Your First Visit
Your First Visit
- Plan to arrive 15 minutes before your appointment to fill out new patient forms. These are all done electronically on an iPad: the system is very straightforward and easy. Be sure to smile for your picture!
- It will be helpful to have a list of your current medications and supplements, including the dosages, and any current lab work you may have recently had.
- Try to eat something before your visit and drink plenty of water following your treatment.
- Plan to spend 2 hours at the office for your initial visit. This includes a thorough medical history, physical exam, and your first treatment. Subsequent visits will be approximately 1 hour.
At your first visit, Dr. Smith will assess your current state of health. The interview will include questions covering both the Western and Eastern etiology of disease. Dr. Smith will perform a physical examination, including looking at your tongue and feeling your pulse, which are diagnostic techniques used by Traditional East Asian Medical practitioners.
She will integrate her knowledge of biomedical causes of disease with that of Traditional East Asian Medical diagnostic patterns and develop a treatment plan that is comprehensive and tailored to your individual needs.
Dr. Smith will then treat you with various Traditional East Asian Medical techniques. In almost all cases this will include acupuncture, and may also include moxibustion, massage techniques (Tui-Na), cupping, gua sha, or medicinal herbs. She will use your body’s feedback as she progresses through the treatment, ensuring that you are receiving precisely the acupuncture points, at precisely the angle and depth, that your body needs for optimal results. To do this, she uses a combination of Japanese (Kiiko style) and Chinese style acupuncture.