What can it do for me?

Some people turn to acupuncture for help with a specific symptom or condition. Others choose to have treatment to help maintain good health, as a preventive measure, or simply to improve their general sense of wellbeing. Because traditional acupuncture aims to treat the whole person rather than specific symptoms in isolation, it can be effective for a range of conditions.

Remember that acupuncturists treat the person, not just the condition which they have, so each patient's treatment plan will be different. However, you can always ask your practitioner about other patients' experiences, to give you an idea of what to expect. Many people return to acupuncture again and again because they find it so beneficial and relaxing.

In 2009 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommended that acupuncture should be made available on the NHS, as a cost-effective short-term treatment for the management of early, persistent non-specific lower back pain.

Acupuncture originated in China and other far eastern cultures where it still features in mainstream healthcare, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with conventional western medicine. Acupuncture is now widely used and accepted all over the world. In the
UK more and more people are finding out what acupuncture can do for them.

How long does an acupuncture session last?

Once the needles used in acupuncture are inserted, they will be left in place for between 15-30 minutes, depending on the type of treatment you require. In some cases, acupuncture needles will be inserted and then removed a few seconds later. Most acupuncture sessions last between 20-30 minutes.

How many sessions will I need?

It depends on what kind of condition you have. You will be asked to see by our acupuncturist once or twice a week. You may start to feel benefits after the first or second treatment, but in order to feel the full benefits of the treatment you normally require approximately 6-12 sessions, eventhough long-standing and chronic conditions will need more sessions to improve. Once your condition is getting well we may still ask you to top-up treatments every few weeks. Nowadays, more and more people start to realize that Traditional acupuncture is not only the very effective treatment for disease but also had been widely used as preventive healthcare. Many people like to go for a 'retuning' session like a body "MOT" at the change of each season throughout the year.

Your first treatment

At your first acupuncture session, an assessment of your general health and medical history will be obtained. You will be asked about your symptoms,nd will also enquire about the type of treatment you have received up until now. Questions about your lifestyle, such as your sleeping and eating habits etc may also be asked. After assessing your health and symptoms, your tongue will be looked at, as Chinese medicine practitioners believe that the colour and coating of your tongue can be a good indication of what is happening inside your body. Your pulse will be measured in both wrists and will be looking to measure the quality, rhythm, and strength of your pulse. During an acupuncture session, you will normally be asked to sit, or lie down. You may also be asked to remove some parts of your clothing, so that acupuncture points on your body can be assessed. Needles are normally inserted between half a centimetre, to several centimetres into your skin. These needles are single-use, pre-sterilised fine needles, which are disposed of immediately after use.