Inquiry

In our meeting I will want to know what you want to get out of your sessions with me. It is helpful if you have an idea of what you would like to work on. Although, there are times when this can be vague or difficult to articulate and that is okay too.

Diagnosis

I will typically begin by looking at your tongue and taking a Chinese medical pulse diagnosis. I will then begin looking for other indicators of an imbalance such as voice, posture, gait and many other visual, auditory or energetic queues and will ask questions to narrow down a more precise pattern diagnosis. Some questions I may ask can seem unrelated but will help me rule out other possibilities and fine tune my findings. It is helpful if you can provide any and all information about your health both physical and emotional even if you don’t think its related.

Please bring lab or other medical reports (if you have them), lists of prescription or over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and/or supplements.

Once I feel I have enough information I will construct a pattern diagnosis and decide the most effective treatment approach to take so we may shift the imbalance(s), selecting point combinations and techniques and/or formulating herb ingredients and ratios.

Time 

Herbs

An initial acupuncture session can take anywhere from 75 minutes to an hour and a half. Follow up acupuncture treatments are generally about 50 minutes to an hour. Custom herb consultations can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the condition and its complexity. If we decide to do acupuncture and herbs in the same appointment it generally won’t impact the length of our session much.

I typically combine an average of 7 to 9 different herbs, from the 350 I have to choose from, to create your custom-tailored formula. I prefer prescribing powdered/granulated herbs since I have found that is what my patients prefer because they are easy to take rather than cooking a bulk herb decoction (but that option is available as well). The dosage on average is 2 to 3 grams in water three times a day.

What to wear

For acupuncture, please wear comfortable clothing in which I can access elbows and knees unless otherwise discussed. The most common points used are located at or below the knees and elbows while there are also many important points on the back and torso. The combinations of points and style of acupuncture I draw from depends on the condition and which style I think will provide the most effective results.

Afterwards

People respond differently to acupuncture, different style treatments and techniques can also influence how you feel after each treatment. You might feel relaxed, sleepy, energized, achy, euphoric or have other sensations arise. These can last for half an hour or maybe into the next day while the treatment balances out.

It is advantageous to have a series of treatments so an imbalance or condition can have a chance to resolve. It is also important to have reasonable expectations, the longer a condition has had time to entrench the longer it might take to treat. My goal is always to have the most impactful outcome in the shortest amount of time, nobody wants to suffer.

Don Kimon Lightner, L.Ac.

(520)975-3983

New Patient - Acupuncture 95

New Patient - Acupuncture + Herb Consultation 115

Follow up - Acupuncture 80

Follow up - Acupuncture + Herb Consultation 110

Custom Herb Consultation 45