* after a treatment session, patients can usually carry on with their day without any restrictions , exceptions include:

* do not eat 1 hour following the treatment

* it diminishes the therapeutic effect

* do not have sauna/bathing/ shower for 2 hours following the treatment

* such activities disperse a reestablished (by the therapy) flow of Qi, thus skewing therapeutic effect

* do not engage in a strenuous physical activity/exercising 2 hours following the treatment

* it diminishes the therapeutic effect

* don not consume any alcohol during the day of the treatment

* it diminishes the therapeutic effect

* do not consume strong alcoholic beverages during the entire treatment course

* this especially include chronic cases and especially patients who have pain among their symptoms, suffer headaches, have digestive tract disorders, heart and liver conditions, or patients who experience accumulation of liquids or have thirst among their symptoms

* if consumed, then only in moderation (one glass of wine for dinner, for example) during the entire treatment course

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* patients are also encouraged to eat moderately

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* if warming with moxibustion, TDP lamp or Gua Sha was applied during your treatment session, please beware of wind or cold conditions that you might encounter as soon as you leave the clinic

* skin pores are open for some time following the warming treatment which allows easy penetration of the cold and/or wind into your body tissues, as a consequence, diminishing the result of the treatment, in the best case or, can cause  inflammation of the tendon or muscle of the treated area, in the worst instance

* wear additional clothing at night on the treated area for those who had treatment with moxibustion, Gua Sha, cupping or TDP lamp

* after cupping or Gua Sha treatment, there can be a period of tenderness at the site where the cups or press stroking have  been applied

* be aware of the marking that Gua Sha or cupping  leaves on your body

* depending of the strength of your blood circulation, a cupping mark will normally fade away within 10 days, Gua Sha streak marks within 3-10 days

* cupping  or Gua Sha marks usually appear the darkest of all after the first  application, because of  stasis of Qi and Blood

* follow up treatments will result in much less marking, as the circulation improves and the stagnation is removed

* occasionally you may feel tired or drowsy for a few hours after treatment, so please take additional care if you are driving home

* increase the intake of fluids during the treatment course as this will aid Qi and blood circulation process (metabolism)

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* possible side effects after the treatment

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* acupuncture has few to no side effects

* possible side effects include:

* skin redness on the site of a needle puncture

* small bruising (hematoma of tissue) on the site of a needle puncture

* sweating during acupuncture treatment

* tiredness, headache following the treatment or during the day of the treatment

* hypotension (low blood pressure) 

* fainting (usually, this can occur as a result of patients fear of needles)

* if acupuncture was performed on your ears and semi-permanent needles have been retained for several days, inflammation on the site of the needling is possible

* in such case, remove the needles immediately and disinfect the inflamed site by applying following antiseptics:

* chlorhexidine,  or

* “surgical alcohols”:

* ethanol 60 -90%

* 1propanol 70% – 80%

* 2propanol/ isopropanol 70%  – 80%

*  or mixtures of these alcohols

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* occasionally you may feel tired or drowsy for a few hours after treatment, so please take extra care if you are driving home

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* eliminate “energy and substance leaking” causes:

* excessive coffee drinking:

* as a diuretic taken daily, excessive coffee depletes the body of water-soluble nutrients including B vitamins and vitamin C, as well as minerals such as calcium and magnesium

* this will exacerbate any painful condition as well as fatigue the patient, increasing the desire for more coffee

* because caffeine occupies adenosine receptor sites, and adenosine relaxes muscles so they may return to and maintain their resting length, consistent caffeine intake can lead to muscle strain, tears and contractions, causing and retarding healing of injuries

* caffeine also contributes to hot flush disorder in menopausal women

* the diuretic activity severely depletes the Yin

* excessive:  alcohol consumption,  sweating, urination, exercise, work, sexual activity, menstrual bleeding

* chronic illness

* lack of sleep

* drugs like nicotine, pot, cocaine, amphetamines

* distress (unresolved, ongoing stress)

* emotional strain (from work or relationships)

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* patients (with normal kidney function, renal stones are not considered here as abnormal kidney function) are strongly recommended to ingest ca 2-2,5 l. of pure water during the  treatment course

* coffee, tea, juice, herbal infusions, soups do not provide the necessary means for physiological functions as of those that pure water does

*  molecules of water in such liquids are occupied (bound) by solid substances (e.g. water soluble vitamins , sugar, salt) and, thus, are unable to bind other substances (e.g. by-products of human metabolism) and, thus, sufficiently  mediate chemical reactions, transport and eliminate such substances in the body, etc.

* the daily need of waoter (ingested in the form of drink or bound water) is estimated at about (40-50 ml per kilogram) for children and adults

* among all the waters, those that are less rich in minerals can be most easily assimilated and utilized by the body

* it is generally believed that water ingested daily on a long-term basis should have a mineral content no higher than 500 milligrams per liter

* water loss constitutes (on average, in liters): urine 1.5  + sweat 0.5  + lung vapors 0.4 + intestines  0.1 = 2.5 l.

* with hot weather, sauna, solarium, physical activity, dehydrating diseases: fever, diarrhea, vomiting, certain types of food, high calorie intake, overeating, alcohol consumption, smoking, stress the requirement for water can increase dramatically

* hot weather, sauna, physical activity, dehydrating diseases also require additional mineral intake, especially sodium, since it is the minerals that bind and keep the  water in the body

* any kind of mechanical manipulation applied by manual therapies ( e.g. massage , acupuncture, Gua Sha, cupping etc.) have the main purpose ― to increase or restore circulation of all Vital Substances: Qi, Blood, and  Body Fluids ( lymph, intracellular/extracellular fluid, etc.)

* one of the 7 functions of water in the organism is a circulatory function:

* the quantity of water in the body regulates blood pressure and the movement of the blood

* the heart is better described not as a pump that makes fluids circulate throughout the body but as an exchanger that is set in motion and kept working by the fluids themselves (circulatory function).

* corroboration of the experiments performed in this area by Professor Leon Manteuffel-Szoege is provided by the fact that, in the fetus, the circulatory system is formed and begins to function before the heart forms

* the thicker Body Fluids become, the more slowly biological reactions take place →  sufficient intake of liquid enables the body’s organic “motor” to resumé its normal operating speed

*exchanges that take place between the inside/outside of the cells occur as a result of the different pressures applied by the fluids located in various parts of the cellular membranes

* water triggers chemical reactions by decomposing the substances suspended in it

* purification of the blood by the kidneys occurs because of the pressure applied to the renal filter by the liquid carried there by the renal artery

* without the presence of sufficient water content in Blood and Body Fluids the above mentioned physiological processes are slow  and deficient, thus, having and adverse effect on the organism, in general, and skew the main purpose of the  therapy, as a whole