A first treatment starts with making sure all the required paperwork is filled out. The forms can be found on my clinic’s website. Then I will talk with you about what the problem(s) is/are and their characteristics. I will then usually feel your pulses and maybe look at your tongue. The pulses will tell me what is going on in the moment. They can change with a thought or emotion. The tongue, on the other hand, does not change that quickly and more shows constitutional tendencies or chronic problems. Both are a way to gain more information about a problem but are not always necessary. I usually willpalpate points to see if thet are tender. That will tell me if my diagnosis is correct and if those points will be effective at treating your problem.
Then I will describe the proposed treatment and if there are any choices, I will describe the advantages and disadvantages of each to help you make the best choice for you. Then we will get you situated in a comfortable position for the treatment. If you are cold, I have heat lamps we can use to keep you warm. I advise you pee before we start.
Then we will do the treatment. If we are doing FSM, I will set that up first since that usually takes the longest. Then I will put the needles in. Then I will set up any electro-acupuncture and hook it up to the appropriate needles. I use a timer to time the FSM and electro-acupuncture treatments. Most of the time, a first office visit takes 1-1/2 hours but some treatments can take much longer. For example, a full PTSD treatment using FSM and needles takes almost 3 hours to perform, mostly because of the length of the FSM protocol. Much shorter if we just use needles. I now can imprint long FSM treatments on holographic stickers, so if that is indicated, I need a picture of your face. I then will imprint stickers for you and I will give them to you at your next appointment (I need to run the protocol so imprinting takes time).
When the treatment is finished I will take the needles out and unhook you. Usually you will feel relaxed and maybe a bit sleepy. If you are very groggy and might be a danger driving, I will needle DU20 to wake you up. Then we will deal with the bill and set up the next appointment. If you need a statement, I will make one up. I like to see you twice a week at first. That usually works the best. Then we will let your body tell us how often to treat. Basically when the treatment holds without backsliding, then we know we can stretch out the time between visits. Going from twice a week to once a week to every other week to once a month. After that the treatment will usually hold on its own and you will only have to come in again if it acts up.