Acupuncture

Associated Therapists

Erik Pietzka

WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?

Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing. The earliest acupuncture books were written over two thousand years ago and today, worldwide, there are over three million practitioners. Acupuncture began with the discovery that stimulating certain areas of the skin affected the function of specific organs. It evolved into a system of healing as the connection between the skin and organs was better understood and more sensitive ways of stimulation were devised. In the West acupuncture has been misleadingly publicised as being good only for specific conditions, for example, pain or weight loss. In fact, it is effective for a variety of conditions due to its power to stimulate our own healing response. The overall theraputic effect is one of its great strengths.

WHAT CAN ACUPUNCTURE HELP?

Many people come to acupuncture for help with a specific symptom or condition, for example: anxiety states, arthritis, asthma, back pain or weakness, circulatory problems, depression, high blood pressure, indeterminate aches and pains, infertility, menstrual problems, ME, migrains, psychological disorders, sciatica, skin conditions, tiredness, urinary problems and many more. Practice and research over many years shown acupuncture’s effectiveness in helping these conditions.

The effect of good acupuncture, however, is to do more than simply cure symptoms. Diagnosis and treatment will be focused on the person and their constitution as well as their symptoms. As a result, the patient will also feel better in general way. Hence the frequent comment, ‘I’m feeling better in myself’ which refers to such things as increased energy and vitality, greater enjoyment of life, greater confidence, better sleep and a more normal appetite.

Focusing treatment on the person, rather than disease, is appropriate when a person feels unwell in themselvess, but does not have a kind of complaint, physical or otherwise, which allows them to present themselves as ‘sick’ – indeed, based on medical checks, they may have been told that there is nothing wrong. It is also appropriate for people who are aware that, before any stmptoms appear, there is a gradual detereoration in energy – these people come for preventative treatment which is aimed at maintaining health and feeling even better. Of course, the dividing lines between having some labelled condition, feeling unwell, and feeling just a ‘bit off’ are not precise.

HOW IS A DIAGNOSIS CARRIED OUT?

A person’s energy is distributed through twelve energy pathways. Each pathway associated with an organ and for each organ there are a variety of patterns of energy imbalance – these are called syndromes. When diagnosing, your practitioner will look for the syndrome which reflects your constitutional type as well as the one which underlies your specific complaint.

Syndromes are recognised by the combination of signs and symptoms. Examples of ‘signs’ are facial colour, sound in the voice, distribution of heat and cold, typical emotional state, pulse and tongue. Pulse and tongue diagnosis are two special diagnostic techniques unique to Oriental Medicine. ‘Symptoms’ are your complaints and also the descriptions of how your body is functioning: for instance how you sleep, the quality of your appetite, the dryness of your skin or whether you feel the cold.

TREATMENT

Treatment is the process of re-establishing the energy balance. This is done in two ways. One is the insertion of fine, stainless steel needles into acupuncture points, either stimulating or reducing the flow of energy in a specific pathway. The other is the application of warmth to the acupuncture point. These methods are often used in combination. As the balance improves, health improves.

On your initial visit the practitioner will gather information on your symptoms and your treatment to date; your medical and family history; your systems or functions (e.g. sleep, appetite, digestion, etc.); and your physical condition, such as the distribution of body heat and the condition of the skin. Subsequent visits will review the progress and treatment is frequently adjusted to meet the patient’s needs. Generally, you will be asked to come weekly, possibly more frequently if your condition is acute. The speed of improvement varies more according to the person than the label of the complaint.

DOES IT HURT?

Some people would like to try acupuncture but don’t because they assume it will be painful. In fact, as the needles used are much finer than those for injections, only a slight prick is felt as the needle goes through the skin. When the needle reaches the desired point – an are of 4 or 5 mm below the surface of the skin – there is another sensation often described as a dull ache. It is rarely described as painful and lasts only 1 or 2 seconds.

WHAT ARE THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS?

Practitioners who graduate from the London College of Traditional Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (a college where your current practitioner obtained her degree from) can automatically join the British Acupuncture Council and use MBAcC after their names. This means high standards of acupuncture training, hygiene and ethical and professional codes are met. The code of hygiene was developed under the guidance of the Department of Health’s Public Health Laboratory Service and all forms of infectious diseases have been considered. Needles used are pre-sterilised disposable needles.

Your practitioner also has an understanding of Conventional Medical Sciences to the standard where problems best dealt by, or in conjunction with a doctor, will be recognised and advise given. Your practtioner is registered with the local authorities, meeting their hygiene by-laws, and bound by the Council’s ethical and hygiene code.