The initial consultation may last up to two hours. A full medical history is taken including a physical examination on this first visit. Acupuncturists can learn a lot about the state of your health by feeling your pulse and looking at your tongue.
Subsequent treatment sessions will last between 45 minutes and an hour.
Treatment itself involves the insertion of very fine, single-use, sterile, disposable needles into particular acupuncture points, in order to restore the balance of energy in the body.
The needling sensation may vary from a tingling to a dull ache and is rarely unacceptable.
There are around five hundred acupuncture points spread over the body, head, hands, feet, arms and legs. Points are chosen according to their function in addressing a particular imbalance and are used in combinations chosen to address your condition.
As part of treatment, you may be advised to make lifestyle changes to help you improve the state of your own health. Often nutritional advice or Qigong exercises can have a dramatic effect.
Sometimes the effects of treatment are dramatic, while at other times, the effects are subtler and take longer to appear. The number of treatments you require depends on a number of factors including the nature of your complaint; you would expect to be aware of some improvement after 4-6 sessions.
Expectations of treatment will be discussed during the initial consultation and treatment progress will be monitored at each session.
In addition to acupuncture, I may use a number of other techniques in order to maximise the effects of treatment, including cupping, massage and electroacupuncture, among others.
If you are unsure about whether acupuncture is right for you please telephone the clinic to arrange a free ten minute discussion with Alan Gornall before committing to treatment.