When first contemplating making an appointment at an acupuncture clinic many people consider this for various reasons usually related to their health. Persistent pain, stress-related symptoms, or other problems such as weight loss are the common areas associated with this field of Chinese medicine. In China, however, people often use their acupuncture visits as a periodic tune up in order to stay healthy. Chinese acupuncturists often get paid as long as their client is healthy, rather than when their clients have symptoms.

There are two major parts to the diagnosis as the acupuncture practitioner begins his analysis. Physical observation and a discussion of your symptoms and environment form the basis of the examination and all observations will be written down and used together with the discussion with the practitioner.

A number of things should be discussed at your first acupuncture visit especially if you are coming in for a particular symptom or set of symptoms. Talking about several different aspects of your condition will assist the acupuncturist and enable him to make a more accurate diagnosis. Persistent pain, pain during exercise or pain during different times of the day can all lead to different treatments.

Cause and effect, if any, is also important to report. Some things to consider if stress is a component. Diagnosis for an acupuncture visit includes physical, emotional, social, and mental components and the practitioner will need as much information as you can gather about the reason you are coming.

Once you and the acupuncture practitioner get through the initial diagnosis, some time is taken to construct a plan of treatments. Depending on the particular symptom that you have, and the other personal information that was taken in the initial diagnosis, your first treatment might be the same day, or you may be asked to return on a different day to start your treatments. The time of day and the particular days for acupuncture treatments are carefully selected in order to achieve the best result possible.

Initial treatment will be painless and generally takes less than an hour. During your treatment you may feel more relaxed, a buzz of energy, slightly warmer at the needle insertion points, or exactly the same as when you came in. When the needles are still you are not even aware of them, however, the needles are doing their work to regulate and rebalance the circulation in your body. So enjoy your first visit, and know that each visit brings you closer to your optimal health.