Before Your Treatment

Some clinics incorporate computer programs, muscle testing, energy scans, or Western lab testing to establish a diagnosis.  At our clinic, however, we make our diagnoses using the traditional diagnostic methods.  In order to accurately read the tongue, do not forget that is essential that you do not brush or scrape the surface for at least 48 hours.  Regarding the pulse, stress and physical exertion may alter the pulse image, so please allow adequate travel time to our office so that you arrive in a calm and relaxed state.  For an acupuncture session, appropriate dress is loose fitting clothing but please do not wear short skirts.  Finally, we discourage receiving acupuncture when you are fasting or immediately after a large meal, and sexual activity prior to or following acupuncture is not recommended.  Taking these simple steps prior to treatment will assist us in making each session the best it can be.

We Will Provide You with a Treatment Plan

In all medical systems, the resolution of more complex or chronic issues demands more intensive treatment.  In Western medicine, many conditions require long and aggressive courses of treatment, including surgery with lengthy recovery time, treatment with medications often lasting for years, or months of physical therapy.  Although Chinese medicine does not usually require long or open-ended treatment, it is difficult to solve chronic problems with only one or two short treatment sessions.   Committing to a series of treatments from the beginning allows your practitioner to design a realistic plan aimed at achieving your health care goals.

The Extra Effort is Worth It

Pharmaceutical sales, hospital care, imaging and laboratory testing, and other forms of medical care constitute enormous slice of the American economy.  The profit-driven companies involved in health care aim to attract and satisfy their consumers with simple, convenient treatments.  Chinese treatments, however, do not have a history of trying to appeal to a large consumer market and are only designed to improve health and promote well-being.  As a result, Chinese treatment often demands a bit more involvement from the patient.  Your White Pine Clinic practitioner may ask you if you would be willing to make herbal teas at home, perform simple exercises, or consider some minor lifestyle shifts.  Although you may have to work a bit harder as a member of a cooperative team, the reward of a lasting solution for your medical issues without the dangers of pharmaceutical drugs or surgery is certainly worth the extra effort.

A Chinese herb market

To a great extent, this vignette captures the essence of Chinese medicine as experienced by Chinese mainlanders. There is, admittedly, a great deal more to a Chinese hospital of traditional medicine–ranging from MRI’s to acupuncture for post-stroke sequelae–but the earnest work of the outpatient herbal medicine department is the heart and soul of every TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) institution. Although the world-renowned art of acupuncture is a vital branch of traditional medical practice in TCM hospitals and clinics, herbal formulas are the unequivocal mainstay of TCM practice in mainland China.