During an Appointment

The following is the acupuncture procedure carried out for each series of visits:

1) The first appointment will last 90 minutes with a 3rd of this time taken up in consultation. This provides you with a rare opportunity to talk openly during clinic time in a caring, non-judgemental environment about your presenting symptoms, anxieties or any health issue.

NOTE all information received is treated with the strictest of confidence

2) For the next half hour a routine physical diagnosis will be carried out involving both western and eastern, safe non-invasive techniques whilst you relax upon the couch.

3) After which for the last half hour you will need to sit upright on the couch (or lean on the back of a chair if unable to). Needles will then be inserted shallowly in your back at specific acupuncture points and left until removed.

This acts as a kind of cleansing or detox treatment, creating a secure foundation on which all others are based.

NOTE All needles used are individually sterile, extremely fine and safely disposed of once removed from the skin. However, the process may produce some slight momentary feeling of discomfort, but this will soon pass.

4) Appointments thereafter will last up to 1 hour with the first 15 minutes spent in consultation with you lying on the couch, after which you will mainly remain lying down with needles removed almost once inserted.

In addition, 'moxibustion' another healing therapy, is used in conjunction with the acupuncture to enhance effects. This involves the gentle burning of the herb moxa (mugwort) to warm the acupuncture points in preparation before the insertion of a needle (or can be used as an individual therapy). All moxa is then safely removed as it warms the skin before getting too hot.

5) Initially appointments will be every week for up to 5 weeks before being spaced apart to every 2 and 3 weeks for you to fully benefit. It is then common for them to go on indefinitely every month as a maintenance top-up visit, once a balance becomes established.