• What can I expect at my first appointment?
Annie will meet with you to review your health history, symptoms, lifestyle habits, diet, medications, and supplements. She will then design an individualized treatment plan taking into account your uniqueness and the results of her objective diagnosis. Initial visits usually take longer than an hour and possibly one and one half hours. Subsequent visits last one hour.
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• When will I see results?
Some see improvement in just a few sessions. With others, it may take longer depending upon the severity of the condition. Once you are able to sustain good health, scheduleing maintenance sessions occasionally can help you stay on track.
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• What is Acupuncture?
See the Acupuncture page.
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• How will I know if it is helping?
Within four treatments we will be able to tell if the therapy is working for you. Annie will re-evaluate your case and you will decide together where to proceed from there. A small percentage of any population will not respond to Acupuncture.
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• What is ear (auricular) acupuncture?
Ear Acupuncture treats and prevents diseases by inserting small needles in specific points on the auricle. Several symptoms and conditions can be addressed this way. Using ear acupuncture for addictions has especially gained recognition as of late. It can be used for such conditions as PTSD, addition to drugs, alcohol, and smoking, and is often used to assist in weight loss and mental emotional imbalances.
See also Women and Addiction.
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• What is the treatment like?
Acupuncture is a safe and effective way of supporting the body’s own natural processes by using sterile, single use needles. An Acupuncturist will stimulate the “Qi” (energy) at specific Acupuncture points to build, disperse, or regulate it according to the individuals needs. You may feel a tiny prickle upon the insertion of flexible hair thin needles. Many describe a sensation of warmth, light pressure or tingling at the site of the needle and at times in other areas of the body. This is a sign that the “Qi” is moving. Treatments are usually very relaxing.
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• Is it safe?
It is important to seek out a licensed, trained Acupuncturist and Herbalist. When Acupuncture is administered properly it should not be harmful. Let your Acupuncturist know if you are pregnant (although Acupuncture can be very beneficial for many conditions during pregnancy). If you have a pacemaker or metal from surgeries in your body, inform them of that also. In this case, electro-acupuncture would not be used as part of your therapy. If you are taking blood thinning medication, this should be reported also. In addition to being an extremely safe option, acupuncture can often prevent one from needing surgery in certain cases. Acupuncture is also a drug free option reducing unwanted side affects and adverse reactions.
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• How often should I receive acupuncture?
Depending upon the nature of the condition, visits may be once or twice weekly to begin with. When significant improvement has been achieved, visits will spread out to every other week, then to once a month. Finally, visits would be scheduled on a “health maintenance” basis to ensure good health.
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