Here are a few tips to make your treatment as enjoyable and effective as possible. Being well prepared helps you get the most from your treatment. My aim is to optimize your body's inherent healing ability and give you tools to maintain good health. The more you participate, the speedier your recovery. Please think about and make notes on your main complaint as well as any other concerns or questions about acupuncture. Secondary complaints will be noted and addressed as treatment allows. Also please bring a list of medications you are taking.
An initial consult usually lasts an hour and a half during which I will ask many detailed questions about your primary area of concern and many seemingly unrelated questions about things such as digestion, temperature, sleep and work habits, diet, and general stress level. Your health history as well as your parents will be useful information too.
If pain is a concern, think about words to describe the specific sensations, when they occur, how often, with what intensity, and exactly where are they located. I often ask patients to rate their pain on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a bare awareness and 10 screaming. As you prepare notes, here are some ways to describe your pain or discomfort. Is it: burning, dull/achey, stabbing, sharp, radiating [from where], numb, tingling, distending, pins and needles, heavy, migrating, steady, throbbing, or intermittent? Does anything make it better or worse such as heat or cold, time of day, weather, or particular foods?
Please eat as normal and avoid missing a meal before treatment. Acupuncture is not recommended if fasting. Skipping coffee for two hours before and after a treatment will optimize its effects. Also avoid heavy exertion in this time frame. Avoid alcohol or other intoxicants the day of treatment. Allow plenty of time, as rushing to or from a session reduces its effectiveness and strains the body as well.
Wear comfortable, loose clothing that allows access up to the knees and elbows. Most points I use are elbows and knees down to hands and feet. Occasionally I use points on the abdomen or back so for women, one piece dresses aren't ideal. Gowns are available.
I ask that you allow 24 hours notice if an appointment needs to be cancelled or rescheduled.
See the contact page for directions from the North. If arriving from the south on Rt. 1, after the first light by the fire station but before the Dairy Queen light, take a left on to High Street just after Johnson's Sporting Goods. Continue straight through one stop sign and you will see the center directly in front of you on the right at the next corner. Parking is in the lot across the street from the center. High street runs over to Limerock Street if coming from Rt.1A [Broadway]. Abi's office is on the second floor, to the left at the top of the stairs. There is a small library/quiet room adjacent to wait in, as well as a larger, more kid friendly one downstairs. Treatments are possible downstairs by prior arrangement.