A patient came in with extreme jaw pain after a dental procedure—along with a history of extreme anxiety and chronic jaw clenching. What a horrible combination.
This patient was nervous, yet hopeful that acupuncture would help.
What I accomplished in the first visit:
- Built a relationship
- Graph Analysis
- Explained how the pain made total sense according to channel theory
- Report of Findings
- Set up a series of 6 visits
- Treatment
- Some pain relief
Email I received after the FIRST visit:
Hello, Kimberly:
Thanks for the report, it was very informative. I will take this along with me to my new doctor that I’m scheduled to see, July 5th.
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed meeting you and how kind you were to me. But, unfortunately…this being my first experience with acupuncture, it was a lot more intense than I was anticipating.
I’ve given myself a few days to think about it so that my decision wasn’t a rash one and I’ve decided that acupuncture is not for me. It caused me a lot of anxiety and that is NOT what I need right now. I don’t think it would be wise for me to continue.
So, can you please cancel my next five follow-up visits that we scheduled and put them on hold for a while. Maybe after I see my doctor, I will have more answers about what’s going on with my face/jaw/teeth pain and in getting to the bottom of that, maybe be able to relax a little more and be able to absorb the acupuncture treatments a little better.
Thank you SO MUCH, once again. I really think you are wonderful and I wish things were different for me right now. If you’d like to call me and discuss this, I would be happy to talk to you…maybe you have OTHER alternatives that wouldn’t be as invasive.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXX
What about you?
How many patients begin treatment but don’t ever come back because needles freaked them out? This happens in my clinic every now and again. *Not to mention, the number of prospective patients who won’t even walk into the office because they are afraid of needles!
Do you have lasers in your clinic? I’m so glad I do.
I called this patient and reassured her that I do have “OTHER alternatives” to needle treatment. She happily kept her next appointment.
Text message after SECOND visit:
Hi Kimberly,
I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful experience you gave me today. I appreciate you and respect your knowledge and experience. Looking forward to seeing you next week. Plus, my stomach also feels better now!
Sincerely,
XXXXXXX
Have a great week!
.
Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.
I am really impressed. Hope to meet you someday and get some trainning in acupuncture so I can be of help to others. Great job Kim!
I’m so impressed w my AcuGraph4! The lasers are now on my “wish list”, along with AriculoTherapy 3D and the 12 CD Seminar for Acugraph Meridian Theray.
Unfortunately, many people associate acupuncture with their painful experiences with hypodermic and sewing needles. After my first 12 years of practice I got tired of trying to explain to people that acupuncture needles don’t hurt. I have not used any needles since 1990. My practice consists mainly of AcuGraph, balancing the meridians with lasers, micro-current auriculotherapy for symptoms, and treating Extraordinary Vessels with tuning forks. This has enabled me to treat many more people who otherwise would not have considered acupuncture. My AcuGraph has been indispensable in patient education and I love the red and blue lasers. Keep up the great work!