1. Note the medications and/or supplements you are currently taking.
If your treatment plan includes herbs, this is very important as some drugs-herb combination can have adverse effects.
2. Be sure to wear loose and comfortable clothing!
Loose clothing allows for those trickier acupuncture points to be reached, IE. something that would allow for the sleeves or pant legs to be rolled up.
3. Try to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and sugars.
If your morning cup of coffee is needed to start your day, feel free to enjoy a cup, but do try to abstain from caffeine as your appointment draws near. The caffeine can make it difficult to get accurate readings on your pulse and tongue, since coffee increases your heart rate and stains your tongue.
4. What you eat before and after treatment can affect how well the treatment works.
It’s important that you are not hungry going into treatment, but also not stuffed! The best thing to do is to eat a few hours before heading to your appointment — a full meal isn’t necessary, a snack will give you the energy to fully profit from your treatment. But remember receiving acupuncture on an empty stomach may lead to lightheadedness, dizziness or even fainting.
5. Don’t Rush.
We don’t want you to be stressed, while getting to or having your appointment. Similar to the way coffee works against calming the nervous calming, arriving to an appointment feeling rushed can have the same effects — causing a tense atmosphere as well as head space. Plan an appointment that you know that you can get to with ease, or put your appointment in your calendar put it in your calendar as 15 minutes earlier. We want to create a tranquil environment, you can help us do that by being ready to relax!
6. 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.