Zachary B. Corbett, L.Ac. Japanese Acupuncture in Eugene, OR

Starting care with Zachary

Unless you are an urgent same day case, I will email you the new patient forms.  Please print these out and just bring the completed forms to your first appointment, if possible.  I understand if issues such as symptoms or technical problems get in the way - you can finish them in the office.  Please do not email them back to me.   

Sometimes people are surprised why I need a medical history if they are only coming in for one specific problem.  The answer is simple - the information helps me design a better treatment plan that gets results faster but also lets me know if you have any medical "red flag" symptoms that may be an immediate concern to your safety.

For the first visit, it is best to plan on 60-90 minutes. This varies based on the number of issues you would like addressed and time for questions.  Please let me know if you have other time constraints that day.
Apart from diagnosing and designing your care plan, the first visit is the opportunity to collect a detailed picture of your symptoms in order to later compare how much change you have received at a re-evaluation.
If you can, please think about your experience of the symptoms prior to the first appointment.  How often to you have them?  Do they ever vary in intensity or quality?  This will helpful when we meet.
For follow up visits, it is best to plan on approximately 45 min.

Are you taking medication?

Please do not stop taking them.  I do not advise about prescribed medications meant to be used consistently.  Even if the meds are only "take as needed" or "PRN" and you find them helpful or are used to them, I always encourage people to stay as comfortable as possible.  If you stay on your meds this will also help clarify your presentation to me.  Will will discuss the use of PRN meds during your first visit if indicated.  
Please bring a complete list of all meds and supplements to your first appointment.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

The benefits of acupuncture are cumulative, so more then one treatment is usually necessary. For acute conditions you can expect to have 5 to 10 treatments, but you will commonly begin to feel relief after just the first 1 to 2 sessions. Chronic conditions may take longer to respond, depending on the complexity, severity, and duration of the condition.

Preventative treatments and treatments for general well-being may also be scheduled on an as-needed basis.  

Should I tell my doctor I am receiving care?

I always suggest yes.  Experienced and well-read physicians know that care provided by a Licensed Acupuncturist is very safe and a regularly beneficial modality to try for a range of problems.  They may  have reservations in certain diagnoses where the research is only in the beginning stages, but it has been many years since I heard of a physician telling a patient to completely avoid my profession.  They will usually see your symptoms improve and it can affect their own clinical planning if they know the improvements are due to active care at another office.  My charting style is western-biomedicine based and I am happy to send my notes over to your physician or talk with them by phone.