Choose your Acupuncturist

The Netherlands has more than two thousand acupuncturists, most of whom are affiliated with the NVA. This means that there are likely dozens of acupuncturists working in and around your place of residence. So, you have a choice! But how do you make that choice?

What preparation can help and deliver many benefits. After all, a good connection between practitioner and client is important for the success of the treatment.

Koos van Kooten:
In a series of three contributions, physician and acupuncturist Koos van Kooten invites you to do some self-examination before choosing your acupuncturist.

A Good Match
When choosing a healthcare provider, you probably won't make a snap decision. You want them to be skilled in their profession and preferably pleasant to interact with. You probably also want to know if they have experience with issues similar to yours. These are important questions. They will definitely be addressed in this series, but not yet. First, I invite you to consider a few other questions. Questions intended to clarify what you are looking for in an acupuncturist.

Why does choosing an acupuncturist start with these other questions?
The more consciously you know what you find important, the better you can assess if an acupuncturist is right for you. The better the acupuncturist fits you, the better the result of your treatment will be. Why? Almost all research on the effect of treatments (conventional or alternative) shows that a good treatment relationship determines at least half of the (positive) result of a treatment. If you know beforehand what you find important, the chance of a good 'click' is greatest and is not solely based on finding the acupuncturist nice and trustworthy. A good treatment relationship is more than that. So, the order is:

Read more about Koos van Kooten in the section 'the acupuncturist tells'