Acupuncture

The first appointment will take about 1.5 hours. We will review in detail the information provided on the Patient Health Summary form and discuss the main reason that brought you to our clinic. Our approach is to not only to treat the symptom(s) but the whole person. We then determine which acupuncture points will be chosen to provide you with the most beneficial treatment. Once the pre-sterilized and disposable needles are in place, we leave the room for you to relax for about half an hour to let the needles do their work. Often people experience a deep state of relaxation and it is not uncommon to fall asleep. Once the half hour has passed, the needles are removed and you can go on with your day. Follow up treatments last around an hour.

Please ensure you have had something to eat before your treatment, as acupuncture can cause 'movement' in your body systems and if you have an empty stomach, you may experience light-headedness. Please wear comfortable and loose clothing that can be pulled above the knees and elbows.

1. Do drink clean water.

2. Try to relax and have a snooze if you can and go to bed early.

3. Avoid food for about 1 hour following the treatment.

4. Avoid alcohol.

5. Avoid excessive activities on the day of the treatment. Going for a calm walk in nature is fine if the weather is nice and warm. However if it is raining, cold and/or windy it is better to stay indoors. If you do have to go out, ensure you keep yourself warm, wear a scarf and warm hat.

6. Avoid activities that aggravate your condition.

A healing reaction is not uncommon and usually wears off within 24 to 48 hours.

Healing reactions can consist of intensification of your symptoms and even old injuries may pop up for a couple of days after the initial treatment. It may sound counter-intuitive, but these are signs that the body is starting to heal itself.

You may feel fatigued after a treatment. Don't be concerned, your body knows best how to heal itself and it works most efficiently during sleep. If you can have a snooze when you get home do so and try to go to bed early on the day of your treatment.

You may feel emotional. When previous stress or trauma wasn't expressed properly at the time that it occurred, it gets stored in the body. Acupuncture treatments may bring up the old hurts, so that you can express these and bring the body back into balance.

Rarely you may experience nauseousness, feel faint, or have sweating or dizziness. The most common side effect is soreness or a little bruise where the needle was inserted. This will clear up quickly and there is no need to be concerned.

Each person is unique, it depends.

We will be able to give you a good idea after your initial assessment as to how many treatments you will require and how often.

If it is an acute issue, such as a sore shoulder, usually only a few treatments are needed to get you back into shape.

If you have a chronic condition that you have been suffering from for a long time, it can take several months of regular treatments.

Once you start the healing process, is it important to get regular treatments, as the effects of acupuncture are cumulative, where each treatment builds on the last one.

Once a person experiences the great benefits acupuncture has to offer to both the mind and body, many choose to have regular treatments.

Acupuncture treats the individual and not symptoms. Acupuncture has an effect on the nervous system and helps the body get into the "Rest and Digest" (parasympathetic) mode, as opposed to the "Fight or Flight" response. The parasympathetic mode is where the body can start its healing process.

At Reflections Acupuncture we focus on:

• Musculoskeletal issues (pain)

• Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (cosmetic and facial pain, such as TMJ)

Here is a list of most of the conditions treatable by Acupuncture according to the World Health Organization:

• Addictions

  • Alcoholic Addiction

  • Opium, Cocaine and Heroin Addiction

  • Tobacco Dependence

• Cardiovascular

  • Essential Hypotension

  • Leukopenia (not enough white blood cells)

  • Cardiac Neurosis

  • Pain due to Thromboangitis Obliterans

  • Vascular Dementia

  • Pulmonary Heart Disease

• Dermatological

  • Acne Vulgaris

  • Herpes Zoster

  • Pruritis

• Ear, Eyes, Nose and Dental

  • Dental Pain

  • Temporomandibular Joint Pain (TMJ)

  • Earache

  • Epistaxis, simple

  • Eye Pain due to Subconjunctival Injection

  • Meniere’s Disease

  • Sialism, drug-induced

  • Sjogren Syndrome

• Gastro-Intestinal

  • Biliary Colic

  • Dysentery

  • Epigastralgia

  • Gastritis, acute and chronic

  • Nausea and Vomiting

  • Peptic Ulcer, acute

  • Abdominal Pain

  • Cholecystitis

  • Cholelithiasis

  • Diabetes Mellitus, non insulin dependent

  • Gastrokinetic Disturbance

  • Ulcerative Colitis, chronic

  • Irritable Colon Syndrome

  • Gynecological, Obstetric

  • Labor, induction of

  • Mal-position of Fetus

  • Morning Sickness

  • Female Infertility

  • Female Urethral Syndrome

  • Hypo-ovarianism

  • Labor Pain

  • Lactation Deficiency

  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

  • Premenstrual Syndrome

• Musculo-Skeletal

  • Knee Pain

  • Low Back Pain

  • Neck Pain

  • Shoulder Arthritis

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Sciatica

  • Sprain

  • Tennis Elbow

  • Temporomandibular Joint Pain (TMJ)

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Gouty Arthritis

  • Osteoarthritis

  • Spine Pain, acute

  • Stiff Neck

  • Tietze Syndrome

• Neurological

  • Facial Pain

  • Headache

  • Post-Surgical Pain

  • Stroke Rehab

  • Bell’s Palsy

  • Cranial Cerebral Injury

  • Facial Spasm

  • Meniere’s Disease

  • Neuralgia, post-herpetic

  • Radicular and Pseudoradicular Pain Syndrome

  • Raynaud Syndrome

  • Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

  • Tourette Syndrome

  • Hypophrenia

  • Neuropathic Bladder in Spinal cord Injury

• Psychological

  • Depression

  • Competition Stress Syndrome

  • Insomnia

  • Schizophrenia

• Respiratory

  • Allergic Rhinitis

  • Asthma

  • Small Airway Obstruction

  • Breathlessness in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Urological

  • Renal Colic

  • Female Urethral Syndrome

  • Male Sexual Dysfunction

  • Prostatitis, chronic

  • Recurrent Lower Urinary Tract Infection

  • Retention of Urine, traumatic

  • Urolithiasis

• Other

  • Adverse Reactions to Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy

  • Cancer Pain

  • Hyperlipaemia

  • Obesity

  • Pain due to endoscopic exam

  • Postextubation in children

  • Postoperative convalescence

Acupuncture needles are extremely fine needles and are usually not painful, however some areas of the body are more sensitive than others. If there is pain, it can be due to blocked energy, causing the needle to be met with some resistance and this can result in slight pain or discomfort. Over time and with regular treatments, the energy will flow smoothly again and the insertion of the needle will usually be perfectly comfortable. Our goal is for you to completely relax so that your body can go into the rest and digest (parasympathetic) mode and can start to focus on healing. Often people will doze off and feel very relaxed after the treatment.

Yes, we only use pre-sterilized and disposable needles. All needles are used only once and are disposed of in an approved Sharps container.