Friendly, safe, cost effective
Your first session happens in 3 stages...
Fill in a registration form
This form includes information about acupuncture that you need to know, questions to double-check that it is safe for you to have acupuncture, data protection questions, and questions that will help us make a Chinese medical diagnosis and plan your treatment.
It also includes an optional questionnaire that helps us measure how effective our acupuncture is. Every six months or so, we collate the data from everyone’s forms and publish the results. You remain completely anonymous in this process. We hope that our results will persuade more GPs to provide acupuncture on the NHS in future.
You can get ahead of the game by printing and completing your registration form now, and bringing it to the clinic when you come for your first session.
Stage
1
Talk to an acupuncturist
During this bit, one of us (Sarah or Alison) will go through your completed registration form with you, ask some extra questions, take your pulse on both wrists and have a look at your tongue. If relevant, we may also examine any areas where you feel discomfort (e.g. a sore knee or stiff neck).
The acupuncturist you speak to at this stage will make your Chinese medical diagnosis, be responsible for your overall treatment plan, and regularly review your notes to check how things are progressing. However, either Sarah or Alison may administer your acupuncture when you come for your follow-on treatments – it just depends on who is available when you arrive.
Stage
2
Have your first treatment
Before we begin your treatment, you will have an opportunity to ask any questions you have about acupuncture, the needles we use, and so on. We'll explain where we plan to put the needles and what they might feel like.
Most people find acupuncture relaxing and often feel very calm after a treatment. You can find out more about what acupuncture is like by watching the videos on the ‘About acupuncture’ page on this website.
At the end of your session, we will discuss how often you are likely to need acupuncture. You can then book in for your next session if you want to.
