Treatment
What happens when you come for treatment?
Your initial visit will take up to two hours, and consists of a personal and medical consultation covering your family history, lifestyle, systems functions (eg. sleep, appetite) and full details of your current complaint/s and any test or investigations that you have had. You will also have the opportunity to discuss in complete confidence any concerns or troubles you may currently be dealing with. After your consultation I will carry out a number of short non-invasive physical diagnostic tests including blood pressure, temperature distribution and pulse taking. In most cases, aside from the most complex, this is then followed by your first treatment. Subsequent appointments take up to one hour, and include discussion of your progress and your treatment to date.
What does it feel like?
Is it safe?
Acupuncture is one of the safest medical treatments currently on offer in the UK, in fact in 2001 a number of studies concluded that the risk of serious adverse reaction to acupuncture is less than 1 in 10,000. Any minor side effects that do occur, such as dizziness or bruising around needle points, are infrequent, mild and self-correcting. To see more information regarding the safety of acupuncture please visit the British Acupuncture Council’s website.
What’s the research?
Over the years, the British Acupuncture Council has done an excellent job of working through the swathes of research into the efficacy of acupuncture, and have a page on their website dedicated to informing the public. You can access it by clicking here.
There is also a video on their YouTube channel, looking at the same subject, which I have added in case you are interested:
How Many Treatments will I need?
Depending on how chronic the condition is, a course of 4-6 initial treatments on a weekly basis is recommended to try and address the root of the issue and to try and ensure a lasting result as the effect on acupuncture accumulates in the body. Further treatments can then be spaced out according to how you have responded to treatment. Most people tend to feel improvements after the first couple of treatments and often notice a benefit in other areas of their lives such as improved sleep quality, reduced stress levels and elevated mood. Many patients find acupuncture useful as an ongoing treatment to maintain good health, with monthly or quarterly treatments.
For fertility patients, it is advisable to have acupuncture treatments regularly from 3 months out before conception / IVF transfer as this is the approximate length of time that it takes for a full cycle of sperm cells to mature / egg follicle to develop and for the acupuncture to have the biggest effect on the quality and health of the sperm / eggs.
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