If you have long dealt with any of a large group of painful or draining physical afflictions, you may be harboring some curiosity about the potential of acupuncture to solve some of your issues. The most important step to take is to spend some time learning about acupuncture, its history, methodology and possible results. Keep reading to get off to a great start.
It is important to relax before going to an acupuncture treatment. If you are tense, the needles will not be able to get past your clenched muscles. Breathing deeply just before the treatment or listening to some relaxing music should help. If you are having problems with tensed muscles, let your acupuncturist know about this problem.
You should find out if your acupuncturist is NCCAOM certified before you set an appointment. This national board certifies practitioners that have completed a national exam and full program. It doesn’t say anything about whether their sessions are painful or not, but it does mention their educational level describing how many hours were spent in school and if they did any supervised internships at their school’s clinic.
Think ahead before you schedule your next acupuncture appointment. Its best that you don’t have a session right before or right after you do something strenuous. If you usually workout on Wednesdays, make your appointment on a Thursday. If you’re expecting to have a stressful couple of days, schedule your appointment for the following week. Acupuncture works best when you’re truly able to relax.
Make sure the acupuncturist you go to performs painless acupuncture. Painless treatments are very popular in the U.S. but pain can actually play a part in relieving your stress or treating your health problem. You should not try these treatments until you know more about acupuncture and are ready to try a more advanced treatment.
Eating before your session will help so that you are not distracted by hunger. The session is about clearing the mind so that your body can relax and repair. This is difficult to do if you are distracted by outside concerns like hunger. An easy rule of thumb is to eat about two hours before a session for the optimal benefits.
Write down any important information about your health and family history prior to your appointment. A trip to the acupuncturist should be treated the same as a trip to your primary doctor in terms of the information they need. This will give the acupuncturist the information they need to help determine a strategy for your session and will provide you the most benefits.
Do not focus on how long treatment will take, as this can keep you from focusing on the big picture, which is to get well. The acupuncturist likely cannot give you an answer to that immediately anyway, as it depends partly on what you are willing to do at home to help yourself.
Do not go to your acupuncture appointment hungry or full. Make sure to have a healthy snack about an hour before your appointment. Do not go with an empty stomach or after a large meal. Being to full or hungry way makes it much more difficult to relax during your acupuncture appointment.
Consider bringing your own pillow to an acupuncture session. You want to make yourself as comfortable as possible during the hour or so that it takes to place the needles, and sometimes having a little comfort at home can help. Alternately, a comfortable throw or a favorite pair of slippers might offer you just the comfort you are looking for.
If you want to get the most out of your acupuncture sessions, take steps to improve your diet. Eat more whole foods, and do your best to eliminate processed sugar. Replace coffee with tea, and drink plenty of water. Acupuncture releases toxins, and bad foods will only bring them back.
Eat something substantial before you have a treatment. You need to free all of your energy for healing, and if you are starving when you come in for your treatment, it’s like exercising on an empty stomach. You need to be well-fed and relaxed for the treatment to work its magic.
If you are really tense about acupuncture, consider looking for a practitioner that offers “community” sessions. These are acupuncture sessions where multiple people are in a room receiving treatments. Some people find this community aspect very relaxing. Don’t worry: Any consultation is done in private before the sessions, so medical histories are not shared among the group.
Don’t do anything too strenuous after your acupuncture treatment. Treat a treatment like an exercise workout. You don’t want to jump into something too strenuous after you have a treatment done, so that you can experience the full benefits of the treatment. For a day or two after your treatment, make sure to take it easy.
Don’t be surprised by painful looking red splotches, bumps, or bruises following an acupuncture treatment. Those splotches aren’t normally as painful as they look, and they are totally normal. The same with the dots and the bruises. They are all something that you should expect. These marks will go away within a few days, just be patient.
Make sure you request to see official credentials prior to accepting any form of acupuncture treatment. Just like in other areas of heath care, there are some less than reputable forces at work that are just looking to take your money. If the practitioner has no credentials, look to someone else for your care.
Speak with your acupuncture to determine the duration of his course. Acupuncturists need three to four years of medical school. An intensive course of study allows them to truly learn the art of what they are doing. If your practitioner obtained his degree from a much shorter course, be cautious about the work he is performing.
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