Initial consultation
During the initial consultation I will take a full medical history and you will have the opportunity to tell me your goals for acupuncture, any current problems you have, any medications you are taking, your general health, your lifestyle and your emotional well-being. Please use this time to give me a full and clear picture as this will give me the chance to understand how best to treat you. I will also take your blood pressure and use Chinese diagnostic methods such as taking your pulse by feeling pulses on both wrists, looking at your tongue, and palpating points on your abdomen and torso for any tenderness. I will explain these fully as I go along. I also work openly and you are very welcome to ask any questions you wish.
First treatment
The first treatment is done in the same session as the initial consultation and consists of a detox for your whole system, a bit like cleaning a cup before you put fresh water in it. Then I choose a treatment tailored especially for you and your individual needs.
Subsequent treatments
Each treatment begins with a chat where you give me feedback about how you have felt since the last treatment. Using this, together with your case history, I will continue to design treatments tailored to your needs.
Frequency of treatments
As treatments are focussed on the unique person, the number of treatments depends on response to treatment rather than the condition or symptom. Usually, treatments are weekly to begin with, and with improvements visits become less frequent. Some people feel adequately improved after a few treatments and don't feel the need to come again. Others need more regular treatment to begin with and then space treatments out so they are coming monthly or bi-monthly for a few months. Some choose to continue to return to acupuncture even after they feel better as a preventative measure and for general well-being perhaps twice or four times a year. Others return to acupuncture more regularly during times of physical or emotional stress to support them through those periods. Treatment frequency is something that we can discuss together by assessing and evaluating whether you are reaching your treatment goals.
Acupuncture tools
Acupuncture involves inserting very fine sterile and disposable needles, approximately one or two hairs' breadth, into various acupuncture points on the body. Sometimes tools other than needles are used, including “moxibustion”, “cupping therapy” and “gua sha”:
Moxibustion warms an acupuncture point or a collection of points by burning a herb over the skin – don't worry - this does not burn your skin in any way!
Cupping therapy involves placing special plastic cups on the skin and removing the air from the cup, it is especially useful for muscular tension.
Gua sha is similar to cupping but involves drawing a plastic or ceramic board about the size your palm over the skin, again it is useful for relieving muscular tension.