Written by Hannah Sutton (Chinese Medicine Practitioner)

Here are some general rules of thumb when it comes to preparing for an acupuncture appointment to improve your treatment experience and outcome.

1. Turn off your phone. Your treatment time is a rare moment where you can shut the world out and focus wholly on yourself.

2. Prior to your acupuncture session, eat a light meal or snack. You don’t want to be starving but you also do not want to be overly full. Avoid greasy, heavy foods that could upset your stomach.

3. Abstain from alcohol for at least 12 hours before your session and try to avoid strenuous activity, caffeine and sugar within a few hours of the treatment. The less influencing factors in your system when the needles go in the better.

4. Do not brush or scrape your tongue for at least 24 hours leading up to your appointment. This allows the acupuncturist to look at the colour and texture of your coating and use it as a diagnostic tool.

5. Wear loose fitting clothes for comfort during acupuncture sessions. It is also helpful for the practitioner so they can roll clothing up to reach all of the necessary acupuncture points.

6. Once the needles are set and the acupuncturist leaves the room, take the time to practise some deep breathing and truly relax. Let the needles work their magic :0)

7. For the rest of the day after an acupuncture session it is recommend that you avoid alcohol, caffeine & strenuous exercise. Make sure you drink an extra couple of glasses of water after your treatment to help quickly eliminate any stored toxins that have been mobilised from the treatment.

8. You may feel tired after a session, so take it easy and keep yourself warm. If you are extremely drowsy you should rest. It is okay to go to work, school, or other activities following treatment. However, it is preferable to avoid overexerting yourself and high stress situations for 12 hours – your body needs some time to integrate the shifts that happened in the treatment.

9. Take notes about how you felt during and after the acupuncture session. Share these notes with your practitioner so any necessary adjustments to the treatment can be made. A notebook also helps you gain greater insight into your health, to make more connections/correlations and track progress. Also, keep your practitioner up to date with any changes to medications or supplements you are taking.

10. Be realistic and patient while your body heals. There is no such thing as an instant cure. It may take several sessions before you feel relief. Pharmaceuticals are generally designed to repress or suppress symptoms…not to heal. True healing takes time and dedication.

Taking care of yourself before and after an appointment will go a long way in stimulating your body’s healing response. Regular treatments are recommended to achieve optimal health and lasting effects. Just like you book your car in for regular services, our body/mind/spirit benefits greatly from regular "tune up sessions" as maintenance and disease prevention.

If you would like to book an acupuncture appointment at In Symmetry you can call the clinic on (03) 5429 3610 or book online by clicking the link below.

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