New Patient Forms

Click to download S.W.A.P.’s new patient forms.

If you are having difficulty printing the forms, or need them emailed, faxed or mailed to you please call 415-205-5695.

Please bring the completed forms to your initial appointment. Please include on these forms all confidential information you wish to convey to the acupuncturist. Opportunities to express confidential information verbally may be limited in our community treatment setting. Filling out these forms as completely as you can before arriving for your treatment will help your acupuncturist to give you the most effective treatment possible.

Getting the most from your acupuncture treatment

• Before treatment:
  
  Wear comfortable clothes that allow access to arms up to the elbows and legs up to the knees. If you are coming for neck or upper back conditions, please wear a tank top or other attire that will allow access to these areas. Be sure to eat something before your treatment. Acupuncture on an empty stomach, or when you are very tired, has the potential to make you feel even more depleted. Please let your acupuncturist know if you are hungry or exceptionally tired and she will tailor your treatment accordingly.
  
  Finally, please arrive 10 minutes early to your appointment. S.W.A.P. is a high-volume clinic, and patients are scheduled up to every fifteen minutes. This means that if you are more than 5 minutes late you might not be able to be seen that day. We will do everything we can to accommodate you, but please make your best effort to be on time. We will too.


• What to expect during your 1st treatment:
  
  When you enter the treatment room, you will select the recliner you want to be treated in, and you will stow your belongings under your chair. The acupuncturist will review your intake forms, and will ask you any clarifying questions she might have. She will do this without revealing any confidential medical information to other patients that might be in the room. The acupuncturist will then look at your tongue and feel your pulse on both sides. Both the tongue and pulse offer important diagnostic information. The acupuncturist will then formulate a diagnosis and decide upon a treatment plan. Most acupuncture treatments include the needling of eight to twelve acupuncture points, mainly on the arms from the elbow down and on the legs below the knees. Sometimes points on the head and on the outer ears are also used.
  
  Acupuncture needles are hair-thin and flexible. Most people find acupuncture to be painless and relaxing, even euphoria-inducing. You might feel sensations such as warmth, tingling, heaviness and aching radiating from the treated points. These sensations indicate an effective treatment. If you ever feel sharp pain or burning, please tell the acupuncturist immediately so that she can adjust your needles until you are comfortable.
  
  Most people fall into a deep state of relaxation during their treatment, and many fall asleep. Treatments generally last between 20 -40 minutes.


• After treatment:
  
  Some people experience mild euphoria after acupuncture. Sitting for a few minutes after the treatment and drinking a little water can help you get ready to face the world again. In the hours after treatment, it is ideal to refrain from strenuous exercise or heavy alcohol or drug use. Acupuncture is like a reset button for your body, and the positive changes will continue after the treatment, so take it easy.