Why have acupuncture?
The use of fine needles for therapeutic effect is what defines Acupuncture and the techniques are an important aspect of the whole system of Oriental Medicine which encompasses Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. As an ancient healing system the theories of Chinese Medicine have been the basis of nourishing life and optimising health for over 2,000years and acupuncture techniques have been thoroughly tested and developed as a system of medicine to resolve disease and support health.
Diagnosis
Every patient is different and your treatment is individualised. In addition to your main complaint an in-depth assessment of your daily and historical symptoms will be taken so that I can make a Traditional Diagnosis. I also use characteristics of your tongue, pulse and body temperature to give me information about the energy flows within your body. This helps me identify the patterns of imbalance that you are presenting and work out the best approach to your treatment.
Lifestyle factors
As well as receiving treatment many conditions can be improved through changing aspects of eating habits, physical activities or other lifestyle factors and I can advise and support you in making health promoting changes.
Acupuncture works!
Acupuncture is widely accepted and used around the world and there is a massive amount of information on the effectiveness of acupuncture available to those wanting to look for it.
Acupuncture has been shown to be safe when used by appropriately qualified practitioners, can be used to treat children and adults of all ages and can be used alongside conventional medicine.
Acupuncture and its adjunctive treatments have a cumulative effect and it is generally recognised that if you have had a condition for a long time it will take longer to gain sustained relief. However, as your diagnosis takes account of all your organs and systems treatment can benefit your general health and well-being. Patients often remark that unexpected benefits occur and that such things as sleep and managing stress and emotions improve.
Supporting Therapies
Other modalities may be incorporated into your treatment. See my Supporting Therapies page for details.
What does acupuncture treat?
Acupuncture is recognised to be effective by a variety of organisations, including the World Health Organisation, the NHS, Cancer Research, the Drugs Rehab Service and the Stroke Association amongst others.
It is used to help a wide range of conditions, both physical and mental. Patients often find it helps to manage chronic conditions and it can also be effective for some acute conditions.
As you can see from the list below acupuncture treatment can help to manage pain conditions and is also very effective in dealing with other system or organ based diseases and illnesses.
Conditions seen in clinic:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Stress
- Trauma
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- Insomnia & sleep disorders
- Headaches & Migraines
- Hypertension – High blood pressure
- Dysmenorrhoea & Cramping
- Endometriosis
- Fertility
- Gynaecology
- Menopause
- Pregnancy and pre-labour
- PCOS
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Digestive Issues
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Bloating & cramps
- Skin Conditions
- Allergic Rhinitis
- Hayfever & Allergies
- Arthritis
- Back Pain
- Sciatica
- Frozen Shoulder
- Tennis Elbow
- Joint Pain
- Sports & Other Injuries
- Chronic & Acute Pain
- Peripheral Neuropathy
- Chemo and Cancer support
- Low Immunity
As acupuncture by an appropriately trained professional is considered to be safe and effective it is certainly worth trying a course of treatments to see if it can benefit you. See what to expect to find out more.
Feel free to call me if you want to discuss treatment options.
Evidence
Acupuncturists often liaise with the medical profession through their patients and it is useful for us to be able to signpost positive research and evidence to support referrals for acupuncture treatment.
A recently published article for the Acupuncture Evidence Project by John McDonald looked at up to date evidence for the benefits of acupuncture:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/hpcpdnotes/Acupuncture+Evidence-plain+English+Web+version-17-Feb.pdf
Other useful links:
The British Acupuncture Council website has information for many health conditions: https://www.acupuncture.org.uk/category/a-to-z-of-conditions/a-to-z-of-conditions.html
World Health Organisation also lists evidence for effective acupuncture. http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/pdf/s4926e/s4926e.pdf
http://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org
https://acupuncturenowfoundation.org