Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture creates subtle but important changes to the way our bodies function. Because acupuncture works holistically it is often useful to see the more general effects of acupuncture before looking at the specifics.

It has been demonstrated that acupuncture increases blood flow to areas so that the area, or organ, or gland can function at optimal levels. It has wide ranging effects on blood circulation, hormones, neurotransmitters and directly on the brain (as seen on CT scan and MRI scans).

Traditional acupuncture is a safe and surprisingly gentle treatment for a wide range of chronic and acute conditions. Feel free to ask

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it whether acupuncture will be able to help your condition. But remember, in reality we treat the person, not just the symptoms.

Acupuncture can increase or decrease the heart rate
Acupuncture can promote steady and deep breathing
Acupuncture can calm the mind and energise the body
Acupuncture can increase or decrease body temperature
Acupuncture can promote or decrease sweating
Acupuncture can slow down or speed up peristaltic action

Acupuncture (which includes moxibustion) treatment has been around for more than two thousand years. It originated in China some time between 500 – 200 BC and became a fully fledged and sophisticated medical system between 200 BC – 200 AD. It has been tried and tested continuously since that time.

It is a very safe and reliable medical intervention that is used today by literally millions of people around the world. Many agencies, such as the World Health Organisation, NICE (National Institute of Clinic Excellence – UK) recommend acupuncture, and governments such as Switzerland, Cuba, and China, include acupuncture in their health care programme.

Many world leading institutions, such as Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, University College London, and Southampton University, have all carried out research that supports acupuncture for a wide variety of conditions. In addition there has been literally thousands of research studies in China, Australia, USA, Japan, Russia, and elsewhere in Europe into the mechanisms by which acupuncture promotes healing in the body. This has all produced fascinating insights but as yet none have fully explained the remarkable responses of the body to acupuncture treatment.

In reality there are few, if any, western medical diagnosis for which acupuncture is contra-indicated. Please feel free to phone me for a chat on 020 7978 8009 if you have anything you would like to discuss.

What to Expect During your Acupuncture Appointment

I will take a full case history. In some instances you may be advised to see your doctor if your symptoms flag up a previously undiagnosed Western medical condition. However, I will never contact your doctor without your explicit consent.
I will make a diagnosis based on acupuncture and Chinese medical concepts. It is important to understand that although acupuncture sits comfortably alongside Western medicine, we acupuncturists use holistic concepts to make sense of diverse symptoms. This means that we look for patterns of symptoms and of discomfort and we look for commonalities in those patterns.
Once a diagnosis is established then we can discuss a treatment plan, in light of your stated health goals.
The treatment plan will include how many treatments are likely to produce results as well as the frequency of treatment.
The treatment itself may vary with each visit. The location of the needles may vary and the number of needles will vary. This depends in part on how you responded to the previous treatment and also on your condition on that specific day. The proper way of proceeding is to use the energy available to us at the time.
During subsequent visits we will check that we are on track and instigate any necessary adjustments to the treatment plan.
It is customary to review acupuncture treatment within four to six sessions. One should expect to be able to establish that we are approaching it in the correct way and that you are responsive to the treatments.