Your acupuncturist will try to determine the nature of your body's disharmony by careful questioning and observation.
The character and onset of the symptoms, the responses to your environment and your emotions can all be useful pointers to an imbalance.
The tongue will be inspected for its structure, colour and coating. The acupuncturist will feel your pulse and can distinguish between its quality and strength at six different positions on each wrist, determining the state of the twelve main meridians.
Having decided on the cause of the problem, the points and method of treatment are then selected to rules governing the movement of the energy.