What people ask before they book

Most people feel a brief pinch or nothing as a needle goes in, and then a dull ache, warmth or heaviness near it. The needles are much thinner than the ones used for injections. If something is too strong, tell me and I adjust it or take the needle out.

Every needle is sterile, comes in its own package and is used once, then goes into a sharps container. I wash my hands before and after each patient, and the table linens are changed between visits.

It varies. Many people plan a short series, weekly at first and then spaced out, and I give you a plan at your first visit. It is yours to change, and some people do not notice a change.

I am out of network, so you pay at the visit and I give you a receipt to send to your plan. Whether it pays anything is the plan’s decision. The page on how fees work lists four questions to ask.

Many plans allow it for acupuncture. Ask your plan administrator before you book.

Wear loose clothes that roll up to the knee and the elbow, and eat a light meal an hour or two before. An empty stomach and a very full one both make some people light-headed.

Some points are avoided during pregnancy, and some people are asked to check with their prenatal provider first. Tell me when you book and we will decide together.

No. Keep taking what you take, and tell whoever prescribes it that you are trying acupuncture. Tell me everything you take, including supplements.

It does not replace your doctor’s care. See a doctor first for sudden severe pain, chest pain, fever with back pain, new numbness or weakness in the legs, trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or pain after a fall or a crash. In an emergency, call 911.