When you visit our clinic in Blackrock Village you will receive an integrative approach to your health needs. One of the most popular treatments in clinic is acupuncture.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture originated in China around 3,000 years ago and remains one of the oldest, most recognised go to natural therapy for the modern world. It is wonderful in treating women’s health, hormone imbalances and myriad of symptoms that come with it. It addresses the root of the issue and focuses on the whole person, not only on symptom management. Acupuncture aims to restore balance in the body through qi (chi), a person’s life force.
How does it work?
Acupuncture is a pain-free treatment that involves inserting very fine needles into specific anatomic sites on the body - commonly referred to as acupuncture points or acupoints. It promotes your body’s self-healing abilities by prompting it to restore balance, clears blockages and improves circulation, reduces inflammation and decreases pain, influencing your body’s biochemical responses via the nervous system.
This video from our governing body, The British Acupuncture Council gives a great explanation on how acupuncture works. When you come for treatment please feel to ask any questions as we love to explain more about what we are doing and why.
What happens during an acupuncture treatment?
- Prior to your appointment we send you a health questionnaire and ask for relevant medical information and test results you have had in the past.
- Your initial consultation will be for one and half hours, where we discuss your health history, your journey so far and what you’d like from the treatment with us.
- During your treatment we will feel your pulse and look at your tongue and then you get to lie down while we insert the smallest needles. Usually you have about 20 to 25 minutes with the needles in, where you can rest and relax deeply.
- Due to Acupuncture having a physiological effect, the dose of Acupuncture including timing and frequency of treatment will be considered when discussing a treatment plan with your practitioner.
- As part of all our health programmes, we will follow up with a written bespoke treatment plan. This includes lots of information, any tests we might recommend and the next steps.
We offer acupuncture for the following:
After your first appointment I will send you a detailed treatment plan with your recommended frequency of treatment. For hormone and menstrual related clients this is typically weekly, however, this will depend on your health background and your journey so far. As a general rule, I prefer to work with people on a weekly basis for 3 menstrual cycles before reassessing the efficacy of treatment. When booking your initial consult with me, I recommend booking weekly appointments for 3 months in advance to ensure there is no disruption in your treatment plan.
Acupuncture is cumulative, so while you might not see your main complaint resolved within one treatment. My goal is that you start to see results right away, this might look like getting better sleep, feeling like there is more energy, or better emotional regulation. The length of time to see results will depend on the severity of your condition, as well as the frequency of your acupuncture treatments, whether we are using herbs and the application of lifestyle advice that I provide. During our initial consult we will establish some health milestones that we will use as a measurement of our success together. For fertility treatments an initial plan is typically weekly acupuncture for 3 months.
Typically the style of acupuncture that I use in all my treatments uses fine needle insertion, and does not hurt. This is really dependent on each individual. Many barely feel anything when needles are inserted. Some people feel a slight pinch, and others ask “Is it in yet?”
You may experience sensations such as tingling, buzzing or notice movement through the body. If you are needle-phobic please let me know in advance and we can use extra fine needles, and I will work with you each week to slowly build our treatments. I treat many people that have needle phobia and ensure you feel safe at all times.
When people come in for the first time, they aren’t sure how long they should stay and rest with the needles in. I often tell my clients to stay for approximately 25 minutes for the treatment to take effect.
Resting with the needles in longer doesn’t necessarily mean you will get a better treatment or more benefit from the treatment. However, if you are in a restful state, feel free to stay as long as you like. The body heals best when it is resting.
However, if your mind is wandering and you aren’t restful, it won’t help you to stay longer. The best thing to do is to listen to your body.
Yes. I am well experienced working alongside IVF and IUI, and am constantly furthering my education and professional development to stay up to date with developments in these areas. My acupuncture and herbal protocols aim to complement your cycle, whether medicated or not. It is common for fertility specialists to refer their clients to acupuncture due to their clinical appreciation of the therapy.