What to Expect as a New Patient
Making Your Acupuncture Appointment
- Want to speak to someone before booking an appointment? You can email us at info@flourishintegrativehealth.com or schedule a free 15-minute with a practitioner here.
- Want more information about us, our cancellation policy, our practices, or what to expect? Keep reading below or take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions.
Before Your First Appointment (When You Arrive)
Make sure you have completed your online paperwork in our patient portal Jane. You will receive a link after you schedule your first appointment.
Bring any relevant labwork to your appointment if you have not included it in your paperwork.
Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothing. This allows us to easily adjust your clothes – so that we can access your arms, legs, and belly (and any other areas we might need access to).
Eat a small snack before the appointment so your blood sugar doesn’t drop too low during the treatment.
You will have an opportunity to use a bathroom before your treatment in our office.
The Intake Appointment
Your practitioner will ask you a series of questions about your health history, current state and health goals.
We will always strive to listen, understand your concerns and work with you to meet your health goals.
When we see you in person, we will also assess your pulse and look at your tongue as part of our diagnosis.
We may do a more physical examination for physical pain, such as range of motion and palpation.
The Treatment
Your practitioner will gently insert 4-15 needles.
You will rest comfortably with the needles in for about 15-30 minutes. Patients often fall asleep during this time!
- The appointment may also include cupping, gua sha, etc.
- Your practitioner will make any recommendations or provide you with supplements / herbs.
The Wellness Plan
Your practitioner will come up with a suggested wellness plan for you. This may include:
- Frequency of acupuncture visits
- Nutritional advice
- Herbal / supplement prescriptions
Lifestyle recommendations
You will have the opportunity to ask questions, make refinements, and participate.
You will work with your practitioner to create a trajectory that meets your needs and takes into account everything you are trying to accomplish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine is slow, personalized medicine. Our goal is to bring your body into balance in a sustainable manner, which can take time. For many patients, some relief does come with the first treatment. For some, it may take a few treatments before noticing a shift. Coming consistently is key to success: we generally ask for patients to come weekly to begin (occasionally twice a week for intense pain). A full course of treatment may take anywhere from a month to a year or more – depending on the issues that we are trying to address and how long they’ve been occurring.
Your practitioner will create a personalized treatment plan as part of your intake appointment, which will lay out expectations of care on a more personalized level, after assessing your specific needs. If you’d like to have more insight into the likely course of care for your case before signing up for your first appointment, please set up a 15-minute free phone consultation with one of our acupuncturists.
Acupuncture is a really gentle form of treatment – many patients fall asleep on the treatment table with their needles in! Our acupuncture needles are about 1/20 the width of the hypodermic needle that most of us are familiar with, so it’s a very different experience from most other needles you are likely to have experienced.
Most of the time, acupuncture is completely painless. There can occasionally be a pinching sensation with the insertion of an acupuncture needle, but once it’s in place, you shouldn’t feel sharp or pricking pain. If you do, let your acupuncturist know, so that they can adjust the needle and make you more comfortable.
You can make an appointment by clicking here and selecting from “Initial” (general), “fertility” or “prenatal” consult.
Of course! You have the option to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation with one of our acupuncturists. Or, you can email us at info@flourishintegrativehealth.com.
Click here to go to our New Patient page!
We recommend clothing that is loose, comfortable, and easily shifted about. For most appointments, we will need access up to your elbows, up to your knees, and possibly to your belly – so any outfit that can easily accommodate access to those areas is ideal.
You will also be expected to wear a surgical or N95 / KN95-comparable mask during the entirety of your treatment, even when you’re alone in the treatment room. If you don’t have one with you when you arrive, we can provide one for you.
We are currently encouraging most patients to come in for an in-person combined initial intake and acupuncture appointment. Fertility patients, however, are encouraged to do a virtual intake appointment instead (and then schedule an in-person acupuncture appointment for a later time) -this virtual appointment allows more time for the intake conversation, and lets us dig deeper into what’s going on. If you’d prefer to switch your initial appointment type for any reason, please contact us at info@flourishintegrativehealth.com. Heads up: you may need to find a new day / time for your appointment, if you switch appointment types.
You don’t need to bring anything with you to your first in-person appointment, other than a well-fitting mask! If you’d like to share blood work or imaging with your practitioner, you’re welcome to do so via email.
It’s helpful for us to have as much notice as possible if you do need to change your appointment, so that we can offer the time slot to another patient that may need care. We have a 48-hour cancellation policy: you are able to cancel and reschedule your appointment online with more than two day’s notice. If you need help, you can reach out to info@flourishintegrativehealth.com or your provider for assistance. If you need to change your appointment with less than 48 hours of its start time, you will need to call or email us to let us know, and a late cancellation fee applies.