Does Acupuncture Hurt?
I am dedicated to making your acupuncture treatment as comfortable as it is effective. Most people barely feel a thing when needles are inserted. Some people feel a slight pinch or mild sting on a few of the points.In most cases, you feel calm and relaxed soon after the needles are inserted. The reason acupuncture needles don’t give the painful sensation you might expect is because they’re very thin in comparison to the hypodermic needles used to give injections. Hypodermic needles are necessarily hollow so that the shot can be injected. They also have a very blunt point (actually a wedge shape) in comparison to an acupuncture needle. Approximately forty acupuncture needles can fit into the tip of one standard 18 gauge hypodermic needle.
You may experience slight aching, heaviness, tingling or electric sensation traveling along an arm or leg. This is not unusual. If any discomfort is experienced, it is usually mild. Overall, your treatment should be virtually painless as well as relaxing.
Is Acupuncture Safe?
Acupuncture is very safe.
Acupuncture needles are extremely safe, because they are pre-sterilized, individually packaged, and disposable. Every practitioner gets extensive training in anatomy so as to avoid inserting a needle in a place that can cause damage. Only sterile, single-use, disposable needles are used.
Do I Have to Believe in it for it to Work?
Chinese medicine is a medical theory, not a belief system.
Acupuncture and light therapy work whether you believe in them or not. Of course, having a positive attitude that you will indeed feel better is important to healing in general. Good results are seen in the majority of cases. When all other treatment methods have failed, this indicates a systematic imbalance – exactly what acupuncture and light therapy excel at treating.
Acupuncture is widely used on animals, including horses, dogs and cats. Animals respond incredibly well to acupuncture without understanding or believing any of it!
What Should I Expect on my First Visit?
In an Acupuncture treatment, Juli will ask about any symptoms you are experiencing, how you are feeling in yourself and look at your tongue and take your pulse on both wrists. Ultra fine needles are gently inserted, often in your arms and legs. Juli’s needling technique is extremely gentle and patients often don’t realise how many needles she has put in! The needles usually remain in for 20 minutes, during which time you can listen to quiet music or a relaxation.
Please wear loose, comfy clothes. Treatments are provided while you are wearing your own clothing and any undressing is kept to a minimum.It’s easier to wear trousers or jeans which will roll up to the knee.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
The exact duration of treatment depends on the condition, your basic level of health, and how well you respond to acupuncture. The severity of the problem combined with the response to the initial 4 visits is also a factor in determining the number of acupuncture visits needed to resolve an issue.
If the response in the first 3 visits is spectacular then the total number of visits required will be less.
If the initial response is mediocre then the total amount of visits required will be more.
Typically acupuncture treatments are given once a week, for a total of 4-6 treatments, then fortnightly for 2 treatments. If the condition is acute and painful, treatments may be necessary two times per week until the condition starts to come under control.
After achieving results, many people come in once every 4-6 weeks for maintenance or 3-4 months for a seasonal “tune-up”. Juli will discuss this with you.
Acupuncture heals the body by stimulating specific points, which improve circulation by dilating the blood vessels. This circulates oxygen more efficiently around the body, which results in decreasing inflammation, stimulating the release of pain-relieving endorphins and enkephalins. Both of which have pain-relieving properties and improve immune function.
If there is no result in the first 4 or 5 visits then acupuncture might not be the best approach in helping the patient.
What is Light Therapy?
Light therapy is the therapeutic application of laser light at low intensity. It has a thirty-five year history. Over 4,000 studies and articles have been published. I have personally trained with one of Light Therapy’s pioneers, David Rindge, in Melbourne, USA.
Does Light Therapy have any Risks?
In more than thirty-five years of research and clinical use, an adverse reaction has never been documented. In contrast to surgical lasers, which employ more powers and intensities, light therapy is customarily administered using gentle, non-ionizing radiation below the threshold of thermal damage to tissue. This may account for its excellent safety record.
Does Light Therapy Hurt?
Most people feel no sensation whatsoever. You may feel a slight warmth. Occasionally, patients will report a fleeting increase in pain following light therapy. This is more likely in long-standing, chronic conditions within the first few sessions and will usually pass within 24 hours. It is not an adverse reaction and, in fact, it indicates that light therapy is working. Sensation should then normalize, and pain and function may then be significantly improved.
Will My Treatment be Covered by my Health Insurance?
Some insurers cover acupuncture. You can usually find out by calling them. Make sure to mention that Juli is registered with The British Acupuncture Council.
If you have a question not answered here, please get in touch and ask!