Treatments

What to expect from an acupuncture treatment

Before you come to the clinic, I’ll send you an email with a form, asking for contact details and enquiring about your main complaint(s), your medical history and how well your systems are performing, such as digestion, sleep, energy levels and your state of mind.

Once I have looked at your answers, we have a chat on the phone or a video call that takes around 30-40 minutes, giving both of us a chance to ask any more questions. It’s a good plan to have a pen and paper handy, as we often speak about Yang Sheng, traditional Chinese lifestyle advice, that can make a great difference in speeding up the healing process.

Then you come into the clinic. I’ll feel the pulses on your wrists and look at your tongue (both very important in Chinese medical diagnosis) and I’ll examine any physical features relevant to your complaint. Then I will treat you using at least one, but often more, of the modalities listed below.

Treatment duration 45mins-1hour.

Treatments often include

Acupuncture

Single use, sterile, ultrafine needles are inserted into acupuncture points – most often the patient cannot even sense this. The needle is gently manipulated until it connects with the Qi and a fleeting sensation is often felt, that is hard to describe since it differs from person to person, from one side of the body to the other, and from one part of the body to another. Some people report a tingling, some a feeling of warmth, some a dull ache that disappears almost instantly. According to the desired effect of treatment, the needles may be removed immediately or be retained for 20-30 minutes. The vast majority of patients find resting with the needles deeply relaxing, sometimes they even fall asleep (which is fine).

Cupping

Popular with athletes after high intensity sport, helpful in many painful musculoskeletal problems and useful to boost immunity in the early stages of cold viruses.

Moxa and Ontake warm bamboo

A warming and invigorating herb Artemisia vulgaris, dried and prepared in different ways for direct and indirect warming of acupuncture points. Sometimes cones are burnt on top of a slice of ginger or a mound of sea salt.

Auricular acupuncture

Tiny needles and/or press seeds in the outer ear – good for calming anxiety, strengthening the organs and combating addiction.

Guasha

Moving Qi by running an implement over the skin. Great for relaxing tense muscles and relieving hot flushes.

Tui na

Chinese medical massage and Acupressure – stimulating points without piercing the skin.

Yang Sheng Advice

Poor diet and unwise lifestyle cause most of modern, Western disease. A course of acupuncture should facilitate self-healing, but for a long-term improvement, changes in lifestyle are often necessary. With up-to-date advice, we work as a partnership to evaluate which recommended changes would be most beneficial.