During your first visit you will be asked about your main health complaint, as well as more general questions on your medical history and lifestyle. If you are on regular medications it would be helpful if you could provide us with a comprehensive list. Please remember that Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn’t simply treat the symptoms but searches for the root cause of your health problem so, in order to do that, you might be asked questions that seem to be unrelated to your problem. Please don’t be put off by it and, above all, don’t be embarrassed: each answer provides a little clue in the formation of your diagnoses. Your pulse and tongue will also be examined prior to your treatment.  

A treatment plan would then be put in place and discussed with you prior to your treatment. You will then be asked to lie on the treatment couch and, once you are comfortable, very fine needles will be inserted in specific pre-selected points they will be let in for 20 to 30 minutes and manipulated occasionally. Other treatments such as cupping, moxa or massage could also be added to your plan, according to your condition.

Most people find acupuncture relaxing and often feel very calm after a treatment. You may feel a little tired or sleepy and should take this into account if you are planning to drive or use heavy machinery straight after your treatment. You should also refrain from vigorous exercise after treatment and, ideally, give yourself a little time to rest. It is also advisable not to drink alcohol for several hours after treatment.

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It is advisable to wear loose and comfortable clothing. The most commonly used acupuncture points are located on your legs and arms so it would be helpful if you could roll your trousers above your knees and your sleeves above your elbows. Sometimes you will have to remove some of your clothing, such as when treating backaches; in that case you will be provided with plenty of towels to keep the exposed areas private as well as to keep you warm.

This is a very difficult question to answer. It depends on your condition and on how long you have been suffering from it – as a general rule, chronic longstanding conditions will require more treatments than others.

To give you a few examples, a backache caused by a recent injury will respond quite quickly to acupuncture, and you might only need 2 or 3 treatments. Chronic backaches, on the other hand, will require probably 6 or more treatments initially, as well as regular maintenance treatments every month or 6 weeks in order to maintain the results achieved. If you are receiving acupuncture to help boost your fertility, you will need regular appointments based on your cycle; if it is to help with painful periods, it is probably a good idea to have a treatment a week before you are due.  The frequency and number of treatments needed will be discussed with you on your first appointment and will be reviewed regularly, according to your progress, as we are not in a habit of selling you a set amount of treatments beforehand. Also, we will work with your budget and never insist for weekly treatments if you can only afford them every fortnight or every month. 

Acupuncture should not be painful. Larissa’s Acupuncture Room only uses the best quality needles, which promote a quick and painless insertion. Some areas are more sensitive than others and points at the end of your extremities, such as fingers and toes, can sometime be a little sharp, but the sensation is usually brief.

When a needle is inserted you would normally feel a dull ache, a slight tingling or a feeling of warmth at the base of the needle; these sensations are absolutely normal and will only last a few seconds. Most people even forget the needles are in place after a few minutes! You will be asked throughout the treatment if you are comfortable and if any of the needles are painful: if this is the case, please say so, and any needle that hasn’t settled after a few minutes will be removed. This doesn’t affect your treatment and another point may be chosen instead – there are over 300 acupuncture points on the body so no single point is essential to your treatment, especially if it causing you discomfort. 

Acupuncture is an extremely effective treatment for a variety of conditions. If you are unsure on whether acupuncture can help you, please get in touch; we will be more than happy to have an informal chat on what’s affecting your health and on whether you will be likely to benefit from an acupuncture treatment. We believe in the power of making informed choices so feel free to do some reading on your condition prior to contacting us – the British Acupuncture Council provides free downloadable fact sheets and links to published research on many different conditions: http://www.acupuncture.org.uk/category/public-content/public-ask-an-expert.htm