I wanted to write this to provide an insight into what happens before, during and after an acupuncture treatment, with me.
I hope you find it useful.
I may have forgotten something, so if you have a question that hasn't been answered here, you can look at the FAQ page or please send me an email. I will always happily answer your questions about acupuncture.
Love from Andrea
Before
I recommend you research the right acupuncturist for you. A list of acupuncturists who belong to the British Acupuncture Council, the leading UK regulatory body, can be found here
An acupuncturist, registered with the British Acupuncture Council will be:
BSc or BA degree level training or its equivalent in traditional acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and western biomedical sciences including anatomy, physiology, and pathology (3,600 hours of study)
Compliant with current UK health and safety legislation
Full medical malpractice and public/products liability insurance cover
If you decide to have a treatment with me, we can have a 20-minute free discovery call where we can discuss your main complaint. This conversation will also allow you to gain an insight into me. I believe that the relationship with your practitioner is very important. It can help or hinder your progress. I will also be able to tell you whether I think I can positively help you.
When you are ready to make an appointment you can book online via here. If it is the first appointment with me (regardless of if you have had acupuncture before) please select the 90-minute appointment.
You will be required to pay a 50% deposit to secure your appointment slot. The remaining 50% will be paid in your appointment; either by cash or card.
If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment please give more than 24 hours notice. If you do not, your deposit will be forfeit.
Before your appointment please:
Just relax. I will be coming to your door so you can carry on doing what you need to do right up until I arrive.
Wear loose clothing that will allow me to access points on the body. Underwear will remain on at all times
Eat at least 2 hours before your appointment
Avoid caffeine at least 1 hour before
Please do not brush your tongue
During
Your first appointment, with me, will be 90 minutes; subsequent appointments will be 60 minutes.
For your first appointment, the timing will look a little like this:
30-40 minutes to discuss your main complaint and anything else you'd like treated. We will discuss your priority for each session. So you have an idea of what questions I will ask you can take a look at them here. During this time I will listen to your pulse using Chinese Medicine methods and will observe your tongue.
10 minutes for points to be located and needled. Or if we are not using needles we will use this time for cups, gua sha or moxa; whatever is the most acceptable treatment for your complaint.
20-30 minutes for the needles to be in and relax
10 minutes for removal of needles / dressed and discussion of further treatment
As a reminder: I would suggest wearing layers, as points may need to be accessed from anywhere on your body. Underwear will remain on at all times and you will be given towels to protect your modesty.
After
After treatment enjoy the remainder of the day, as relaxed as possible.
I would also ask that you not drink alcohol within 12 hours of treatment.
I will guide you at the end of the appointment as to what I have been treating and the number of appointments required. We can discuss the regularity of your following appointments. Sometimes, we can solve your complaint in one treatment. But more often we can be looking at more.
I will send a follow-up email after 24 hours just to check in. But if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
In that email, I will send you some information that you could maybe try to incorporate into your own lifestyle, based on my diagnosis for you. This could be exercise or food and will be important for continuing between treatments.
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