Frequently Asked Question

Q: Will it hurt?

A: Acupuncture needles are not like the kind of needles used by Doctors and Dentists. They are much finer and as a rule are not painful, in general there is no pain and there are a range of techniques that can be used that avoid any kind of insertion of needles. As well as people who are generally nervous of needles I have also treated needlephobics; people are generally surprised at how different the experience is in comparison to what they imagined it to be.

Q: How many treatments will I need?

A: Very difficult to say before any kind of consultation. For most people a course of treatments is advisable, initially weekly then with increasing intervals as the condition improves. I usually suggest around 6 sessions as a ball park figure to initially assess how you feel. In some cases this is more than enough, in some cases it takes at longer. As a rule (though its not a hard and fast one) the longer you’ve had the problem the longer it will take to treat.

Q: Are you registered with any professional bodies?

A: Yes. I am registered with the British Acupuncture Council, the Shiatsu Society and the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine. These are professional organisations that regulate professional practice in these three therapies. I have been a member of each since completing my basic training and adhere to their codes of conduct and safety. I am also a member of the European Branch of the Toyohari Association which is an international group that teaches and promotes study of Toyohari style acupuncture.

Q: Is there a risk of infection from the needles?

A: No. Any needle that breaks skin is a pre sterilised disposable needle (following current BAcC guidelines) that has not been used before and will be disposed of immediately after.

Q: Is it safe?

A: There have been three surveys in the last six years which have shown that acupuncture is amongst the safest therapies in use in the UK today. Out of 68,000 recorded treatments in two of the 2001 surveys, there were only 14 minor (bruising, feeling nauseous) adverse events. There have been very few reports of serious adverse events, and most adverse effects are transient, lasting no more than a day or so.

Q: How soon will I feel the effects?

A: Like the number of treatments, this varies enormously with individuals. In many cases some of the effects of treatment will be felt very soon after. Generally people feel relaxed and sleep well after acupuncture, they tend to feel more energised following treatment and in time the symptoms they came with often subside. Sometimes this can happen in a very short space of time, sometimes it can take a little longer.

Q: I don’t know if I want acupuncture, herbs or shiatsu?

A: The choice of treatment can be discussed at the initial consultation, where as much information is gathered so as we can proceed with any of these methods either on they’re own or in combination. If one method is not proving beneficial then we may change or incorporate another treatment.

Q: Do the herbs contain any animal products or endangered species?

A : Almost all the formulas I use are made up of vegan (pure vegetarian) ingredients and none formulas contain ingredients from endangered species.

Taken from http://www.acupuncture.org.uk/content/AboutAcupuncture/qa.html