WHAT TO EXPECT

What to wear: for women a loose-fitting tank top and shorts, for men it’s simply shorts. Plan to arrive a few minutes early so you can relax prior to treatment. Also, don’t skip a meal before you come. Although Acupuncture is passive in that you’re just lying on the table, it does require energy from your system to get the most benefit from treatment.

For many people it’s the idea of the needles themselves that make them hesitate when it comes to acupuncture treatment. But the needles used for treatment are completely different than the ones you’re accustomed to at the doctor’s office. Acupuncture needles are hair thin and inserted through a tube that is pressed on the skin prior to insertion. It is this tube and it’s pressure on the skin that allows a pain-free insertion. Whereas hypodermic needles, used when you get a shot, are hollow, much thicker and have no tube around them to spread the skin.

On your initial treatment Warren will review your paperwork with you and answer any questions or concerns you might have prior to treatment. A postural examination usually begins with you standing in front of Warren for him to determine the meta-balance of your hips legs and foot bones. Followed by you sitting in front of him with your feet on the ground for him to determine the meta-balance of your spine shoulders and neck bones. Postural examinations are always done with any musculoskeletal dysfunction and what sets him apart from other healthcare providers.

Finally, a Japanese-style palpation is performed usually with the patient lying face-up on the table. With 6 pounds of pressure on the fingertips different areas of the body are pressed to see if they are tight and tender these are called reflex points. If active or tender there is a corresponding treatment point or Acupuncture points to be used to relieve the tension or pressure. In this way both the practitioner and patient work together in the healing process.

If there is a muscular imbalance motor point electrical stimulation is applied. The stimulation is gentle and resembles a beating heart. With the Japanese style of Acupuncture practitioners usually start on the left arm and work their way around the body left leg, right leg, right arm, torso and up into the neck and head if needed. Additionally, the timing of the needles is important as certain reflexes will clear first and then others, generally reflexes clear from the bottom of the body through the top clearing lastly in the head and neck. Treatment is usually face-up but you can be side-lying and also facedown. The longer the needles are in, the more relaxed your body will become.

At the end of treatment if there was a muscular imbalance it will be checked again in the seated position and at that point differing manual techniques might be applied to help finalize the meta-balance of the bones. Manual techniques are used at the end of the acupuncture session because your body is more capable of changing; it is softer and more malleable and easier for the patient. It is again these techniques that are the hallmark of the Miles Method®.

Warren Miles L.Ac., M.S, C.A.R (610) 770-9476