Before Your Visit:

1. Try to avoid eating anything at least 30 mins before your appointment.
2. Try not to drink anything other than water 30 mins before.
3. If you do tongue scraping or brush your tongue when you brush your teeth, don't do this on the day of your appointment.
4. Wear loose fitting comfortable clothing that gives easy access to your arms and legs.

Consultation:

On your first visit to the clinic you will need to have a detailed consultation where you will be asked questions about your health, lifestyle, family history, previous illnesses/injuries etc.

Regardless of whether you have come to the clinic for a rotator cuff injury or an emotional imbalance, these questions are important so we can get to the root cause of the issue rather than just focussing on the symptoms. We aim to repair the root imbalances that have led to the current condition. Which may seem odd when we think of a rotator cuff injury for example but tightness in certain tissues and imbalance in certain organ systems may have led to the injury in the first place.

In Chinese Medicine physical injury/tension is also manifest on the emotional and energetic levels too and vice versa.

Matt will also ask to see your tongue, as tongue diagnosis is a major diagnostic tool in Chinese Medicine.

Information such as the thermal condition of your body whether it has heat or cold present, the quality of the organs, wether there are any pathogens present and deficiencies or excess conditions present to name a few.

Matt will also check your radial pulses on both wrists which form another major diagnostic tool for the Chinese Medicine practitioner. Through pulse diagnosis we can determine what is going on with each of the organs and their systems, check for the quality & vitality of the blood and the Qi in the body and determine the treatment most suitable for your condition.

There may also be palpation of areas on the body that will be needed to further determine an accurate or confirm a diagnosis.

I don't know which of these treatments I need:

Don't worry about choosing a treatment, Matt will advocate which treatment is best to suit your condition and your needs. After the consultation process, a treatment plan will be advocated to you. You may well have one treatment like Tui Na or you may have multiple treatments in one session.

Just make an appointment and have a chat and we can see what you need for your body to heal itself.

What happens after treatment:

To make the most out of your treatment, I advise that if at all possible you allow yourself the time it needs to adjust to the treatment. Don't have a hot bath for instance. Avoid having a bath for at least 12hrs. If at all possible spend the rest of the day just resting and doing something peaceful like reading or just taking it easy. Obviously I understand that this might not be very practical but its best to avoid anything that will stress the body too much. Try also to avoid any stimulants like coffee or sugary drinks, smoking and alcohol should be avoided too.

Chill out and try to get to bed earlier than usual.