Tel: 07843 674 600
Charlotte@abbeyacupuncture.co.uk
Welcome to Abbey Acupuncture - Best Service, Best Value, Best price.
Welcome to Abbey Acupuncture - Best Service, Best Value, Best price. MOTs from £27.50 inc VAT and includes free retest!
Find out more about our range of services
Below are some frequently asked questions about acupuncture, please click on the questions to reveal the answers:
A. Acupuncture has been used to treat a wide range of conditions; physical and psychological, acute and chronic. Patients seek our help in dealing with conditions For example:
For example angina, high blood pressure, palpitations and poor circulation
For example asthma, chronic breathlessness and hayfever
For example irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), colitis, constipation, diarrhoea and indigestion
For example cystitis, impotence, incontinence, infertility, irregular periods and pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
For example acne, eczema and psoriasis
For example arthritis, back pain, headaches, migraines, neuralgia, rheumatism, sciatica, sports injuries, frozen shoulder and tinnitus.
For example bronchitis, common cold, food poisoning, infectious hepatitis, influenza, sinusitis and ear infections
For example anxiety, depression, eating disorders, insomnia and panic attacks.
The above is in no way a definitive list and if your particular condition or symptoms are not covered by any of the above categories, please feel free to contact us to discuss your condition and to see if we think acupuncture would be appropriate.
Here at Abbey Acupuncture we believe that in some situations acupuncture may not be the most effective treatment for an individual and . In those situations we may suggest referring a patient another discipline, such as western medicine, physiotherapy or another complementary therapy discipline. This can be to compliment the course of acupuncture or as a standalone alternative.
Acupuncture is used traditionally to treat the root cause of disease which provides relief for many acute conditions. Acupuncturists do not claim to be able to ‘cure’ all of the conditions they treat – but in many cases acupuncture may provide highly effective symptomatic relief.
A. Acupuncture is a complementary therapy and can be highly effective when used in combination with conventional medical treatment. If you are taking prescribed medication for your condition it may be advisable to inform your doctor that you are receiving acupuncture treatment.
A. When you first visit Abbey Acupuncture Your acupuncturist will spend time talking to you about your health, lifestyle and medical history, this will provide us with all the information necessary to make an accurate diagnosis and to formulate an appropriate treatment plan based on your individual needs.
Abbey Acupuncture takes a holistic approach to each person's health and will take approximately an hour and a half for the first appointment to fully understand you and your health. Once a diagnosis has been reached and an appropriate treatment plan agreed you will be given an acupuncture treatment which will involve inserting fine acupuncture needles into selected points.
The number of acupuncture needles and their location on the body will depend on the treatment plan the acupuncturist has devised for you. The acupuncturist may use one or two points in a treatment or they may decide on a combination of several points. An acupuncturist has over 300 acupuncture points to choose from, so if you have any concerns about a specific point please let your acupuncturist know and we will do our best to use an alternative point.
The practitioner may manipulate the needles as he or she inserts them and they may be left in for up to twenty minutes (which most patients find extremely relaxing) or removed almost immediately depending on the effect the practitioner wishes to achieve upon the patient's energy. The depth of insertion, usually a few millimetres, varies according to the point's location on the body. Unlike an injection with a hypodermic needle, acupuncture does not draw any blood, owing to the extreme fineness of the needles used and for most people insertion is painless.
A. The needles used in an acupuncture treatment are so fine that the entry of the needle as it goes through the skin is barely felt. However, when the needle connects with the Qi energy, patients feel a distinctive sensation which is often described as a dull ache or a tingling sensation. This sensation indicates to both the practitioner and patient that the point has been accurately located. The sensation only lasts for a moment and will quickly subside. Even if the acupuncturist leaves the needles in for a number of minutes as part of the acupuncture treatment the initial sensation will no longer be felt.
Patients often say that having an acupuncture treatment was nowhere near as painful as they had imagined it would be. If acupuncture does cause discomfort it is momentary and if at any stage during the treatment a patient does feel uncomfortable the practitioner will remove the needles immediately.
A. Abbey Acupuncture operates a strict clean needle environment and only uses sterile single use disposable needles. The practice adheres to the Code of Safe Practice as set out by the British Acupuncture Council.
A. The acupuncturist may use other traditional Chinese Medicine techniques as well as or instead of needling as part of your treatment. Below is a brief outline of the most commonly used techniques that your acupuncturist is trained to use.
Cupping is a traditional massage technique found in many different cultures across the world. Glass cups are used directly on the skin to break up localised knots and blockages within the muscles. Heat is used to suck the oxygen from the cup creating a vacuum effect, the cup is then applied to the skin and a sucking sensation is felt by the patient. This is not an unpleasant sensation and is most commonly used on the recipients back and shoulders.
Guasha is another traditional Chinese technique designed to move qi energy and to break up areas where blockages have formed. Guasha uses a round-edged tool to stimulate an area of the body by rubbing/scraping the tool across the skin. Where the skin is pressured, small red petechiae called 'sha' will appear which indicates to the practitioner that energy is not flowing freely in this area. Guasha is most commonly used on areas such as the back or shoulders but can also be used to treat other parts of the body such as the limbs or joints. Patients often find treatment pleasant and it has been described as feeling similar to a deep massage.
Tui Na is a form of traditional Chinese massage which moves the Qi energy in the body by breaking up blockages and knots and encouraging energy to flow smoothly around the system. Tui Na uses the same energy meridians as acupuncture and can be used locally to treat a specific site of injury or pain or more generally to promote wellbeing.
An acupuncturist may decide to use a substance called Moxa, which is a plant based substance used to warm the patient's Qi. Many patients refer to themselves as always being cold and are often cold to the touch. This coldness can often feel worse in cold weather and patients may find their general health and wellbeing is not as good during period of cold weather. During a Moxa treatment, the Moxa is lit and allowed to slowly smoulder creating heat and a gentle warming sensation on the skin. Moxa can be applied to the skin in a variety of different ways – directly onto the skin, using a moxa stick which the practitioner places near to the patient or it can be attached to the needle itself. Most patients find that the use of moxa gives them a pleasant warm sensation and adds to the relaxing effect of their treatment.
As acupuncture takes a holistic view to treatment, your acupuncturist may suggest some changes to your lifestyle that could be contributing to your condition or having a negative effect on your health and wellbeing.
As part of your initial appointment your acupuncturist will discuss your diet, sleep patterns exercise levels and the daily stresses and strains that form part of your life.
Your practitioner may offer some advice on what changes/improvements you could make but please note advice is always given taking into account you as an individual and will always be made in discussion with you so that changes an realistic and achievable. It is important to understand that the acupuncturist is looking at your overall lifestyle, the affect it is having on you as an individual and ways in which you can minimise the risk of recurring ill health. It is aimed at supporting your recovery and ensuring that your symptoms do not reoccur.
A. Many patients come for acupuncture treatment unsure about what to expect or what improvements they may experience and some are sceptical about the benefits of undertaking treatment. However, as they start to feel the benefits of the treatment their scepticism tends to disappear. If you have any concerns before treatment, please feel free to discuss these with your practitioner.
A. As acupuncture treatment is specific to an individual, the number of acupuncture sessions required will vary from one person to the next. There are a number of factors that will determine the how many sessions are required for example Is the illness chronic or acute? How long you have been suffering from your symptoms? Is your health generally good? Are there any lifestyle issues that are contributing to your illness?
Most commonly initial treatment will be on a weekly basis however once your symptoms have improved you may decide to space treatments further apart. In very general terms we expect a patient to show some improvement within the first three or four treatments but it will vary from individual to individual.
A. After treatment patients may feel full of energy and revitalised or they may feel relaxed and drowsy. Some patients report feeling an immediate improvement in their symptoms and this can be common with acute symptoms such as a headache. However some patients say that they don’t feel any improvement until a day or two after their treatment.
A. Acupuncture is commonly used by women who are trying to get pregnant and also to support women who are going through IVF treatments.
The links below will take you to a fact sheet prepared by the British Acupuncture Council providing information on the use of acupuncture when trying to conceive:
www.acupuncture.org.uk - Female fertility
More information on the use of acupuncture for infertility including research and studies done can be found on our Facebook page and fertility news stories and tips are regularly added to our Twitter feed.
A. Acupuncture can help throughout the various stages of pregnancy. Conditions such as morning sickness, aches, pains, and the discomfort of pregnancy often respond well to acupuncture.
Acupuncture has been shown to help induce labour when a baby is overdue.
Moxibustion can be effective in turning a poorly positioned foetus.
A. Acupuncture is used by some mothers to relieve pain during the birth of a child. Acupuncturists can attend births in order to help facilitate the labour in several different ways: reduce pain when it reaches its peaks, re-start the contractions if they stop for any reason or to help a mother tap into her reserves of energy if she feels she can’t continue any longer.
Women who want to experience a more natural childbirth can be supported and assisted in achieving this through using acupuncture at various stages of their labour.
A. Acupuncture can be particularly effective at helping people to reduce the addictive cravings that may prevent an individual from stopping smoking or reducing their food intake.
Acupuncturists will look at the cause of a person’s habits to diagnose the root cause of these problems in the hope that they can provide a permanent solution. However, an individual’s willingness to address the root causes of their cravings will play a major part in their success or failure in changing their behaviours.
For further information or if you have any questions about how acupuncture can help you please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to discuss if acupuncture would be an appropriate treatment for you.