Get the most out of your next Acupuncture Treatment!
Acupuncture isn't really into hard-and-fast rules. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another. This is the beauty of Acupuncture - it meets us wherever we're at.
However, there are some general rules of thumb when it comes to preparing for an Acupuncture appointment. All are tweakable based on your constitution and preferences, but these guidelines tend to improve the treatment experience and outcome for most people.
Are you ready to get the most out of your next acupuncture treatment?
Things to Remember Before an Acupuncture Appointment
Schedule Wisely
Avoid scheduling Acupuncture before or after something really strenuous. You don't need to be sedentary on either side of an appointment, but nor should you be going nuts at the gym or suffering through an extremely stressful meeting.
Eat
Everyone metabolizes food at different rates, so adjust as you see fit, but a good guideline is to eat before an Acupuncture appointment. You don't want to show up really full, but do not go for Acupuncture on an empty stomach. It can leave you feeling lightheaded or physically depleted.
Coffee is not your friend
That is not to say that coffee is never your friend, but coffee is not your friend immediately before Acupuncture. Coffee is a stimulant. It has been shown to release norepinephrine and epinephrine, which kick your body into fight-or-flight mode. Acupuncture works to shift you away from that sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state and toward a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) one, so coffee inhibits the process. It also makes it difficult for the acupuncturist to get accurate readings on your pulse and tongue, since coffee increases your heart rate and stains your tongue. I can also make the needle sensations more painful!
Neither is alcohol
One of Acupuncture's greatest gifts is its ability to help us see more clearly. It helps us see situations and our symptoms with more clarity. Alcohol does the opposite. It numbs us, takes the edge off, which during Acupuncture is not a good thing.
Wear loose clothing
This is so the Acupuncturist can easily access the places where he or she wants to place needles.
Don't rush
Even when we schedule wisely, there is still a tendency to leave at the last minute for appointments. This makes most appointments more stressful than they need to be, but especially with Acupuncture, arriving at your appointment amped-up is counterproductive. It's similar to how coffee works against the process of calming the nervous system.
Turn off your cellphone
Last but not least, please turn off your phone. Not on vibrate. Off. Do it before your appointment actually starts, to avoid forgetting and/or getting distracted by a call or message immediately before you're about to begin. This is your time and no one else's. Make it count.
Now you know how to take care of yourself before an Acupuncture treatment.
The only thing left to do is make an appointment.
Call us to schedule one!
Hood River:
541-387-4325
-The Dalles:
541-298-2378
.
This information was taken from an
article
, written by Sara Calabro.
