This all depends on what you are receiving acupuncture for. Usually acupuncture needles are inserted on the feet, hands, arms, legs and back. I will give you an idea of where these points are before starting treatment, not all areas will be treated at once or in one treatment session.

No, acupuncture does not hurt. However, you may experience sensations once the needles are in, this is known as De Qi sensation, which indicates that the treatment is starting to take effect. These sensations are often subtle including localised tingling, pressure on the points, warmth, heaviness of the limbs or feeling like you are floating on a cloud.

Initial consultations will last roughly 55 minutes.

Follow-on treatments will last roughly 50 minutes.

I will use the detailed information gathered during the pre-treatment questionnaire to understand what the root cause of your complaint is. An understanding of the root cause, considering both western medicine and traditional chinese medicine theory, will enable me to decide where to place the acupuncture needles.

Yes, you are likely to need more than one acupuncture treatment session. The effects of acupuncture are cumulative therefore we recommend a programme of treatments. For most treatment programmes, regular sessions are recommended weekly or bi-weekly initially and will then gradually decrease in frequency. Acupuncture is not a cure therefore once the core treatment programme is completed, top-up treatments are often recommended annually or bi-annually to keep on top of any symptoms.