Consultation
Your first appointment, which lasts approximately one and a half hours, consists of a full consultation, which is then followed by the first treatment. You may choose however, to start the process with just a consultation and arrange treatment for another date.

During the consultation, by a process of careful questioning and observation, I aim to determine the nature of the disharmony, which has led to a breakdown in your health.

I will require a detailed understanding of your symptoms, past medical and family history, lifestyle, diet, and behaviour of the systems of your body such as digestion as circulation, sleep patterns and vitality.
Diagnosis will include an examination of your tongue, for structure, colour and coatings, the pulses on the wrists, which are felt for their quality, rhythm and strength and your blood pressure.

What I am looking for are not symptoms in isolation, but rather a pattern, which is woven into the total picture. Having decided on the cause or causes of your problem, I will then determine a suitable treatment strategy.

Treatment
Treatment appointments take approximately 40 minutes.
During each treatment I will use one or two or perhaps several needles. I will manipulate the needles as I insert them and they may be left in place for up to twenty minutes or they may be withdrawn almost immediately, depending on the effect required.

There may be no apparent correlation between the site of your symptoms and the location of the points used. The choice of points used is determined by the nature of the energy imbalance.

Commonly used acupuncture points are located on the hands, arms, legs and feet but there are acupuncture points on the whole body.

Points lying close to the site of the symptom may also be used if there is a localised obstruction of energy.

Will I feel the needles?
Some people would like to try acupuncture but may not come because they assume it will be painful. This is not the case and having acupuncture treatment is not remotely like having a syringe needle inserted.

I use needles that are so fine that the prick of the needle as it goes through the skin is barely felt. Because the needles are inserted carefully, blood is rarely drawn. Most acupuncture points are located near the surface of the body and needling is shallow.

When the needle touches the flow of energy it is usual to feel a dull ache, tingle or heaviness for a few seconds and this is a sign that the point has been correctly located. Not everyone feels these sensations the same.

I use high quality brand new pre-sterilised disposable needles for every treatment and work to hygiene codes of practice. There is no risk of infection from treatment.

Moxibustion is an adjunct treatment which I use on some, but not all patients. Small cones of ‘moxa’ (finely ground and processed artimesia herb) may be carefully smouldered on the acupuncture points or on the handles of retained needles. This is done to create warmth and stimulation.
Moxibustion is carried out very carefully and will not cause a burn.

Most patients comment that they find treatments quite acceptable and relaxing.

Two patients may be suffering a similar problem and you might well expect that their treatment will be the same, but this is not the case. Each person is unique and their diagnosis and treatment will be different; however, if their energy imbalances are correctly identified and treated, then their symptoms will respond and both patients will enter a better state of health.

Acupuncture gently encourages the natural healing processes and healing does take time, it is not an instantaneous event.

As a guideline you might expect to have one treatment a week for four or five weeks followed by two treatments a fortnight apart, then one or two at monthly intervals. When all is well, regular seasonal treatments are recommended to encourage the improvements in your health to continue.

Your treatment plan is individual and will be discussed with you and with your agreement.

Seasonal Acupuncture Treatments
In ancient China, many people used Traditional Chinese Medicine for the duration of their whole lives as part of an overall strategy for keeping well and having a long, healthy and happy life.

Here in the West in modern times we are again, gradually, becoming conscious that it is we ourselves who are largely responsible for the state of our own health. I believe that years ago many folk had a far better understanding of how to look after themselves and others and it is clearly better to be well and stay that way than lurch from one crisis to another, hoping that somone else will rescue us.

Clients initially come to me for acupuncture treatment for help with a specific problem. If they make good progress, some will continue to come on an occasional basis, using acupunture as part of their approach to continue life in a healthier way.

The very nature of life is that we are all subject to ongoing stresses and strains which challenges our constitution. An occasional treatment will help tune up the system and this preventative approach is similar to taking your car along for a regular service or visiting he dentist for a check up.