New Patient Process: Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

To book any new patient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Acupuncturist visits at the Marsden Centre, you will need to contact reception, who will schedule your first appointment. We recommend an initial session of 90 minutes for new TCM patients. For those with only one specific complaint or who are already naturopathic patients at the Marsden Centre, a slightly shorter initial session can be scheduled. Your initial appointment will include the TCM assessment, medical history, treatment plan discussion and (time-permitting) an actual acupuncture session. 

Standard TCM New Patient Visit

Before your visit, our reception will ask to complete a health questionnaire and a few forms in advance, to save time during your actual appointment. When you come for your visit, you will sign in at reception. You will then will meet with a Registered Acupuncturist who will complete your Traditional Chinese Medicine intake and formulate a treatment plan specifically tailored to your needs and history. During the initial session, your provider will take your medical history, reviewing any current health problems, allergies, medications, family history, etc., and perform a TCM assessment and diagnosis consisting of questions and a physical examination, including looking at your tongue and pulse and pressing on your abdomen (traditional parts of the Asian medicine diagnosis). You are welcome to ask questions at any point, and we will ask for your formal consent before starting any treatment. Treatment plans may include dietary modifications, exercises, lifestyle counselling, herbal recommendations, etc.

Cancer-relatedTraditional Chinese Medicine New Patient Visit

Patients currently awaiting or undergoing treatment for a diagnosis of cancer have a slightly different intake process, with slightly different forms. If you are being referred to the Marsden Centre’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Services by another healthcare professional for integrative cancer care, please ensure your provider has filled out our referral form which can be found by clicking here. This will expedite the first patient visit. If you are not being referred by a healthcare provider to our centre please contact reception to set-up a new patient visit

In preparation for your first visit, if you are not already a patient at the Marsden Centre, we ask that you obtain copies of all relevant diagnostic assessments (imaging reports, pathology reports, blood work reports) along with recent consult notes. These can normally be provided by requesting this information from your oncologist’s reception or the hospital records department. If possible, please fax or email these reports to the Marsden Centre reception ahead of our visit so your practitioner has a chance to review thereby expediting your visit. If you are unable to get copies of these reports before your first visit, you will be asked to sign an authorization for release of your clinical file information from your treating oncologist/hospital.