FAQs
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is part of the traditional medicine of China which draws on the wisdom of two thousand years of accumulated knowledge and experience in treating human illness and disease. Central to Chinese medicine is the concept of qi (pronounced 'chee'). Qi is seen by Chinese physicians as the life force or energy which flows throughout your body. Acupuncture stimulates the qi to speed up your body's natural powers of recuperation.
What is illness?
Chinese medicine looks at health and illness in a different perspective from conventional western medicine. In a healthy person the qi flows smoothly through the body, ensuring normal function. However, if this flow is disrupted for some reason then illness can occur. The flow of qi can be disturbed, for instance, by cold and damp, diet, stress, overwork, drugs, injuries, emotional and hereditary factors.
What does the treatment do?
As an acupuncturist, I am seeking to correct the flow of qi, and stimulate the body's own healing response, by inserting needles into specific points on the body which have powerful therapeutic effects.
Dietary suggestions, herbal remedies, exercise therapy, and life-style advice may form part of the treatment. Chinese medical diagnosis is particularly good at working out which everyday foods are most beneficial for any individual person.
Is it safe?
The results of two independent surveys published in the British Medical Journal in 2001 (MacPherson et al, White et al) concluded that the risk of serious adverse reaction to acupuncture is exceedingly low, at less than 1 in 10,000, provided acupuncture is administered by a competent practitioner - more details here. The needles used are single-use, sterile and disposable. Response to treatment can sometimes include tiredness or light-headedness - a "spaced-out" feeling - and, occasionally, minor bruising may occur. All such reactions are short-lived. Acupuncture is safe for adults including pregnant women, and children.
What will happen when I come for a treatment?
At your first consultation I will ask you detailed questions about your condition, your personal health and your lifestyle. I will feel the pulse at your wrists and examine your tongue. The first consultation will last up to one and a half hours; subsequent treatments will take up to 45 minutes. All treatments include a period of rest.
Why do you ask so many questions?
I will not be looking for one or two symptoms in isolation. Rather, through detailed questioning and observation I will build up a comprehensive picture of you and your state of health, and from this formulate a diagnosis, in the context of Chinese medicine. This will allow the selection of the appropriate combination of points in which to insert the needles.
Does it hurt?
Exceptionally fine sterile, disposable stainless steel needles are used and the process should be almost painless, though you may feel a slight pin-prick and some sensation of tingling, dullness or heaviness around the area needled. An acupuncture needle is entirely different from a hypodermic needle - in fact, some acupuncture needles are so fine that an individual needle may be inserted into a hypodermic needle. Most people who are frightened of needles, find that acupuncture needles do not bother them at all. In addition to needles, I may use cupping, moxibustion (where a herb is smouldered near the skin to warm joints or muscles) or electro-acupuncture (where a tiny electric current puts a rhythmic pulse through the needles). These additional treatments are generally experienced as pleasant and relaxing.
Where do you put the needles?
That depends on the symptoms you are experiencing, also on your general state of health and how sensitive you are to treatment.
Generally speaking, there are likely to be one or two needles inserted near the part of your body where the problem is located, and a few more at a distance from the affected part. With more generalised symptoms, needles are inserted according to your individual diagnosis and with regard to patient modesty and comfort. If you feel uncomfortable about having a needle in any particular place, please tell me.
Should I tell my doctor?
If you have been prescribed medication, I recommend that you tell your doctor you are planning to see me for acupuncture, and please do not stop taking any medication. It is helpful if you bring with you a list of any medication or supplements you are taking. If you give your permission, I usually send a brief letter to your G.P. to let him/her know that you are having acupuncture. If I am concerned about any potentially serious underlying health condition, I will refer you to your doctor and I may ask you to see your doctor for tests such as blood tests, if relevant to your problem.
Should I do anything to prepare for treatment?
Before your treatment you should avoid alcohol and coffee; also foods or drinks which colour your tongue. Try not to have a large meal within the hour before your treatment, though you should also avoid coming on an empty stomach. Please wear loose clothing for your appointment. You may find it easier to wear separates.
What should I do after treatment?
After your treatment you may find you feel particularly calm and perhaps a little light-headed. Ideally, it is best to avoid planning anything too strenuous for the next couple of hours, but this may not be necessary and I will advise you as an individual, when you come for treatment. It is also suggested that you avoid alcohol on the day of treatment.
How many treatments will I need and how much will it cost?
This depends on the individual nature of your problem, how long it has been present and how severe it is. At your first consultation, I will try to give you some idea of how long treatment might take, how frequently you will require treatment and over how long a period. Some problems can be resolved within one or two treatments, others take five or six, and severe, long-term problems may require treatment over several months. However, acupuncture is more affordable than you might think and some private health insurers will pay towards treatment. The receptionist at your preferred practice can tell you what the current fees are.
Your acupuncturist
Dwara Young MSc DipAc MBAcC.
Dwara is an experienced, professionally trained acupuncturist and a member of the British Acupuncture Council. She has been in practice since 1992.
If you would like to have a chat with her before making an appointment, do phone the practice nearest you and ask Dwara to get in touch with you, or email dwara@acupuncture-bristol.co.uk, putting "Enquiry from website" as your subject heading.
Clifton Physiotherapy
111 Pembroke Road
Clifton
Bristol BS8 3EU
0117 970 6390
Link
on Google Maps
Trinity Osteopathic Practice
42 Bell Street
Shaftesbury
Dorset SP7 8AE
01747 851 726
Link on Google Maps