Try Acupuncture!

When it comes to pain nearly half of Brits (44%) just grin and bear it which could impact long term health and well-being.

– British Acupuncture Council

Many people put up with pain when they don’t need to. Often discomfort from musculoskeletal problems can be alleviated with the correct diagnosis and treatment. Traditional acupuncture is an evidence based therapy that has been shown to help reduce pain and swelling, increase blood flow to promote recovery and help restore movement at the site of injury.

In my experience, a lot of patients either ignore their injury or opt for painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs without ever being physically examined. Painkillers often mask the problem and don’t always address any potential underlying issues. Traditional acupuncture can help to identify the root cause of a problem, improving a patient’s understanding and management of symptoms for a more positive long-term outcome.

Traditional acupuncture is one of the oldest documented systems of medicine in history (practised since around two thousand years ago) and is based on the meridian system and the movement of energy around the body. It is believed that pain or illness can occur if the flow of energy gets blocked or disrupted. Acupuncture improves the body’s natural healing process by stimulating specific points on the body to regulate the flow of energy once again and restore balance.

Despite traditional acupuncture’s widely recognised health benefits, statistics also show that more than a fifth (21%) of people say they are too scared to try it because of the needles.

Most people who come to see me for the first time are a little nervous even if they don’t say so. I make sure they understand the acupuncture treatment process thoroughly, including how it’s going to feel and that the needles are single-use, sterile and extremely fine. Acupuncture needles are also nothing like hypodermic needles used for taking blood so I tend to show them what they look like to put their mind at rest.