What Happens During Treatment?

Firstly, you are treated as an individual requiring individualised treatment.

 

Initial Consultation

  • Detailed questioning about the problem for which you are seeking treatment.

  • An overview of your general health - any allergies you have, past operations, medication you are taking and your general level of fitness.

  • I will examine your pulses on both wrists.  In traditional chinese medicine, the state of the pulses helps us to determine the state and flow of Qi throughout the body, all of which helps me to refine the treatment so that it is the best it can be for you. I will also ask to look at your tongue for the same reason.

  • If you are seeking help for a musculoskeletal problem, then we will examine your range of movement as appropriate.

  • A treatment plan will be discussed with you, for not everyone requires the same number of treatments.  Typically, a problem which occurred recently will require fewer treatments than a condition which has been present for some time. 



Acupuncture Treatment

I will insert fine, sterile single use needles into a few acupuncture points and leave them in for about 20 minutes.   The needles are so fine that frequently nothing much is felt when they are inserted.

 

Moxibustion

Moxa is derived from a plant (known in the UK as mugwort or Artemisiae Argyi Foilium).

 

Moxa is used as a heat source to stimulate acupuncture points.  It warms the muscles, whilst nourishing and stimulating Qi.   The sensation is beautifully warm and comforting, and always reminds me of leaning against a warm radiator on a cold day.

 

Cupping

Cupping is the application of glass cups to the body with a vacuum seal.  These are placed on the skin and stimulate blood flow and clear what, in chinese medicine, we call stagnated Qi.   This is Qi that has, somehow, encountered an obstable which prevents it from flowing smoothly in the body. 

 

Cups are typically used to release tight mucles and is much less painful than many massage and manipulation techniques.  The effect really is astounding.

 

Cupping can sometimes leave a circular mark on the skin.  This is usually painless and generally clears within a day or two.



Auricular Acupuncture

Whilst auricular acupuncture is based on traditional chinese acupuncture, the form I practice is an integration of the chinese auricular acupuncture and european acupuncture. This system of auricular acupuncture has been subjected to research projects and gives me additional treatment options.

 

There are many acupuncture points on the ear, with each point representing either an area (eg. face) or a system (eg. endocrine) of the body.  Research has shown that these points stimulate activity in the appropriate regions of the brain.  Indeed, it was through this type of research that a protocol commonly known as battlefield acupuncture used for the relief of pain, was developed.

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