Acupuncture and TCM
The purpose of acupuncture is to stimulate the body to find a position of balance and health. This is done by inserting fine needles into the body at strategic points to affect and improve the flow of qi or energy.

Moxibustion (the use of the herb moxa to warm an acupuncture point) and cupping (using cups on the body to improve circulation), may also be used in a session of acupuncture where appropriate.

 

 cups
 What can I expect in a typical acupuncture session ?

First acupuncture treatments typically last 1 hr with 45 - 60 minute follow up sessions. First sessions are longer in order to allow the practitioner to take a comprehensive case history.

The diagnostic procedure involves four steps: observing, listening and smelling, inquiring and palpating. You will be asked questions about your existing complaint and more general questions about your health focusing on your lifestyle, sleep, bowel and eating patterns and emotional state.

Your practitioner will ask to take your pulse, on both wrists, and will also look at your tongue for an indication of your body's state of health. Following this, suitable acupuncture points will be selected and used for treatment. 

  moxa_stick

 

After an acupuncture session

Following treatment, you may be given a series of acupressure points, tailored for your condition, which provide a gentle way to re-balance your body and minimise symptoms.

* It is recommended that you advise your doctor if you are planning to use acupuncture so that s/he can update their records accordingly.

  moxa_roll
   

 Conditions treated

A wide range of diseases may be addressed. Those listed are not definitive but give an indication of the range of symptoms and body systems treated.

 

  
Circulation:                        Cold hands/feet, hypertension, varicose veins.

Digestive system:           Acid reflux, abdominal pain, chemotherapy side effects, constipation, diarrhoea,

                                            indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acute and chronic duodenal ulcers.

Immune system:            Chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis.

Gynaecological:               Dysmenorrhoea, hot flushes, infertility, menopausal symptoms, morning sickness,

                                           pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).

Musculo-skeletal:          Osteoarthritis, back pain, knee pain, frozen shoulder, sciatica, tennis elbow, tendonitis.

Neurological:                   Headaches - broad spectrum including migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, tremors.

Psychological:                Anxiety, depression, insomnia, stress.

Respiratory:                   Asthma, sinusitis, cold and flu.