General FAQ
HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE?
Your first appointment is very in depth and will be used to perform a thorough intake of your medical and personal history after which a diagnosis will be achieved and a treatment performed. The first visit may take up to 2 hours, including completing documentation, taking your history, completing an assessment of the present condition providing treatment. The actual amount of time in which the needles are retained in the body generally does not exceed 30 minutes. All other sessions will take up to an hour.
HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR THE VISIT?
Please arrive early. Allow yourself enough time to use the restroom and relax before receiving your treatment. You are welcome to bring a pair of shorts to change into.
If it is your first visit, it is best to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment, to allow ample time to complete the necessary documentation prior to your visit. Please bring a list of any medications you have or are currently taking, and copies of any laboratory results, scans or reports that are relevant to your reason for seeking our services.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS DO I NEED TO SEE RESULTS?
Results depend greatly on a patient’s overall health and on how long they have had their condition. In general, chronic conditions take longer to resolve than acute conditions. After your initial appointment a treatment plan will be discussed, including the recommended number of visits in order to resolve or improve your condition.
The frequency of sessions will vary depending on how your body works and on your focus. Your commitment is most important part of your healing process.
Please make sure to let us know if you are scheduled for other treatments after your visit. This is to ensure you and that you have ample resources (energy) to receive the other treatment(s).
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WHAT ARE THE ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF PAYMENT?
Full payment is due on the day of service. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, check and credit cards.
DOES INSURANCE COVER THESE TREATMENTS?
At this time we are not currently in-network with any insurance carriers. However, since coverage varies a great deal, we are able to provide you with a super-bill you can provide to your insurance company for reimbursement. Below are some questions you can ask to assist with processing your claim. The better you understand your health insurance, the better you can optimize your health benefits.
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Questions that you can ask your insurance provider include:
· Does my policy cover acupuncture?
· Is there a deductible? If so, how much is my deductible? Has my deductible been met?
· Is there a yearly maximum on acupuncture coverage? If so, has any been used?
· Is there a lifetime maximum on acupuncture? If so, has any been used?
WHAT IS THE CANCELATION POLICY?
There is a $50 fee for missed appointments or appointments cancelled less than 24 hours in advance. Patients arriving more than 15 minutes late may be asked to reschedule or may have a shortened session, and normal rates will apply.
Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine
IS ACUPUNCTURE THE SAME AS TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE?
The practice of acupuncture is often equated with the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). But they are not equal. While acupuncture is the most often practiced component of TCM it is merely one important piece of a much larger system. Traditional Chinese Medicine encompasses several methods designed to help patients achieve and maintain health. Along with acupuncture, TCM incorporates adjunctive techniques such as:
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Acupressure
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Moxibustion
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Manipulative and Massage Techniques (Tui-Na, Cupping and Gua-Sha)
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Herbal Medicine
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Nutritional Counseling
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Lifestyle Counseling
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Meditation
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Qi Gong
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ARE TCM TREATMENTS SAFE?
Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies are generally safe if practiced as directed. They are based on the concept of guiding the body to heal itself and do so gently.
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IS ACUPUNCTURE PAINFUL?
Acupuncture needles are flexible and have the same thickness as a human hair. Their tips are slightly rounded making them ideal for separating tissue instead of cutting through tissue, making them relatively painless upon insertion. Instead of pain, there may be a dull achy or tingling sensation after the needle is inserted. Many patients sense an actual movement of energy throughout their bodies during the treatment.
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WHAT KINDS OF CONDITIONS CAN ACUPUNCTURE TREAT?
The true elegance of Traditional Chinese Medicine and of Acupuncture is the emphasis on the treatment of unique patterns that develop in each person. For example, there may be six people being treated for Type II Diabetes, but each patient would receive different treatment based on varied aspects of each one’s constitution and other life factors.
The World Health Organization (WHO) published a report listing symptoms, diseases and conditions that are effectively treated with acupuncture. This list was based on data from controlled clinical trials conducted up to early 1999.
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Pain (musculoskeletal pain/neurological pain/pain due to injuries and/or trauma):
low back pain - sprains - neck pain - facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders) - sciatica - headache - tennis elbow - dental pain
knee pain - tempromandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction - periarthritis of the shoulder
Pregnancy/Reproductive Disorders:
primary dysmenorrhea - morning sickness - induction of labor correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation)
Urinary Disorders:
renal colic (pain associated with kidney stones)
Neurological Disorders:
postoperative painstroke
Psycho-Emotional Disorders:
depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Blood Pressure:
essential hypertension (high blood pressure) - primary hypotension (low blood pressure)
Immune Function:
leukopenia (low white blood cell count) - adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy - allergic rhinitis, including hay fever -
acute bacillary dysentery (bacterial infection of the colon) - rheumatoid arthritis
Digestive Disorders:
nausea and vomiting - acute epigastralgia (pain in the stomach area) - biliary colic (pain associated with gallbladder) -
peptic ulcer - acute/chronic gastritis
The World Health Organization report also contained three other categories of lists pertaining to acupuncture:
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Diseases, symptoms and conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown, but further proof is needed (68 specific conditions). These conditions are effectively treated as in the first category; it's just that more clinical trials are necessary to meet current scientific standards.
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Diseases, symptoms and conditions reporting some therapeutic effects for which acupuncture is worth trying because treatment by conventional and other therapies is difficult.(nine conditions).
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Diseases, symptoms and conditions in which acupuncture may be tried, provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment (eight conditions).
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH GETTING TREATED BY AN ACUPUNCTURIST ON A REGULAR BASIS IS UNNECESSARY /
WOULDN'T I BE BETTER OFF WAITING UNTIL I REALLY NEED TO SEE THE DOCTOR?
Regular acupuncture treatment is an investment in quality of life. Why wait until your health declines or until you need urgent or emergency care? Our ultimate goal of treatment is prevention. The value of optimum health is infinite. Your life is worth it.
Functional Physiology & Bio-Energetic Medicine
HOW DOES MUSCLE TESTING WORK?
Muscle testing is a method which registers electric activity in the muscles and Central Nervous System to find the area of dysfunction. It is a technique used to determine communication problems, imbalances in the mind, body or spirit. Muscle testing is not painful and only muscles that are not injured can be used for muscle testing.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT DURING A TREATMENT?
Muscle testing can be done sitting, standing or laying down, depending on the muscle that is being tested. Dr. Jiménez will use body points, vials, colors, stones, statements or visualizations to help identify if these disrupt the electric current that flows through your body. Once these are identified, these imbalances will be corrected by stimulating reflex points in a specific sequence.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A TREATMENT?
All the treatments involve the movement and re-routing of energy, as well as the way your body uses your vital energy. Once your body realizes that there are malfunctions that require immediate attention, it will focus on healing these. This usually translates to a feeling of tiredness, and/or increased thirst/appetite for 1 – 3 days after your initial treatment. This post-treatment effect will gradually subside as your body completes the healing process.
One way to counter-balance this effect is by increasing your water intake and eating rare red meat (preferably organic). These are your natural medicines. Water provides your body the ability to eliminate toxins while still maintaining homeostasis. The rare red meat is “ready fuel” your body can easily utilize the intact micro and macro nutrients to replenish and rebuild. (Note: this is not the same for fully cooked red meat – your body works extra hard to break that down and very little nutrients survive the cooking process). If you are vegan/vegetarian/do not eat red meat do your best to consume the most complete proteins, but know that the “sluggishness” will take more time to resolve, as well as the benefits of the treatments to manifest.
WHAT IF I’M RECEIVING OTHER TYPES OF TREATMENTS?
Because the treatment emphasizes on optimizing your functionality, the effect of other treatments, such as massage, acupuncture, or chiropractic adjustments, etc. will be stronger, last longer or can go deeper. Reaching optimal health becomes easier when your energy is used more efficiently.