Acupuncture is one of the safest medical treatments, both conventional and complementary, on offer in the UK.
Two surveys conducted independently of each other and published in the British Medical Journal in 2001 concluded that the risk of a serious adverse reaction to acupuncture is less than 1 in 10,000. This is far less than many orthodox medical treatments. Very rarely do patients experience side effects. Occasionally a small bruise can appear at a needle site. Sometimes people can feel dizzy or tired after a treatment, but this passes quickly.
Initially I like to see people on a weekly basis for the first few treatments. The response to treatment is usually cumulative and so as symptoms begin to improve, the interval between treatments in increased.
It treat a wide variety of conditions! The below links will take you through to fact sheets provided by the British Acupuncture Council outlining the efficacy of Chinese Medicine and acupuncture:
Your first consultation will be about 75 / 90 minutes and follow-up treatments will be around 45 minutes / 1 hour. This first session involves a full case history and is an opportunity for you to voice any concerns about your physical, emotional and mental health. You will be asked about your current symptoms, your medical history and that of your close family, as well as your diet, digestive system, sleeping patterns and emotional state.
I will also feel your pulses on both wrists, noting their quality, rhythm and strength and look at your tongue. Both of these are key diagnostic tools for the acupuncturists. From here I will set out a treatment plan.
When someone mentions needles, most people tend to think of those used in injections and blood tests. Acupuncture needles bear little resemblance to these. They are much, much finer. The needles are either inserted for a second or two and then removed or left in place for 5-20 minutes, depending on the desired effect. Patients describe the sensations differently – the most common is that of a tingling, dragging sensation or dull ache, but the feeling quickly fades.
Acupuncture teaches us that everyone is unique and different. Therefore, the response to treatment can differ considerably from person to person, and it also depends how longstanding the condition is. However, in most cases, you will experience significant relief after a few acupuncture treatments. Chinese Medicine aims to correct the root cause of the condition and not just the symptoms, so as a general guideline, I advise 4-6 sessions over a period of 4-6 weeks.