Acupuncture Treatment Q&As
Q. How long is a session?
A. Approximately fifty minutes. I treat only one person at a time, and this length of session allows me to thoroughly diagnose a patient’s condition, provide a treatment, and offer post-treatment recommendations. Given this exclusive attention, I seldom need to see a patient more than once a week, once we’ve established a foundation for our work.
Q. Will I need to disrobe?
A. Never entirely, and usually only your socks. I ask that you wear loose clothing for a treatment, remove all jewelry and contact lenses, and not wear perfume or cologne.
Q. Do the needles hurt?
A. I use Japanese needles, which are smaller and finer than Chinese needles. “No pain, no gain,” where needles are concerned is simply not the case, where my work is concerned. Quite the opposite: I am committed to having the needles be as painless as possible.
Q. What happens in the course of a treatment?
A. Although I work with each patient differently, a typical treatment unfolds in this way: You first report how you are feeling, important experiences you had during the week, what you are struggling with, and any physical symptoms. This process takes 5-15 minutes. Next, I ask you to lie down on the table and relax while I diagnose via pulse-reading. Based on what I’ve learned from your oral report, your pulses, and what I’m discerning through intuition and inspiration, I decide which treatment would be best. I insert the needles and most likely ask you to put your attention on your body rather than talk, so that the treatment can do its work. At times emotions arise, and you’ll want to have them, which I will encourage you to do. After I remove the needles, I do a unique form of shiatsu (handwork), called Te-A-Te. Finally, I make relevant recommendations for the intervening days until your next treatment.
Q. Can I do other activities on the same day as a treatment?
A. The responsibility for receiving and anchoring the treatment is yours. Here are some things that support the treatment’s effectiveness: avoid swimming after a treatment; exercise only to exhilaration and not to exhaustion; avoid consumption of alcohol, drugs, and coffee; refrain from sexual activity on treatment days; and avoid too much computer work or prolonged mental activity.
Q. What results can I expect?
A. In this work, the key component is the patient, who holds the capacity for ninety percent of the healing. Each individual is unique regarding how long it will take to get results. On occasion, chronic symptoms go away after just one treatment, but more often it takes time for such conditions to turn around. Often after a treatment, sick energy—called Ja Ki in Japanese—comes out, which may temporarily look and feel like symptoms are worsening.
Q. How do I know this is for me?
A. Feel the words at this website and search how they make you feel. If you feel more relaxed and yet more energized, that’s a good sign it’s for you. If you feel drained or angry or frustrated, most likely we’re not a match.
Q. Can you help me deal with the emotional fallout from COVID?
A. Yes. I will provide the tools for you to address epidemic anxiety, fear, frustration, uncertainty, sense of isolation, and aloneness.