What to expect from Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a theory based on the human body, as it’s own small universe. If this universe gets out of balance then real health issues begin to arise. Western medicine attempts to treat this imbalance through the use of medication in isolation of many individual lifestyle choices. Eastern philosophy is to treat the symptoms whilst also working with the individual to change their lifestyle habits that may be causing some of the issues. The treatment and healing is seen as a partnership between the patient and practitioner as opposed to something that is treated in isolation of each other.

TCM looks at healing in a holistic way in that everything is related such as worry, stress, breathing, diet, exercise, sleep and movement.

Acupuncturists and TCM practitioners identify which systems or elements are out of balance and what has caused the problem. Once they have identified what may be causing the complaint they try to rebalance the system through acupuncture techniques and herbal medicine. After treatment it is important that the client address the issues identified by the practitioner that may be related to the problem. Then the treatment will become more effective as you work together.

Acute conditions require two to five sessions depending on how serious the issue is. Chronic conditions may take longer or be ongoing depending on how serious and how long the complaint has been an issue.

The healing process will be different depending on the complaint, how long you have had it, how severe it is and what lifestyle changes you are prepared to make. Some symptoms will feel better the next day and then slowly progress steadily over the next few treatments others will feel really good for one or two days the first treatment then two or three days after the second treatment and so on. There is no set standard as we are all individuals.

It is important to be aware of the everyday factors that could also impact the recovery process such as weather, food, stress levels, tiredness, travelling etc. All of these could affect the healing process. Therefore one needs to be patient and try to look after themselves in all aspects of their lives to make better teamwork and to get the most out of their treatment.

We encourage you to ask more questions and to learn to read your body’s signals (small symptoms are all related to imbalance). This will help you and the practitioner to have a better understanding of what your body is trying to tell you.