Before coming to the  clinic

*A health history form and consent forms will be sent to you before you come to clinic for the first time appointment. Please take time to fill out the forms. Please also note that the reservation system is only in French unfortunately so if you need a help, please call me at 819-328-8074.

Please do not come with an empty stomach

Please take some snacks at least one hour before coming to the clinic if you are hungry.

If you are very hungry during the treatment, it is possible that you might feel dizzy after the treatment. During the acupuncture treatment, your body is working hard to heal your health problems without letting you know. Still, please do not take a big meal before coming.

Please do not take coffee or alcohol one hour before the treatment

Before coming to the clinic for treatment, please try not to drink coffee or alcohol one hour before the treatment. Caffeine and alcohol disturb the efficacy of the treatment and it is difficult to see the color of your tongue if you drink coffee.

Bring  a pair of shorts and a camisole

We have sheets and towels to cover yourself when needed. However, if you could bring a pair of shorts and a camisole, there is less possibility that you will have to remove your clothes during the treatment.

First time at the clinic. How it will be your first visit with Hiroko?

 Please note that everything we talk about during the consultations stay confidential. The consultation can be held in French or in English or in Japanese in the language of your choice.

The first consultation takes between 75 minutes and 90 minutes including the treatment (the first consultation for children takes between 45 minutes and 60 minutes including the treatment).

Your concerns

First of all, I would like to understand well your main concerns or the reason of your consultation. Please talk to me.

Questions

Then I will ask you a lot of questions concerning your general health, your health history, any injuries involved or in the past and how your daily life goes, etc. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we look at all the aspects of your life to be able to find the root cause of your health problem. There might be questions your family doctor will never ask you, but this information is very important for me in order to make a personalized treatment plan for you.

The questions I will ask you at the first consultation are for the followings (questions might be variable sometimes);

1.     Bowel Movement (Stools) & Urination

2.     Appetite & Main Diet

3.     Digestion

4.     Taste in mouth

5.     Sleep

6.     Headaches

7.     Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat

8.     Respiration

9.     Dermatology

10.   Body Temperature

11.   Sweat

12.    Emotion & Memories

13.   Stress Level & Energy Level

14.   Your menstrual cycle (for women only)

Pulse

After the questions, I will take your pulse on your wrists to know the condition of your health in general and the organs most likely affected to establish a Chinese Traditional Medicine diagnosis.

Tongue

I will also ask you to show me your tongue. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the tongue is the only organ we can see and it shows the condition of your internal organs.

During the first consultation, I might palpate some parts of your body for examination purpose; it might be on abdomen or the parts that I believe there might be any effect on your condition. Please do not worry because I would not palpate any sensitive parts or private areas and I will only palpate your body with your permission.

Treatment

After the consultation, you can lie down on the massage table, either on the  belly or on the back or on side depending on the treatment and your comfort. A part of the massage table is declinable for your comfort and there are cushions/pillows to maximize your comfort.

We have sheets and towels to cover you if necessary. However, if you can wear shorts and a camisole (please bring them) or loose clothes, there is less possibility that you might have to take off your clothes for the treatment. I can only decide where to put acupuncture needles after the consultation, so unfortunately, I cannot tell you before you come to the clinic if you might need to take off your clothes or not.

It is possible that you stay sitting on a chair or sitting up on a massage table during the  treatment so you can move. I use different techniques and when I use the  “Balance Method”, I use distal points (points often on the extremities and not on your pain location) and I will need you to keep moving your arms, your legs, your neck, your back or walking depends on your condition to have the best result. 

Once needles are set on your body, you can take a rest on the massage table for 20-30 minutes or more, you can take a nap, listen to music or just relax. I might come back to stimulate needles (especially during treatment for pain) or to make sure everything is OK with you. 

I will stay not too far from you , so if you need anything, let me know.

To know all the different techniques used for a treatment, please go see the index “Acupuncture+”.

The first consultation for children also includes a consultation and a treatment. However, the treatments are normally offered without needles unless children are comfortable with acupuncture needle treatments. In the case I use acupuncture needles, the needles are inserted only for a few second or for a very limited time. For the techniques used for children, please go see Shonishin (Pediatric Acupuncture) under the index of “Acupuncture +”

After the treatment

 Please drink water (not cold but at room temperature) after the treatment. 

It is recommended not to do any intense physical activities for the rest of the day after the treatment.