FAQs: About Acupuncture Treatment

This is a FAQs written for patient seeking an acupuncturist. It cover mainly the user aspect of the treatment. For the curious mind that wants to know more about the subject of acupuncture, please visit this in-depth discussion/FAQ of Chinese Medicine and acupuncture here.

Yes, generally speaking acupuncture is very safe. Most patients will find the treatment relaxing and not as intimidating as one would originally imagine. Given you choose a practitioners that had proper training and stick with the appropriate safety guideline (like single-use, sterile disposable needle), one can expect the acupuncture session will be smooth and relaxing.

Ancient Chinese discovered diseases are basically the body’s energy spiral being out of place or out of sync (or both.) Through inserting very fine needles into specific place on the body, a skilled acupuncturist correct the underlying imbalanced energy flow and restore health.

To learn more about how acupuncture work, you may want to visit my in-depth TCM / Acupuncture discussion here.

Acupuncture works by restoring the body’s natural order; which in a nut shell can translated into restoring the body’s healing power. Therefore. its therapeutic application is limitless. And it is particularly useful in treating conditions that conventional medicine failed to satisfy. (Not belittling western medicine, the same is true on the exact opposite, Western medicine is particularly helpful when traditional medicine failed to satisfy.)

Nowadays, it is commonly to see people using acupuncture to reduce stress, pains and aches, negative pathological emotion, regulated menses, respiratory diseases, auto-immune diseases, skin disorders, endocrine disorders, …etc. If you don’t see your condition listed here, feel free to contact us to learn more.

It is rare that patients found treatment uncomfortable despite the idea is intimidating. The needle used in acupuncture on average is really small. It has a round tip and special coating making the insertion painless (or induce only very minimal discomfort).

Once the needle entered the body and interacting with the energy spirals, strange sensation could happen at the needling site and along the channel. These sensation may include but not limited mild aching, warmth, tingling, heaviness, and numbness. Occasionally, release of muscle tension (twitching), temperature regulation in a local area (skin feel cold or hot), and experiencing the energy’s flow inside the body can also happen during treatment.

It can be quite a bizarre experience when one first have acupuncture, but they are not uncomfortable and rarely discourage clients continue treatment.

Before treatment:
There are couple of things one should pay attention to. It is not recommended to have acupuncture on an empty stomach or a full stomach. And it is also recommended one to be well rested before having acupuncture treatment.

The idea is acupuncture reallocate your body’s energy towards healing. A well rested body that is not hungry do have more resources for reallocation. And if your body is busy digesting, again, it may affect how to body accept the acupuncturist’s suggestion towards healing.

It is also recommended to wear loose comfortable clothing because you are going to stay on the treatment table for ~30-45mins

After treatment:
If the treatment is successful, your energy are now spiraling in a more ordered and balance manner. In order to get the maximum benefit from acupuncture, one shouldn’t strain the body physically or emotionally after treatment.

I often explain it as now one is inside the healing bubble (a energetic state). Try to stay in this healing bubble as long as you can to get maximum benefits. Respect the signal your body gave you when you are in such state. If you feel like eating, eat something nice. If you feel like sleeping (happen quite often) take a nap and let the body heal.

That will depends. Acupuncture is getting more popular nowadays. Contact your insurance company to find out if your plan covers acupuncture services performed by a registered/licensed acupuncturist.

Direct billing is available for the following insurance company:
– Great West Life
– Johnson Inc
– Standard Life
– Sun Life Financial
– Chamber of Commerce Group Insurance
– Cowan
– Green Shield Canada
– Industrial Alliance
– Manulife Financial
– Maximum Benefit or Johnston Group
– Pacific Blue Cross
– SSQ Financial Group

If you don’t see your insurance provider that cover acupuncture listed here, simply contact us to verify if direct billing is available.

If you still have questions before trying acupuncture, why don’t you give us a call or an email and we will be happy to clarify any concern.

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*1 “FAQs: About Acupuncture.” Acupuncture Canada n.d. https://www.acupuncturecanada.org/acupuncture-101/faqs-about-acupuncture/ Accessed March 5, 2019

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Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash