Anshen Zentrum Alte Donau Traditionelle Chinesische Medizin und Heilkunst
Informations about the TCM treatment Dear patients! Thank you for giving us your confidence and choosing our clinic for a TCM treatment. We will do our best to treat you as pleasently and successfully as possible. Let us give you some organizational informations and an overview about the offers of our clinic. In the Anshen Institute you will be treated by our five experienced doctors. Apart from our head doctor, Dr. Christopher Po Minar, the expertises of all of his colleagues Dr. Alfred Rapp, Dr. Nicole Konrad, Dr. Bettina Unden and Dr. Eva Ernst are available to you. Depending on your preferences your first interview will take place with one of those experts. All of those five were trained in China by worldwide recognised chinese TCM professors. First appointment In the first interview we ll talk about your medical disorders, diseases and issues. Depending on your TCM diagnosis (taken by tongue and pulse diagnosis) we choose the most appropriate form of therapy for you and create a corresponding treatment plan by the principles of TCM. In most cases this will be an acupuncture treatment and/or a treatment with chinese herbs. During the first appointment we will also talk about fundamental principles of nutrition. Afterwards we will send you a list of foods than can be used to treat your TCM-imbalance. Furthermore we will send you instructions for special exercises too. Basically we offer two forms of the first appointment: First appointment classic Detailed consultation including TCM diagnosis by tongue and pulse observation, creating an individual nutrition plan and Qigong plan plus the first acupuncture treatment and/or herbal prescription (duration 45-60 minutes). First appointment with TCM nutrition coaching Detailed consultation including TCM diagnosis by tongue and pulse observation, creating an individual nutrition plan and Qigong plan plus the first acupuncture treatment and/or herbal prescription (duration 45-60 minutes). Additional TCM nutrition coaching with one of our TCM nutritionists Mag. Robert Hirt or Gabriele Rauch (duration 60minutes). If you haven t got a coaching about TCM nutrition anywhere else, we would always recommend the second form of our first appointment, because healthy nutirion represents an important part of a successful TCM therapy. The benefit of this version is, apart of the cheaper price, that you have a full extra hour of time to talk with our TCM nutritionists Mag. Robert Hirt or Gabriele Rauch about all of your eating habits. Based upon that one of the two can create a more accurate nutrition plan for you. They will give you numerous tips and tricks to implement and practice the nutritional guidelines of your TCM therapy. In the course of that they can also give you many cooking suggestions. This second version of our first appointment is only bookable in advance. If you re interested in it, feel free to contact us! 2
Following appointments In the following appointments you ll have a short conversation about the course of your therapy, where you can talk about all current events. We will always make a tongue and pulse diagnosis. Based upon that you will get a new herbal prescription and/or an acupuncture treatment. That depends on your case. If you are in an acupuncture treatment, we recommend to have it as frequently as possible (usually once a week in acute cases twice or three times a week). Herbal prescriptions are usually adapted every few weeks. TCM block of eight For patients who come regularly we offer and recommend a TCM block of eight. This includes eight following appointments for a cheaper price than usually. Acupuncture treatment Acupuncture treatment process During acupuncture we insert very thin needles at certain meridians of the body. Usually you hardly feel the needle sting through the skin. You may feel a sensation of warmth, tingling or pulling (De Qi-feeling). Then we let you lie and relax for about 20 minutes, until we remove the needles. In this way the energy balance of the body will be regulated, so the body can heal. Interval of an acupuncture treatment The long-term success of an acupuncture treatment depends, among other things, on regularity, frequency and repetition. The ideal frequency of an acupuncture treatment is once or twice a week. So if you would like an intensive acupuncture treatment, we offer a cheaper version in form of the TCM block of eight (see the price list). Possible side effects of an acupuncture treatment Acupuncture is a real safe form of therapy, which is without any major side effects. In rare cases you could get slight circulatory problems especially needle-sensitive people. Please make sure to drink enough water or tea before and after the treatment. Bruises can sometimes be a consequence, but those are really rare, harmless and will disappear after a few days. Laser acupuncture As an alternative to the conventional form we offer an acupuncture treatment with laserlight for children or sensitive people. These form is totally painless and similar effective. 3
Herbal therapy Chinese herbal therapy process As a herbal therapy your doctor will write an individual prescription of a variety of herbs. You will usually get your herbs in form of a granule. You should take them two or three times a day by dissolving them in boiling water before you drink them. You can do that before as well as after eating, but there should be a short gap of time in between. The whole quantity of your granule, which you take per day, is usually around 8-10g (e.g. 2x 4-5g). In certain cases the quantity can be higher or lower. If the taste is too unpleasant for you, try to use more or less hot water to dissolve the herbs. You could also take your granule in dry form (simple swallow it) followed by a glass of water. Generally it is also possible to order your herbs in form of pills, capsules, decoction or hydrophilic concentrate. The last form is completely tasteless, which is usually recommendable for young children. Adaption of a chinese herbal therapy To ensure long-term success herbal prescriptions should be adapted every two to four weeks, according to current complaints and developments. Therefore your doctor always needs to have an actual tongue and pulse diagnosis as well as a short conversation. In some cases the interval until your new prescription can be a bit longer or shorter than usual. Order and costs Generally we always send your personal prescription to the pharmacy of your choice to have them prepared. As soon as they have mixed the herbs for you the pharmacy will generally contact you by phone or text message. This process usually takes one or two days. Please note, that you have to buy the herbs from the pharmacy and pay for them. The costs for herbs can vary according to the prescription. It can always be a slightly different price because some individual herbs may cost more than others. In most cases the price for your herbal granule (with a standard dose of about 2x 4-5g per day) will cost about 25,- to 35,- for one week amount. In some cases it can be more expensive or cheaper. This depends on the composition of the herbs and the quantity of each individual herb, which are inside your granule and the quantity of every herb. If the price of your herbal granule for one week is higher than 40,- the pharmacy will usually consult you before starting to mix it. Please be aware that chinese herbs are not simply herbal teas but medical preparations, which are only available on medical prescription. In Austria the quality and purity of all the chinese herbs is strictly regulated and of highest standards. Possible side effects of a chinese herbal therapy Usually chinese herbs are very well tolerated, side effects are very rare. In some cases mild diarrhea, constipation or flatulences can occur, when the body is not used to digesting herbs that he has never eaten before. Such side effects are generally really rare, and can easily be fixed by adapting the herbal presciption. Other cases of incompatibilities or allergic reactions are extremely rare, but can never be completey excluded. If you have many severe allergies to diverse foods, we recommend to start the herbal therapy with small doses (around 0,5-1g), then slowly increase the doses up to the prescribed amount. 4
We always recommend to order small quantities of herbs (for example an order for two-three weeks) and reorder it afterwards in the pharmacy instead of ordering bigger quantities since this always includes the risk that the herbs must be thrown away in case of any incompatibility. In case of doubt feel always free to contact us! Acute infections during herbal therapy If you get an acute infection during your herbal therapy, please pause the intake of herbs until you are in your regular state of health again. During acute infections the body is in a different state of being and therefore would need other herbs for such a situation. Please note that acute infections can also be treated by TCM with herbs and/or acupuncture. Herbal therapy during pregnancy If you get pregant during the herbal therapy, please pause the intake of herbs and contact us. Your TCM-doctor can then adjust the herbal prescriptions for supporting you during your pregnancy. Taking a break during the herbal therapy In general it is not a big issue if you pause your TCM-herbs for a couple of days in case your herbs run out before your next appointment. If that pause is longer than a few days we advise to order a new package of herbs from the pharmacy in order not to interrupt your treatment for a longer period of time. Appointments Our clinic times Office: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dr. Christopher Po Minar: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dr. Alfred Rapp: Dr. Nicole Konrad: Dr. Bettina Unden: Dr. Eva Ernst: Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Every second Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to half past 11 a.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, 2 p.m. to half past 7 p.m. Every second Monday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Every second Tuesday, 8 a.m. to midday Thursday, 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Arranging followup appointments If you can only attend a treatment at certain times of the week, we recommend to arrange follow up appointments three to four weeks in advance, otherwise it might be possible that we can not offer you an appointment at your requested time. Certainly you can arrange several appointments in advance. 5
Canceling an appointment and cancellation conditions Since we want to take enought time to treat you as pleasently and successfully as possible, all your appointments in our clinic are exclusively reserved for you only. Please always try to be on time for your arranged appointments. If you would like to change or cancel an appointment, please always do so at least 24 hours in advance. This gives other patients the chance to get an appointment that they might be waiting for. Please not that we have to charge the full price of an appointment, if it is not canceled 24 hours in advance. Thank you for your understanding! If I get sick, should I come to my appointment? Yes, certainly! Especially when you have got an acute infection, it will certainly be helpful to treat it with acupuncture and herbal therapy. This ususally works very well. Billing Appointments have to be paid for on the spot after treatment (except you have got a TCM block of eight ) in cash, by a bank card or credit card. Cost refundment through national health insurance In Austria the national health insurance generally does not refund the costs of a TCM treatment. In some cases you get a small refund for your acupuncture treatment, depending on your diagnosis. In most cases only pain treatments of the musculoskeletal system are refunded. Please note, that in most cases the national insurances will not refund anything or refund less if you have visited a different doctor of the same field in the same quarter of the year. This also applies for the different TCM-doctors in our clinic. Cost refundment through private insurance Private insurances that cover complementary medicine will usually refund 80 percent of your fee (and even the costs for your chinese herbs). Therefore you can also submit your bills of the pharmacy at your private insurance. Pricing First appointment The classical first appointment includes a detailed consultation with creating a TCM diagnosis by tongue and pulse diagnosis, creating an individual nutrition plan and Qigong plan together with a first acupuncture and/or herbal prescription (duration 45-60 minutes): 160,- (flat rate), for children: 130,- First appointment with TCM nutrition coaching This second option of a first appointment consists of a detailed consultation with creating a TCM diagnosis by tongue and pulse diagnosis, creating an individual nutrition plan and Qigong plan together with the first acupuncture and/or herbal prescription (duration 45-60 minutes). Additional TCM nutrition coaching with one of our TCM nutritionists Mag. Robert Hirt or Gabriele Rauch (duration 60 minutes): 225,- (flat rate) This second version of our first appointment is generally only bookable in advance. If you re interested, feel free to contact us! 6
Follow up appointments Follow up appointments includes consultation with pulse and tongue diagnosis, acupuncture treatment and/or adaption of your herbal prescription: 85,- (flat rate), for children: 70,- TCM block of eight for follow up appointments: 560,- (Flat rate for eight treatments, 70,- per treatment inclusive acupuncture and herbal prescription) You can certainly buy a gift-voucher of all our services too! Contact If you have questions or for whatever issue, feel free to contact us anytime. You can reach us at 0676 609 67 57 oder via e-mail by contacting office@anshen.at. If we can not answer your phone call immediately please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We wish you the best of health and to get well soon! Thank you very much for your trust! Dr. Christopher Po Minar Dr. Alfred Rapp Dr. Nicole Konrad Dr. Bettina Unden Dr. Eva Ernst and your Anshen Team You find all informations about the Anshen Institute for Tradional Chinese Medicine at www.anshen.at 7