What can Acupuncture treat?

Acupuncture can be used to treat many physical conditions, including backache, headaches, irregular periods, sinusitis, infertility and stress. You can benefit from Acupuncture without suffering from any particular ailment. If you are feeling off-colour or out of sorts, perhaps experiencing difficulties at work or unhappiness in a relationship, then Acupuncture can help you to cope better.

Professional Acupuncturists treat the whole person and therefore don't distinguish between physical complaints and emotional problems. This means that the treatment of physical problems also affects the way you feel in yourself.

As well as a greater sense of general well-being and enhanced enjoyment of life, Acupuncture can be an extremely effective and drug-free form of pain relief.

You will also find your immune system is better able to withstand flu and colds and, if you do fall ill, you tend to suffer less badly and recover more quickly.

Many people continue to use Acupuncture as an effective form of preventative medicine.

Please have a look at the World Health Organisation review of clinical trials into the efficacy of Acupuncture for a variety of health disorders.

The British Acupuncture Council provides factsheets and research papers on a number of conditions where Acupuncture has been clinically proven to help.

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended in 2009 that Acupuncture should be part of treatments available on the National Health Service (NHS) for the alleviation of lower back pain.

Kirsten participated as an Acupuncture practitioner in a study that researched the effects of Classical Five Element Acupuncture treatment on patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms.

The main findings were:
The addition of 12 sessions of Five-Element Acupuncture to usual (medical) care resulted in improved health status and wellbeing that was sustained for 12 months. Many patients who were treated with five-element Acupuncture perceived a range of positive effects and appeared to take on a more active role in (GP) consultations and self-care.

Please view more details of the study here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21801508 (295-305)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21801509 (306-315)

The initial diagnosis involves collecting information about your medical and personal history as well as your present condition. A detailed understanding of your stresses and symptoms is necessary, as well as the functioning of your body systems (sleep, digestion etc.) and what your life is about.

In addition the diagnosis includes a physical examination to understand the body's energetic balance, which includes pulse taking on both wrists. During treatments very fine, sterile disposable needles are inserted at specific energy points along energetic (meridian) pathways. The application of heat (moxibustion) may also be included.

The severity of the imbalance, how long it has been there, and whether or not anything in your lifestyle is interfering with the progress of healing will all affect the duration and frequency of treatment. You will need on average 4-6 treatments before you can expect a noticeable improvement in your condition.

Worsley Acupuncture™ is a classical form of Acupuncture. It uses needles and moxibustion to bring about healing. As such it doesn't generally involve the prescription of herbs or any extras. We do not offer cupping, Chinese herbs and stimulation through electrical devices or heat lamps.