Description of a Session
At your first visit the acupuncturist will ask you about your health history and health-related habits, including diet, physical as well as emotional signs and symptoms, work, and other environmental factors. The physical exam may include palpation (manual examination) of the abdomen, neck and radial pulse, and visual examination of the skin and tongue. The practitioner associates symptoms to known patterns, but also focuses on how the individual experiences their particular illness. The course of acupuncture treatment is personalized to each patient.

An acupuncture session may also include other techniques used in East Asian medicine, such as Gua Sha, Cupping, Moxibustion, Plum Blossom, Shoni Shin, and Tui Na. A practitioner may recommend using herbs, dietary changes, exercise and/or meditation to maximize improvement.

The patient should feel a slight sensation as the needle enters the skin. When a point is properly stimulated, the patient feels heaviness, tingling, or release. This is called de Qi, meaning the Qi has arrived at the point. Obtaining a de Qi is an important part of Chinese acupuncture. If treatment is directed at trigger point release, then the needle may be fanned in and out, in several directions to augment the de Qi, or fasciculation of the point. Needles may then be removed or left in place for 5 to 20 minutes depending on what is being treated.

A skilled acupuncturist knows just how deep to insert needles and this depends on several factors: the disorder being treated, the location of treatment, and the patient’s size, age and overall condition. Most body points require only an inch penetration; the skin on the ears and scalp are shallow and need only minimal penetration.

Course of Treatment
A course of treatment depends on the problem and the individual’s own rate of improvement. An acute condition may require fewer sessions than a chronic condition. It is recommended that patients receive at least three treatments, allowing the patient and their practitioner the ability to assess positive change.

Side Effects
It is recommended that patients report for treatment having eaten some food, though not necessarily on a full stomach. It is equally important to be hydrated, that is, to have taken in enough fluid. Patients reporting for treatment without having eaten are at risk of fainting. Even moderate dehydration mitigates the effect of treatment.

Generally a patient will feel relaxed after acupuncture treatment. Practitioners recommend that you do not engage in heavy labor or exercise after receiving acupuncture, for the rest of that day. Alcohol and recreational drug use is contraindicated and can negate the positive effects of treatment.

It is important to report any untoward side effects to your acupuncture provider. These may range from fatigue to elation. Other side effects may include tenderness at a particular point or points or temporary exacerbation of symptoms.

Your practitioner will ask you to keep track of your symptoms and report them in detail at the next meeting. Prognosis is considered positive if there has been any change in the disorder, even if temporarily worse.

A change means the problem has been touched, and the nature of the change as well as other changes in physical signs on examination, guide the next treatment.

Acupuncture has a cumulative effect so treatments are usually scheduled within a week of one another. As a person improves then treatments are scheduled farther apart, with seasonal visits recommended for maintaining health.

Safety Issues
Most acupuncturists in the US today use pre-sterilized, individually packaged, disposable needles in a clean field assuring no passage of communicable disease. The National Commission for Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) requires acupuncturists to pass a clean needle test using the Center for Disease Control (CDC) standards of sterile procedures.

At each session, make sure your acupuncturist is using disposable needles from a sealed package.

Other Modalities That Work Well With Acupuncture
Acupuncturists will sometimes refer patients for other bodywork such as chiropractic, osteopathy, massage, or physical therapy. Psychotherapy or pastoral counseling may be useful as a person heals not only themselves but also their relationship with work and others. Nutrition counseling, herbal medicine and/or homeopathy are also frequent companion therapies.

Content last modified on Mar 14, 2003