What An Acupuncture Session with Me Looks Like
My approach to acupuncture is gentle and collaborative. You and I will work together during the session to create a treatment that feels best for you.
First I will listen to your health concerns during our initial intake. I value deep listening and empathy—this is your chance to share everything going on with your health and I am here to listen. Everything from how your physical body feels to your emotions, sleep and digestion is important and relevant. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, all systems in the body must be balanced and working in harmony for us to be healthy and thriving.
Then I will use traditional methods like pulse taking, tongue reading, and acupuncture channel palpation to make my diagnosis and treatment plan. When I feel along these powerful channels that run from head to toe on the body, this is when the collaborative part of our session really happens. As I carefully feel along the acupuncture channels, I’m asking you what you are feeling as I put gentle pressure. I move up and down, gaining a mental picture of which points on the channel are “lighting up” for you, or which ones feel most tender to the touch. Then gently I start to insert the hair-thin needles into these specific points, and again, I’m checking in to ask what you are feeling. You may feel a heavy pulling sensation or warmth in the acupuncture point. This is known as “Qi” sensation, and this is a positive sign that the needle is stimulating the Qi flowing through the channel. From a western medical perspective, we are promoting blood flow to the area and stimulating nerves.
We allow the needles to rest and do their work for about twenty minutes, during which I may apply some gentle acupressure, or do cupping to relieve tight muscles.
Before our treatment comes to an end, I will provide recommendations for self-care at home tailored to your specific needs. For example, I will show you a specific acupressure point you can massage that encourages relaxation, or send you the recipe for a soup that is recommended in Chinese Diet Therapy. In this way, we are approaching health and wellbeing holistically and giving you the tools to make lasting change in your life.
More about Me
I am a Registered Acupuncturist in Vancouver, working at Ananta Wellness on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I help people to achieve optimal health naturally and holistically through acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques.
Book in to see me here.
Our practitioners do not diagnose or practice medicine, nor do we attempt to treat disease. If you are concerned about any medical pathology and/or disease, always consult your physician prior to exploring Acupuncture.