What To Expect
When you first come into the clinic, please take a seat in the waiting area, where you’ll be asked to fill in some forms. We ask that you come 15 minutes before your first treatment time to do this unless you have already filled them out.
Your acupuncturist will take you to our private consulting room for the first consultation – they will take a full medical history, look at your tongue and feel your pulse on both wrists. If you are suffering from pain, your acupuncturist will examine the areas of pain and check your range of movement.
Your acupuncturist will discuss your Chinese medical diagnosis with you. They may give some lifestyle or nutritional advice – exercises may be suggested and the amount and regularity of treatment required will be agreed.
Back in the main treatment room, you will be asked to lie down on your back, front or side depending on the treatment required. It is not necessary to wear any special clothing though we suggest wearing something loose and comfortable.
The needles we use are very thin (as thin as 0.16mm, far thinner than needles used for injections or giving blood), sterile and only used once – the insertion of the needles is generally painless though a dull, spreading or itching sensation may be felt.
If you’re new to acupuncture or worried about needles, have a look at this video in which our patients describe what treatment actually feels like:
We often use acupuncture points on the forearm and lower leg, in which case there’s no need to take any clothes off, except for shoes and socks. If we need to use other points, there are screens and blankets to protect your privacy.
Once the needles are in, you’ll usually be left in peace to rest with them in for up to 40 minutes but your acupuncturist will remain nearby. In some cases, a few extra needles might be used at the end of the treatment, or other forms of treatment used in addition to the needles, such as cupping, moxa, gua sha, or tui na. Your acupuncturist will explain what they’re doing at all times and will help you to feel comfortable and relaxed.
After treatment you are free to leave or take a seat in the waiting area and have a cup of tea.
It is important not to receive acupuncture on an empty stomach as this can make you feel light-headed. We also insist that you do not drink alcohol before treatment.
Regularity of treatment
One of the biggest difficulties with private medicine is that when more regular treatment is required it can be a financial strain for the patient. For certain conditions treatment works best if it can be received on a regular basis, this is particularly true for acupuncture and massage (herbal medicine is already a daily treatment).For acute pain, for example, this maybe twice per week until the pain recedes.
The beauty of the community model and sliding scale payment system is that if you need to come in two times in a week you can adjust your payment level down so that it is still accessible. As you can see there is a lot of flexibility!