Frequently Asked Questions
What does acupuncture feel like?
Unfortunately, the thought of needles may put people off acupuncture! Often people associate needles with those used by GPs during blood tests or vaccinations. The needles used during an acupuncture treatment are very fine. Insertion of the needle is painless. Once inserted, they can produce a feeling often described as a mild ache, heaviness, warmth or tingling. Any sensation will usually settle after a few minutes. MRI brain imagining studies have shown that these sensations correlate with blood flow to the brain during acupuncture treatment. Very often people fall asleep during treatment and report a deep sense of relaxation and calmness.
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If there is a particular part of your body that you do not want to be needled, alternative acupuncture points can often be used instead.
What can I expect during my first treatment?
The first treatment is a longer one, lasting 75 minutes. This will give me plenty of time to get all of the information that I need from you, in order to formulate a diagnosis and a treatment plan. I will take your personal and health history, take your pulse and look at your tongue. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the state of one's physical health is directly affected by the state of their spiritual and emotional health. Therefore, I may ask you what seem like irrelevant questions - they are not! I will then treat you using needles (or moxa, cupping, Gua Sha, as appropriate) and provide diet and lifestyle advice.
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If you are on medication, it would be helpful if you could bring information about this to the first appointment.
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All subsequent treatments are 50 minutes long.
How can I prepare for my treatment?
It is best to eat something before the treatment. This should be a small, light snack within 2 hours prior to the treatment. If you can, please wear loose, comfortable clothing. This should help you to relax and it may also mean that I can access the acupuncture points on your body, without the need for you to remove any items of clothing. I have a number of surgical gowns and will offer you the use of a gown if you would prefer this. Following the treatment, give yourself time to relax, if possible.
How many treatments will I need?
This is a difficult question to answer and it will depend on the reason that you are seeking treatment. For example, in acutely painful conditions, you can notice a huge improvement in one or two treatments. For more chronic painful conditions, several treatments can be necessary. Or, for example, if you are having acupuncture for fertility support, it is beneficial to have a longer course of treatment. Everyone reacts to treatment differently. Some people feel major benefits following the first treatment. Others need more treatments. Also, depending on your reason for treatment, your diet and lifestyle will also affect the effectiveness of the treatment.
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I will be better placed to advise you as to how many treatments you may need, after our initial consultation.
Are there any side effects?
Acupuncture is generally very safe. On rare occasions, minor bleeding, bruising or pain can occur but this is only in 3% of treatments. Very serious side effects are very rare, less than one per 10,000 treatments.
One of the major systems of thought within Traditional Chinese Medicine is 5 Element Acupuncture. Based on the five elements of nature: fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, 5 Element Acupuncture has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a method of diagnosis and treatment for over two thousand years. It is believed that the five elements represent our controlling and creative energies. Ideally, all five of these elements should be in balance. Each Element is connected to a corresponding emotion and organs of the body. When a person becomes unbalanced, the practitioner will seek to balance the elements once again, restoring the flow of Qi.
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I am trained in 5 Element Acupuncture and find it hugely effective in treating emotional and spiritual disorders and restoring well being.
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What is 5 Element Acupuncture
What is dry needling/Western medical acupuncture and how is this different from acupuncture practiced by a Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncturist?
In the past 40 years, dry needling has because very popular in the West and is used by physiotherapists, GPs, osteopaths, and chiropractors. It is usually used to relieve muscular skeletal pain using the insertion of fine needles into 'trigger points', to relax the muscle. It is also used to stimulate the nervous system. While Western medical acupuncture has evolved from Chinese acupuncture in terms of the insertion of fine needles into certain points of the body - the similarities end there. Western medical acupuncturists do not adhere to concepts such as Yin/Yang or the circulation of Qi, and regard acupuncture as part of conventional medicine rather than a complete alternative medical system.
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Traditional Chinese acupuncturists train for a minimum of 3 years to practice (3600 hours) and must have a degree in acupuncture. Western medical practitioners will usually only do a short course to practice dry needling, often only lasting a few days. This training does not take into account the ancient wisdom, beauty, and breadth of diagnosis and treatment that traditional acupuncturists use. In short, dry needling is a very different treatment from traditional acupuncture.
Is there parking at the clinic?
Yes, there is free parking at the Abingdon Clinic and the Burcot Clinic