Your First Acupuncture Appointment - What's it Like?

In your #TCMTuesday blog today, I'd like to take a little break from my blogs about TCM theory, and touch on a question I often get:  What can I expect in a typical first acupuncture appointment?

If you've never had acupuncture, in many ways the initial visit is similar to going to a regular doctor.  Either before you come in, or upon arrival, you are asked to fill out a form describing your past and present medical history, including conditions for which you are visiting, any past surgeries, traumas or conditions, any chronic diseases, etc.  You are asked to list your prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.  I actually suggest you bring all the bottles with you for the physician to review, as we often find ourselves a single point of medication management between all of the specialists you may see.  You are typically asked to check off any other symptoms you might be experiencing from a list we provide.  Some of these in the check list might be a little bit unusual from what you are asked in Western medicine, but they are general things easily recognized, like whether or not you sweat at night, if you feel you are easily angered, or if you see "floaters" in your vision.

Next, there is an extensive interview process.  This is one area where our medicine is a bit different from Western Medicine.  The intake form you filled out is reviewed, any questions the doctor has about the information you've shared are asked and clarified.  You will be asked to expound upon your present situation, such as when the symptoms started, if there was any event or strong emotion that triggered it, and what you have done to try and alleviate it.  If it is a pain condition, some palpation of the area and/or tests for joint mobility will most likely be done to give the doctor a chance to feel for abnormalities in the tissue or bone.  Depending on the condition you are visiting us for, we also may ask you about your daily diet, your social habits, or your emotional state.  We might ask you to describe your life's stress and what you deal with on a daily basis at work, home, and everywhere in between.  We are most likely going to ask you detailed questions about your urine and bowel movements, and often will discuss your sexual habits as well if we feel that it is diagnostically relevant.  It is important to be as accurate as possible when discussing these topics with us, as your symptoms and how you experience them are very important diagnostically.  The interview will create its own kind of flow, depending on what we are discussing, and often times it just feels like a conversation where you talk about yourself to an interested person.

During this interview, which can take up to an hour, depending on how much you have to say or how much clarification is needed, we are looking for patterns of symptoms that are clinically relevant in TCM.  It may be things that you would never think are related.  The symptoms outline a pattern, and a pattern tells us how to diagnose and treat.  During the interview process, we are also observing you; your actions, your voice tone, your laughter, your eye contact, your hair, your skin color and texture, your overall demeanor, your body type, your personality; these are all important in our diagnosis process.  Don't worry, you're not under scrutiny, and you are not being judged.  What we are doing is getting a picture of you as a whole person, because you as a whole is how we determine how best to help you get well.  We confirm any patterns we are seeing by feeling your radial pulses on both wrists, which tells us the condition of the organ systems in your body, and by observing your tongue, which we look at color, coat, markings, and overall shape. 

After the interview process, we prepare a treatment specifically tailored to you, taking into consideration all of the information you have provided.  Since many people have a very complex set of signs and symptoms, our treatment system is a number of visits over a period of time.  Your symptoms did not just appear over night, there was a long process of imbalance that has happened even before you feel the symptom that became the complaint you are seeing us for.  It does take some time to return your body to balance.  We almost always treat any acute condition during the first appointment, and when that begins to subside in the first couple of treatments, in future appointments we work on the underlying imbalances that are causing the other chronic symptoms you are experiencing.

Finally, most of the time we send you home with homework.  TCM is a participatory medicine, meaning that your own actions are an integral part of the treatment process to help you become better.  We might prescribe a dietary change, an herbal or nutritional supplement.  We may recommend exercises to perform, or ways to effectively deal with stress.  This is not magic, although sometimes our patients think it is when they get significant relief after one or two treatments!  We work hard to give you the best care possible, and we equally expect that you will participate in your own healing process by taking our health advice to heart and put into action what we suggest.  It may take time to make necessary lifestyle changes, and we understand that.  We encourange taking "baby steps" when large changes are needed.  Small victories are still victory!!

TCM is about living a balanced lifestyle and allowing your body's own natural healing elements to work and make you as a whole a healthier, more vibrant person!  We are here to help guide you into that balance, that is what we do.

--Marissa Byrum, AP, DOM, Dipl. Ac., is an associate at Ideal Balance Center for Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine in Temple Terrace, FL.