and other health conditions. They may also ask about things like sweating and if you typically feel hot or cold. Some of these questions may seem strange or irrelevant, but they help your acupuncturist evaluate your complete condition. They are just as important as the questions about your main complaint.

Your acupuncturist will do a quick physical examination before beginning treatment. Depending on your reason for seeking treatment and the acupuncturists style, this may be as short as observing you as you walk into the treatment room and while talking with you. It may also include taking your blood pressure or temperature. Many acupuncturists will do a more biomedicine focused exam, including testing reflexes and listening to your heart and lungs.

One examination that other physicians may not do is to examine your tongue in detail. Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that the heart opens into the tongue and that the tongue is the external sign of the spleen. The heart, in Chinese medicine, is the house of consciousness. The spleen governs metabolism, called transportation and transformation. Between these two systems, a competent acupuncturist can assess the essence of health or disease in a patient.

Palpitation, or feeling with the fingers, of the pulse is also very important to the acupuncturist. Acupuncturists feel the pulse in 3 positions, with three fingers, on each wrist just above the thumb (on the radial artery). By differentiating between the top and bottom of the pulse at these six positions an acupuncturist can assess the 12 primary meridians. The 12 primary meridians are where most of the acupuncture points are located, and the pulse helps refine the diagnosis and treatment, including point selection.

Treatment

After gathering all the information, your acupuncturist will be ready to begin your treatment. It may seem like a lengthy process, but most acupuncturists spend about 20 to 30min during the questioning and examination of a new patient. The exam and questioning is typically much shorter on subsequent visits because the acupuncturist has their notes from the first visit and can focus on what has changed.

Acupuncture treatment involves inserting solid, thin, metal needles into specific points on the body. Though you may feel a slight pinch sensation when the needle is inserted, this typically dissipates in a few seconds. Acupuncture points are located all over the body including on the chest, abdomen, and back. Depending on the style of acupuncture you may be asked to put on a robe or remove your clothes and cover with a sheet or other draping. Your acupuncturist will give you specific instructions and will step out of the room while you put on the robe or draping. Again, depending on the acupuncturists style they may ask you to change positions and insert multiple sets of needles.

Many of the needles will be left in their points for anywhere from twenty to forty minutes. Your acupuncturist may, or may not, leave the room during this time. It is not uncommon to feel sensations where the needles are inserted, or even along the meridians that the needles are connected to. These sensations can include: warmth, pressure, tingling, electric sensations, or sensations of movement. These are good signs! Even if you don't feel anything, the treatment will still be effective. You should tell your acupuncturist as soon as possible if any of the needle sensations are sharp or if they are too distracting and preventing you from relaxing during the treatment.

Your treatment may include other methods besides acupuncture. One such method is called tui na which is Chinese physical therapy and deep tissue massage. Another common method is called moxabustion. Moxabustion is the burning of mugwort incense on or near acupuncture points. It can be very effective in the treatment of pain and also auto-immune diseases. In fact, the Chinese character for acupuncture is two characters, one for acupuncture and one for moxabustion. When done by a qualified acupuncturist, moxabustion is very safe.

Just The Beginning!

A typical first visit to an acupuncturist lasts anywhere between sixty minutes and two hours. The time depends on the acupuncturists style and clinic setup, as well as the patient's condition and reason for treatment. It is very unlikely that your reason for seeking treatment will be resolved in one treatment! Your acupuncturist will discuss your individual treatment plan including frequency and number of treatments. Treatments are generally more frequent in the beginning and get gradually less frequent as your condition improves. Your acupuncturist may prescribe an herbal formula at this time; or they may decide to wait and evaluate the treatment to see if herbs are necessary.

After your treatment, your acupuncturist may discuss what you can do to improve the effectiveness of your treatment. It is important to give your body time to heal; it is advisable to take it easy for at least one to two hours after your treatment, if possible. If you came in for pain, your acupuncturist may give you exercises or stretches to aid in your treatment. They may also suggest lifestyle or diet changes that will make your treatment even more long lasting and effective. Some acupuncturists save this conversation for the second or third visit, after you both can evaluate the results of treatment.

The most important thing you can do after your treatment is to pay attention to your body, symptoms, and what has changed and what hasn't. Keep in mind it may take between five and ten treatments for you to see noticeable change. Sometimes, the first changes are subtle. For example, if you have back pain the first thing you might notice is that you are able to stand longer before the pain is bad enough that you have to sit down; or it may take shorter for the pain to diminish after you sit down to rest. Acupuncture, when done by a qualified acupuncturist or physician, is very safe and has minimal or no side effects. You may notice beneficial changes in sleep, mood, energy, appetite, or digestion; these are side benefits of acupuncture and your acupuncturist will be delighted to hear about them!

About the Acupuncturist

Steven Malins is an acupuncturist, licensed Doctor of Oriental Medicine, that has been practicing in New Mexico for over five years. His clinic is located off of Lomas and 12th Street in Albuquerque, NM. More information can be found at topazmessenger.com

You can make your first acupuncture appointment with him here!