Your Safety and Well-Being Remain a Priority
- Our facility has been deep-cleaned.
- We have implemented enhanced disinfection protocols.
- We have reduced our capacity to ensure social distancing, and adequate time for disinfecting between patient appointments.
- Your practitioner will be using required PPE.
- Our faculty, staff, and students must complete health screening daily upon arrival.
- Everyone on site is required to wear an appropriate face mask at all times.
- Our systems have been analyzed for maintaining proper ventilation, and HEPA filters are running in each treatment room.
Before Your First Appointment
- Learn about Patient Procedures and Precautions.
- Eat a light meal within 1-2 hours before your treatment.
- Wear comfortable clothing.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other stimulants before your treatment.
- Bring copies of previous tests, lab results and any medications or supplements you are currently taking.
- You may also want to bring a list of current symptoms and health concerns.
What to Expect During Your First Visit
The ACTCM Clinic has now transitioned to EHR (Electronic Health Records) to better serve our patients. In doing so, we are now having our patients fill out new Patient Information Forms as well as a Covid-19 Screening Questionnaire within four hours of each appointment. The Patient Information Form includes questions about your medical history, your family’s medical history, diet, mental health, as other pertinent health questions. The Covid-19 Screening Questionnaire is based on questions derived from the San Francisco Department of Public Health website. Both forms must be completed before the appointment. Upon arrival onto the premises, patients must wait outside either in their vehicles or on the patio. Signs are posted in the parking lot and patio to call the front desk to check-in. A new patient visit typically last 90 minutes, with follow up visits lasting about 75 minutes. In booking your appointment, you will have the option of being treated by a senior student intern or a trainee/observer group with a supervising licensed acupuncturist. A typical acupuncture treatment at the ACTCM Acupuncture and Herbal Clinic is structured as follows:
- Patient Interview: At the outset of your treatment, your practitioner(s) will ask you a series of questions about your chief complaint, overall health and well-being, and your lifestyle including sleep patterns and diet. This gives the practitioner a holistic understanding of your condition and an opportunity to answer any questions you may have. The interview lasts approximately 30 minutes.
- Physical Exam: The physical exam portion of the treatment utilizes the Traditional Chinese Medical diagnostic tools of pulse, tongue and facial diagnosis. For patients seeking pain relief, practitioners may also use palpation and range of motion testing in the physical exam.
- Treatment: After your practitioner(s) determines your TCM diagnosis and treatment plan, they will place you in a comfortable position to begin the acupuncture treatment. While being treated, you will relax in a private room for 20 to 30 minutes. Your practitioner will then return to take out the needles. The practitioner may also employ adjunct therapies such as cupping, moxibustion or electro stimulation in addition to acupuncture depending on your condition and diagnosis.
- Herbal Formulas: If your practitioner deems it necessary, he or she may also prescribe Chinese herbal medicine. This herbal formula will be filled in the clinic’s herbal dispensary, ready for pick-up after your treatment.