Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used in the Far East to restore, promote and maintain good health for over 2,500 years. The first needles were made from stone, and then later from bronze, gold and silver. The first medical account of acupuncture was ‘The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine’, which dates from about 300 BC.

Acupuncture is rooted in the Daoist philosophy of change, growth, balance and harmony, and The Yellow Emperor's Classic outlines the principles of natural law and the movements of life - yin and yang, the five elements, the organ system and the meridian network along which acupuncture points are located. These records also contain details of pathology and physiology, which some 2,000 years later provide the theoretical foundation for acupuncture today.

Today 2.3 million acupuncture treatments are carried out each year by British Acupuncture Council registered acupuncturists and the therapy is widely accepted as an effective solution for a huge array of illnesses and symptoms.
 

What happens in a typical acupuncture treatment?

In the first acupuncture treatment a practitioner will take a full medical case history including past health background and details about the current condition. Once the patient is settled on the treatment couch, a practitioner will carry out pulse taking on each wrist and look at a patient’s tongue.
 
The practitioner will then make a diagnosis and put together a treatment plan which may include lifestyle and dietary advice as well as acupuncture. 

What does it feel like?

During a typical treatment acupuncture practitioners use very fine single-use disposable needles,  the needles are as fine as a human hair and nothing like those used for an injection or to take blood. 

Most people find acupuncture to be very relaxing. My patients often describe the needle sensation as a tingling or dull ache.  Some say they don’t feel a thing and many fall asleep during their treatment.  

Does it hurt?

Acupuncture really does not hurt. If you are frightened of needles talk to a practitioner. There are other options such as acupressure and tuina which is a type of massage.  

Is it safe?

Acupuncture is very safe. In fact two surveys conducted in 2001 found that the risk of a serious adverse reaction to acupuncture is less than 1 in 10,000. This is far less than many orthodox medical treatments.
 
Also in a government backed pilot study in which GPs referred patients to complementary therapists including acupuncture, half the GPs reported a reduction in the need to prescribe painkillers and other medication and 81% of patients reported improvements in physical health.