How Does It Feel? Is it Safe?
Acupuncture needles are very fine the sensation should not be confused with giving blood or vaccinations. The insertion of the needle is painless a sensation is felt when the needle reaches and activates the point. The experience is often described as heavy/dragging or tingling/numbing. Whatever the sensation most patients feel relaxed on the couch and any sensitivity usually passes after a few moments leaving the patient often unaware that the needles are in.
As a member of the British Acupuncture Council I follow strict hygiene procedures and dispose of clinical waste through approved companies this means you can be assured that acupuncture is safe when practiced in this way.
Needles are sterile, single-use and disposed of in a secure sharps waste container at the end of your session.
What Happens Next?
Your First Session
Once you've decided to go ahead an initial consultation is needed, this takes longer than a standard treatment session, approximately 1 to 1.5 hours maximum.
During this session we will go through various aspects of your health history, and will include areas such as sleep, digestion, diet and lifestyle.
There may be a physical examination taken as well depending upon the nature of your main complaint.
A treatment is given as part of the initial consultation.
See Patient Guidelines for additional information.
Subsequent Sessions
Subsequent sessions will last approximately 45 minutes. There will be time to question further on your progress any changes to various symptoms described and to cover anything new.
How will I feel after treatment?
After the first session you may feel especially tired so it is best to go home and relax. This tiredness will pass and you should feel more energised.
You are advised to avoid alcohol after acupuncture sessions.
It is possible that you will experience slight bruising which would usually clear after a few days.
Using needles means there is always the possibility of a point bleeding, this is nothing to worry about.
How Long Will It Take?
This is one of the hardest questions to answer. Generally speaking a change will be experienced after the first session; progress builds gradually, and again generally speaking an expectation of 6-8 sessions is advised.
Some will experience a change quickly some it will take longer.
Factors such as how long the condition has been around, whether it is a chronic or acute problem, medication, underlying patient constitution, lifestyle, will all play a part in how the main complaint can be addressed.
For those of you who might be looking at fertility treatment with IVF for example you ought to be thinking of using acupuncture approximately 3 months before IVF begins in order to place your body in the best possible place many women think of using acupuncture just as the IVF cycle begins.
Hay-fever sufferers often seek treatment at the time when the hay-fever is at its worst, when the best time to seek treatment for allergies such as hay fever is a few months before the season so for example just after Christmas onwards is a good time to start