What will my first session be like?
The first session will be about an hour and half which includes the first treatment.The practitioners will take notes of your background including medical histories, current conditions and lifestyle habits, discuss with you a personalized plan for your treatments and give you a first treatment.
What conditions can acupuncture treat?
Acupuncture is an energy medicine. From Chinese medicine's perspective, symptoms are manifestations of internal energy imbalances. Therefore, acupuncture aims to re-balance a person's Qi - vital internal energy by treating a person as a whole. Many symptoms improve when a person's internal energy balance is restored.
Having said that, if you want to look at acupuncture from a Western medicine perspective, British Acupuncture Council (www.acupuncture.org.uk) provides extensive information on many conditions that acupuncture can treat.
How many treatments do I need?
It depends on the condition you have. To start with, the practitioners may ask you to come in once a week. For acute conditions, you may need a few sessions in a week. You may notice benefits after a few treatments although chronic conditions may take longer to show improvements.
As your conditions improve, it may be suggested you come in every few weeks for top-up or seasonal treatments to maintain health. Acupuncture can be a wonderful preventive care to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
Is it really necessary to have acupuncture regularly?
It depends on how you perceive acupuncture's role in maintaining your health. There are many ways to maintain one's health. For example, good diet, regular exercise, and a positive attitude towards life can all help to maintain a health body and a vibrant spirit. However, sometimes our mind and body feel the burden of the daily stress, emotional disturbance and environmental hazards. Regular acupuncture can be very effective in not only improving the quality of life but also preventing serious diseases.
