Acupuncture treatment with Annya Stoddart. Therapy with the gentle touch.
What happens during an acupuncture treatment?
I will ask you questions about your signs and symptoms, take your pulse and look at your tongue. The pulse taking and tongue diagnosis enable me to get a view of what is happening to your body's internal systems and combined with the questions, enable me to make a diagnosis and write a treatment plan for you.
I may need to look at your posture and movement or palpate different areas of your body to check for pain or tenderness. This will contribute to the diagnosis and treatment plan.
Will I need to take my clothes off?
Many treatments involve areas below the knees and elbow and the abdomen so all you will need to do is be able to roll up your sleeves/ trousers and loosen your belt or waistband.
Some treatments may involve me working on your back, your hips or your thighs . In these cases it is much more likely that you will need to remove more clothing , but I will ensure that areas of your body that I am not working on are covered in a towel.
Will the needles hurt?
Acupuncture needles are nothing like the hypodermic syringes used for vaccinations or taking blood. I use Japanese style needles which are very slender and highly polished so that they slip in painlessly.
However, occasionally some acupuncture points can be very sensitive and the pressure of the needle may cause a very brief uncomfortable sensation. If this persists, let me know and I can adjust the stimulation or positioning of the needle.
Is there any risk of infection?
None whatsoever. All the needles I use are single use, sterile needles and disposed off in a sharps container after they have been used. As a member of the British Acupuncture Council I adhere to their Code of Safe Practice and use a Clean Needling Technique.
How long does a treatment last?
Most treatments take 45mins to an hour in total. Needles may be just inserted and taken out or they may be left in for anything from 5 mins to 30 mins.
Are there any side effects of treatment?
The most common side effects are:
Feeling relaxed or energised.
Feeling tired or light headed.
Very infrequent side effects are:
Bruising
Pain at the needle site
Dizziness
Feeling hungry
Bleeding at the needle site
Feeling nauseous, sweating or feeling faint.
Do you only use needles?
I can use a whole range of tools to aid treatment including
Electro acupuncture: a mild electric current is sent to the needle. It is painless, how much current is used is controlled by you. It has the same side effects as normal acupuncture.
Gua Sha: A massage technique involving pressing and stroking your skin with a round edged tool (I use a Chinese soup spoon). It often helps muscular and joint pain.
Cupping: A suction based technique using specially designed cups. It also helps muscular and joint pain.
Moxibustion/ Moxa : Moxa is a herb rolled into a cigar shape, which, when it is ignited produces a warm, glowing tip. The tip is used to warm up inserted needles or areas of the body – it doesn’t actually touch the skin.
Heat Lamp: This can be used in a similar way to Moxa, heating up areas of the body.
