What should you wear to your next acupuncture treatment?

In a nutshell... pajamas!

In a perfect world, all my patients would come to their treatment in pajamas - for real. The ideal clothes for acupuncture treatment are loose, soft and comfortable.

Pants should be able to come up above the knee - comfortably, without feeling like you're cutting off your circulation and shirt sleeves should come up above the elbow.

There are some pretty important, commonly used acupuncture points around the knees and elbows. So unfortunately - this means most leggings and skinny jeans are less than ideal!

In acupuncture, even if you have pain in a specific area of the body (say, wrist pain, for example), it's pretty likely that your acupuncturist will put needles in OTHER areas of your body as well, to help address that pain.

These points are called "distal" points (aka, far away from the area of pain) and are used because everything in the body is connected, according to Chinese medicine.

So even if you have wrist pain, it's likely your acupuncturist may still want to put needles in at your knees and elbows. Wearing comfy clothes that allow access to these areas is the way to go.

Just something to consider!

If you're coming after work and can't wear pajama-like clothes, no worries. We'll always figure out a way to access the necessary points and allow you to still be comfy enough to take a nap!

But if you ever have the chance, try wearing your PJs to acupuncture (or bring them along so you can change), and see how much easier and comfier it is!