• Try to have a light meal or snack prior to your session. Wear loose clothes (you can change at the clinic). At our clinic, we use real moxibustion herbs (artemisia vulgaris) that we burn on or around the needles, which has a strong smell. If you do not wish to carry that scent or if you are disturbed by the smoke, we can use the smokeless moxa instead (a little less efficient).
• If you speak english, you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire by AcuTrack in advance. If you don’t speak english, we will complete them together during your visit. This information will be discussed during your intake, to determine your current health status and your health goals.

• Acupuncture is known to induce deep relaxation, so ensure that you can take a short nap after your session, or have a relaxed day ahead. Within 4 hours after your session, do not drink alcohol or take drugs, as their effect will be duplicated and harmful. Eat a light meal and go to bed early. Avoid full contact with water (swimming, bath, shower), sauna, sports, exposure to sun or sunbed (« avoid contact with the elements »), or conflictual/ emotional situations. Keep to yourself as if in convalescence, and take pleasure in simple things (reading, music, …).

• Most health insurance companies (usually 10-12 sessions a year for 10-15€/session) and complementary insurances (up to 80% of the remaining cost) reimburse part of the sessions. Get in touch with them to find out. You just have to scan or send your session receipt.

• Often we focus on fitness (weight, muscle tone), parameters (heart rate, blood pressure) and biochemical values (cholesterol,...). Acupuncture focusses on the synchronized functioning and the motility of your internal organs and fluids. A stiff, or inflamed, … diaphragm, gallbladder, uterus, blood vessels, muscle… will lead to health issues which will impact your quality of life negatively. For example, the acupuncture point GB-34 is known to make the gallbladder contract immediately (as seen through ultrasound). LI-4 lights up the pain zones of the brain (as seen on MRI) and therewith reduces the perception of pain. In our daily lives, we make the same motions repetitively (and have the same emotions), and therewith have organs or muscles that overwork, and others who underperform. Through the insertion of needles* (a perceived micro-attack on your body), the body has a rescue chain reaction. Locally, the tissues grip onto the needle to reject it, and distally, fluids come to the rescue (blood, lymph, …). This cascade of events « cleans up » the areas that are underperforming or calm the overperforming ones. Your body then remembers, or is shown, what balance feels like, and over time, will nudge you in the right direction, which will improve your condition durably. Therefore, expect to have new emotions or new needs (food, sleep, …) when you do acupuncture and make time to tend to it.

*There are many other « attack » techniques besides needles, like gua sha (skin scraping), cupping (creating bruising), heating (moxibustion), ear acupuncture (seeds pressed against sensitive ear), etc. None of these are actually that painful, only creating a short pinching sensation followed by profound relaxation.

• At 5th Element, we want to ensure our impact to you is an improved quality of life. We do this by registering your progress through Acutrack, a public health registry used by the National Institute of Health (NIH, in the UK). They search in the database for keywords and publish scientific articles on acupuncture outcomes. All your information meets the highest standards of anonymization and GDPR. We’ll ask for your specific consent to collect your data, which you may refuse.