A Million and One Questions - Part I

What to expect on your first acupuncture appointment

WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FIRST ACUPUNCTURE APPOINTMENT: ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT BE ASKED during your initial assessment

Acupuncturists (R.Ac), Practitioners of Chinese medicine (TCMP) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors (Dr. TCM) want to know a lot about you. In your initial consultation, your Chinese Medicine Practitioner will use a combination of interview and assessment methods to determine your condition and give you a diagnosis. On your first acupuncture appointment, your Registered Acupuncturist will ask you a series of questions from the following 9 categories to get to know your habits, your constitution, and your general state of wellbeing. Your Chinese Medicine Practitioner will likely want to look at your tongue, check your radial pulses and palpate any areas of pain or concern.

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In your initial assessment, your Chinese Medicine Practitioner will want to know these 4 key things about you: 

1. Do you have pain?

   • Where is it? Is it alleviated by pressure? Is it aggravated by pressure?

   • How would you describe the pain 

     • Dull, lingering, sharp, cramping, burning

   • Is the pain aggravated or relieved by a bowel movement? by sitting up, or lying down? By vomiting? By moving or staying still?

   • Where is the pain (point with a finger for best clarity, don’t just describe)

2. What are your eating habits like?

• Dairy products

• Spicy or deep fried products

• Raw or cooked veggies

• We want to know if you’re a meat eater or if you’re vegan/vegetarian

• If you eat late in the day - or in the middle of the night during your shift work

  1. Do you over eat or binge eat? Do you nibble on food like a rabbit?

3. Do you hydrate?

• Is it sufficient/excessive?

• Are you thirsty?

• How do you prefer to drink?

  • in small sips

  • in gulps

  • just enough to get your mouth wet?

• Do you prefer to the fluid to be hot, warm, cold, or icy?

4. What’s the volume of your urine?

• How frequently do you urinate?

• What colour is it?

  • clear, light, bright yellow, dark yellow, brown

• Does it smell?

• Does it burn?

• Do you feel hot or cold after you urinate?

• Do you have urine incontinence problems?

  • When does the incontinence occur?

    • jumping, movement, coughing, laughing, entering your front door, in the shower, while in bed

Your R.Ac or TCMP will likely ask you one or more question from each category. To keep the assessment portion of your first acupuncture session as concise as possible, try an answer the questions above in as much detail as possible. Your Doctor of Chinese Medicine will use all the information given from your assessment to diagnose your Chinese medical condition.

This concludes Part I of “ a Million and One Questions - What to expect during your first acupuncture appointment.