Your first treatment begins with a diagnosis, which involves listening to the patient and taking a complete medical history. You will be asked about physical problems and also any emotional stress you are experiencing. Anything you talk about during your sessions is completely confidential.
The diagnosis also includes a short physical examination. This involves taking your pulse and palpation of the abdomen, as well as some more familiar tests such as taking your blood pressure.
No two people receive the same treatment as it is completely tailored to you as an individual. Your acupuncturist will have learnt a lot about you during the diagnosis and will build on this at every treatment. She can then select the best treatment for you. Only sterile, disposable, single-use needles are used. Five Element acupuncture uses a gentle needling technique, with the fewest needles possible in each treatment. The needles rarely cause pain, but you may feel a sensation that is often described as a dull ache.
The diagnosis and first treatment usually takes about 2 hours and subsequent treatments take up to 1 hour.