What should I expect during an acupuncture treatment?
If this is your first visit to receive an acupuncture treatment, the acupuncturist will assess your condition by asking you many questions about the condition for which you
are seeking treatment, followed by questions about your general health and lifestyle.
These questions are broad and are required to be able to treat you in a wholistic
manner instead of just treating your symptoms.
Following the assessment, the acupuncturist will diagnose your condition according to a Chinese medical diagnosis and explain how this relates to your Western medical
diagnosis. From this diagnosis, the acupuncturist will then be able to tell you how many treatments you will require and the frequency at which you should receive the
treatments.After this, the acupuncture treatment will be performed.
The acupuncturist will explain what position you will be in for your treatment. You may be placed laying face down, face up, or side lying depending on the nature of your
treatment. For many procedures, you can be wearing loose fitting clothes, preferably a
short sleeved shirt or tank top, and a pair of shorts. For some treatments, you may be
required to remove articles of clothing so that the areas to be treated are fully
accessible. In these cases, there will be sheets available for you to lay under during
your treatment.
When it is time to perform the treatment, the acupuncturist will explain where the
needles will be placed and what sensations you should expect. The sensations that you
may feel during a treatment are varied. They can be:
• An electrical sensation that travels from the acupuncture point up or down the body or limbs
• A dull achy sensation that is felt locally around the needle
• A feeling of general pressure at the point of needling
• A distending sensation around the needle
• An electrical or aching sensation at a different point on the body away from the needle
• Or the feeling of a muscle twitching of jumping
The acupuncturist will swab the points of insertion with 70% alcohol to clean the area
before the needles are inserted. The needles are sterile single use needles which are
very thin. The acupuncturist will insert the needles, asking you what sensations you feel. After the initial sensation, many people do not feel the needles for the rest of the
treatment. Occasionally, you may feel sensations of energy moving through your body,
or feel the sensations listed above again, usually to a lesser degree. The acupuncturist
may also place an infrared heating lamp over different areas of the body, with or without herbal liniments, to enhance the treatment effects.
The needles can remain in place anywhere from five minutes to 30 minutes, or longer,
with an average of about 20 minutes per treatment. Many patients find the treatment
very relaxing, with many people actually falling asleep during their treatments. When the
treatment is over, the acupuncturist will remove the needles. The acupuncture will
advise you to take your time getting up off the table as acupuncture increases blood
circulation and getting up too quickly may cause light headedness and possible fainting. The chances of this occurring are higher if you have skipped meals before getting a treatment, or if you are dehydrated. It is a good idea to make sure you have eaten and hydrated on the day of your treatment.
After the treatment, you may feel relaxed, refreshed, or a bit tired. You are able to go
about the rest of your day without worrying about any major side effects. Some side
effects that may occur after treatment are minor bruising or bleeding at the site of
needle insertion, mild tingling or itching at the point of needle insertion, and light
headedness, especially if you have not eaten or drank enough fluids before your
treatment. This light headedness usually passes in minutes and drinking a a glass of
water usually helps.
