Here are some general rules of thumb in preparing for an acupuncture treatment. These can be tweaked based on your preferences but these guidelines improve the treatment, experience, and outcome for most people.
- Schedule wisely. Do not schedule your acupuncture before and after you do something strenuous, although you do not necessarily have to be sedentary. Also, avoid scheduling your treatment in between two events, as this can make you stressed out or late for your treatment.
- Eating. Everyone metabolizes food at various rates, so adjust accordingly. A good guideline is to eat two hours before the treatment. You do not want to show up on a full stomach, but never go without eating anything before as this can leave you feeling lightheaded and physically depleted.
- Do not drink coffee. Coffee is not a friend before an acupuncture treatment. Stay away from it for at least two hours before. Coffee is a stimulant and has shown to release epinephrine and norepinephrine, which inhibits the intended process of acupuncture. This will make it hard for your acupuncture specialist to get accurate readings on your tongue and pulse.
- Do not drink alcohol. One of the acupuncture benefits is to help us see our symptoms clearly, and alcohol does the opposite. Alcohol numbs us and takes the edge off, which is not a good thing for acupuncture. Acupuncture makes you feel more aware, and alcohol will impair it.
- Remember your past medical events. Think about your family medical history, broken bones, car accidents, long-term illnesses and other injuries, along with the medications that you are taking. All these can contribute to your overall health and your acupuncturist would want to hear about them.
- Wear loose clothing. This will allow your acupuncturist to easily gain access to placing the needles. This is important if you are going for community appointments since it will be performed in group settings with clothes on. Loose clothing should also make it easier for private sessions.
- Do not rush. Even when you schedule wisely, there tend to be last minute changes with your appointments. This leaves you stressed trying to catch up. But arriving at your acupuncture appointment all amped-up will only makes things worse. So get yourself calmed down first.
- Turn off your phone. Do not put your phone on vibrate; turn it off. Do so before your appointment starts so you do not get distracted by calls or messages before you are about to start. This is a time intended for you, so make it count.
Create a checklist of these things to remind you before your appointments.
