Patient Consultation
At the consultation, you've got our full attention. After filling out a brief patient intake, we'll talk. We want to know what brings you to my office and what we can do to help. The diagnostic paradigm of Acupuncture is much different than most people are used to. Everything matters. Everything you feel is an important clue that helps me put together the larger picture of you and the state of your health. Patients often say to me they've seen their doctors and nothing is exactly wrong but they still don't feel right. We can work with that! Modern testing does not take in to consideration work, stress, relationships and human emotions. Alternative medicine finds these things important, and so do we. So whether you've been diagnosed with an illness, experiencing pain with no relief or just don't feel right, this initial consultation is our time to sort it all out, together.
Tongue & Pulse
One very unique tool Acupuncturists use to diagnose is to look at your tongue and feel your pulse. By doing this we am able to match the symptoms you tell us about in our consultation to what your body is presenting. As you can see, tongues vary greatly from person to person and yours can tell quite a story! Pulse is the same. Different areas of the pulse match up to organ and meridians and reflect their energy and whether it is excess or deficient. Tongue and Pulse are another important piece of the puzzle.
Treatment
THE NEEDLES! This is usually the part that keeps people from giving Acupuncture a try. If we had a dollar for everytime someone asks us if we've seen ya know, that movie, where the guy has a thousand needles in his face... RELAX! It's nothing like that. You will be in a cozy room, on a heated bed listening to relaxing music. The needles are tiny and chances are whatever you're coming to see me for is causing you way more discomfort than they ever will. We place them in and then you get to drift off to nirvana while they work their magic for 15-20 minutes. We won't leave the room until you are absolutely comfortable.