We recommend that you read this first as it will clearly lay out what you can expect as a new patient and the steps you will need to take to gain maximum benefit from your treatment.
Health has a lot to do with personal responsibility. Our clinic can certainly offer you very powerful support in overcoming chronic health problems or pain. But it will ultimately be up to you to be accountable for your own health by being compliant with the lifestyle recommendations we offer, whether they are dietary, exercises or stress reduction techniques.
With chronic health conditions, a lot of patients assume that acupuncture works like magic and all they have to do is show up for treatment and their problems will disappear. This is not how Chinese medicine works. Especially with chronic health issues, we have to work together as a team and implement a variety of lifestyle strategies for the acupuncture to work on the deepest level. If you
have been told that ‘acupuncture should work on the first treatment- or else it’s not going to work at all’, this is false information and we encourage you to consider otherwise.
Many times, the effects of acupuncture will take hold after an initial 3-6 treatments depending upon your situation. Sure, there are times when pain will disappear after the first treatment, especially conditions of recent onset, but for chronic issues you can expect it to take some time.
Steven Gordon, L.Ac. will be very excited to work with you if you are willing to hold yourself accountable to these very important action steps:
1. Consistency in treatment – On your first visit we will discuss the frequency and number of treatments to reach maximum progress. We ask that you make a commitment to the treatment plan by making your visits a top priority. Acupuncture and herbal medicine work best with consistent and cumulative care.
2. Eat an organic whole foods diet – This is one of the most important steps you can take to heal all kinds of chronic conditions. A diet of processed foods, filled with preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, added sugars, and artificial sweeteners, eaten long term, are the major cause of most chronic illnesses.
3. Exercise 3-4 times a week – Walking, biking, swimming, yoga, stretching, etc., preferably something you enjoy so that you will continue long term and make part of your lifestyle.
4. A few minutes a day of quiet time and introspection – Meditation and breathing exercises are ideal for this purpose.
5. Willingness to let go – Commitment to breaking the destructive habits that are undermining your health.
We have found that Chinese medicine can work on very profound levels if these basic steps are taken. We only ask that you do the best you can do to follow these guidelines, as they will ensure that you will receive full benefit from our care. After seeing hundreds of patients over the past several years, we’d like to share with you an overview of the patient that does best with our approach. Our ideal patients:
- Are willing to take responsibility for their health: They are not just looking for a magic bullet that will instantly cure their conditions
- Are compliant: They are happy to make recommended lifestyle changes and to take their prescribed herbs
- Value their health and the treatment process: They make a commitment to showing up on time for treatment and sticking to their appointments because they know how important it is
- Are eager to learn and grow in the knowledge of keeping healthy
- Have persistence through setback: Healing is not linear. Sometimes setbacks can occur through events that are not under our control. It is very important to work through these and get to the next level.
If this describes you, great! We’d love to have you at our practice and you should do very well with our approach. Be sure to start by downloading our How to Thrive e-book by entering your email on our Home page. Then call us at 212-254-9534 and we’ll get you in just as soon as we can!
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