Acupuncture 101: What to Expect From Your First Appointment

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Maria Lorenz
Maria Lorenzhttps://ifitandhealthy.com
Join me on my "I Fit and Healthy" journey! Maria is an Upstate New Yorker interested in all things healthy-living related! She started the "I Fit and Healthy" Blog to document life and her pursuit of healthy living. By day she work in digital media and advertising. By night she’s a first-rate wife and mom of two crazy little girls! She is self-proclaimed addicted to her iPhone/iPad and always on the hunt for the latest health tools and fitness gadgets.

Have you been feeling unbalanced as of late, as if there’s some disruption going on in your system that you just can’t place what exactly? Perhaps you’ve been suffering from chronic pain and would rather not have to rely on prescriptions.

Or maybe you would like some help with your weight loss, or even quitting smoking. Perhaps you just need a good reset to flush away all the stress from your body after a hectic few weeks at work.

For all of these, you should consider acupuncture treatment, if not already.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture comes from traditional Chinese medicine, aimed specifically at improving the body’s chi or energy by removing blockages. It is believed that a smooth flow of the chi results in good overall health, a clear mindset, and stable emotional and mental status. On the other hand, a blocked chi gives way to chronic pain, health complications, and other maladies.

Acupuncture treatment makes use of fine point needles at specific points in the body to facilitate the unhindered flow of chi throughout the body through the meridians. In modern science, the process of acupuncture is explained as the method of stimulating the nervous system by releasing chemicals in the muscles, brain, and spinal cord that affect the body’s internal healing facilities, or even how the brain processes certain experiences like pain.

The First Consult

For your first visit to the best acupuncture Calgary office, you can expect to sit down for a thorough consultation with the acupuncturist. This is an integral part of the treatment because this is how your treatment plan will be determined.

It is important for you to disclose what conditions you have, as well as what medications or treatment you’re having for it. Apart from your medical history, you’ll also need to discuss your current diet and lifestyle. This information is going to be the basis of your acupuncture treatment plan, so make sure to be as accurate as you can be about your disclosure.

The Treatment

Once a treatment plan has been determined, you can already have the first actual session. Needles will be placed in the predetermined meridians for a set period of time. Depending on the location, the needle may be kept in place for as short as five minutes or as long as an hour.

There is no need to worry about feeling pain from the insertion of needles, because it is very rarely painful. You could, however, expect to feel a bit of sting, pressure, or even itchiness at the penetration point, but other than that, you should be able to feel relaxed throughout the process.

After the Treatment

While acupuncture treatments could be one-off, there is certainly a possibility that you will need to go back for additional sessions, depending on the severity of your condition. A treatment plan could consist of two to four sessions, or possibly even more.

Your acupuncturist should also provide you with some home care recommendations or supplement prescriptions to further help your rebalancing in between sessions. Follow the regimen, and you should be able to reap the full benefits of acupuncture treatment.

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