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Short answer - not generally. The needles we use are about ten-times thinner than that of your typical hypodermic needle, and as Traditional Japanese Acupuncture practitioners the needles we use are even thinner than your typical Chinese-style ones - about the thickness of a human hair. We also use guide tubes, a metal (or sometimes plastic) tube developed by the Japanese 1,400 years ago to help insert needles into the skin even more painlessly by distracting the body's sensory nervous system so that it barely feels the needle insertion (a phenomenon known as nociception). That said, on rare occasion you may feel a slight pinch if the needle happens to disturb a cutaneous nerve - this is especially common in individuals who receive acupuncture right before or during their period.

Most people leave an acupuncture treatment feeling calm and relaxed, although on occasion someone will feel energized right after. After the first appointment, those who come in for acute pain usually feel a 3-7 point reduction of their pain on a 10 point pain scale, and those who come in for chronic conditions will usually see a softening of their symptoms for 24-72 hours after their treatment. Since the therapeutic effects of acupuncture tend to be cumulative, the more treatments you have under your belt the longer you will feel relief.

East Asian Medicine has a rigorous diagnostic system based on both objective and subjective data points. Objective diagnosis is done through feeling the pulse, looking at the tongue, palpating the abdomen and meridians, and even identifying key smells and color hues on the skin. Subjective diagnosis is done through thorough questioning of each body system and finding patterns that match the objective data. From there points are selected for either acupuncture, moxibustion, or massage based on what we perceive and how your pulse, abdomen, and meridians change throughout the treatment.

Before you arrive make sure that you are neither too hungry nor too full, are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and have not smoked nicotine for more than 90 minutes - all of these can manipulate your pulse to the point where it will be hard to differentiate your true pattern. Also please be sure to come to the appointment without having applied lotion or makeup if possible as both can cause the insertion of the needle to be more irritating. Wear freshly laundered clothing that can easily be moved to access points from slightly above the knee and down the entire arm. For those individuals who wear bras please be sure to wear a bra that can be unhooked from the back.

Prior to your first treatment be sure to fill out the Initial Intake form that is sent to you via email - it is VERY important to do this prior to your first appointment as it gives us clues as to which questions to ask during your initial appointment and allows us to do research on your medications, diagnoses, and biomedical history prior to your first treatment to determine any cautions and contraindications. During the treatment, the first 30-45 minutes will consist of a thorough intake of questions, pulse taking, and palpating of the abdomen and meridians to determine differential diagnoses for the the first treatment as well as the best treatment plan for you moving forward to reach your health goals. After the treatment we leave time for us to discuss your treatment plan, prescribe any herbal medicine, nutritional therapy, or at-home techniques, and schedule your next appointment.