Na, probably not but, in Australia, acupuncture centers are certainly becoming very popular these days, aren’t they. Acupuncture is a form of ancient medicine that involves inserting thin needles at specific sites on the body to relieve various ailments. If you are looking for Acupuncture Geelong services then you will find a number of great options to choose from.
Acupuncture may be useful to you? If you’ve been contemplating trying this ancient technique, here’s what you need to know before taking the plunge:
- Acupuncture may work as an adjuvant treatment, as well as a stand-alone therapy (depending on the nature of your condition)
- If your symptoms have been around for a while, you may find that you will require a course of treatment to get the best outcome.
- Although your symptoms will be your number one priority, your acupuncturist will probably talk to you about underlying causation. This is because the best clinical outcomes come when the cause of the problem is properly managed, not just the symptoms.
- When using acupuncture to relieve pain symptoms, it’s best to choose someone who has several years of experience with your particular problem. This can be ascertained by making a phone call and asking about the practitioner’s experience.
- Good acupuncture should help your chief complaint but will probably also result in some improvements in your sense of well-being. This is a pleasant side effect of good treatment
- If your problem is new and you are young and otherwise healthy, you might expect your course of acupuncture treatment to be short. However, if your problem is severe, long-term, and/or you are (not so young and) not so healthy, then you can expect your course of acupuncture treatment to be longer. Your practitioner will explain this to you in detail during your initial session.
- Chinese medicine practitioners speak a funny language. It is based on ancient Chinese texts, some written 1000s of years ago. Don’t let this bother you, it is just the Chinese medicine doctor’s way of making sense of your condition. You can always ask your practitioner for an interpretation of the weird language during your session as the best practitioners are also experts at interpreting this weird language for their patients.
- You might smell some strange smells in the clinic. This is usually coming from herbs in the dispensary but might also be from moxa. Moxa has a strong smell that is sometimes mistaken for marijuana. Don’t worry, your Dr is not stoned. He is probably just burning moxa
- Your acupuncture Dr will probably use more than just needles during your session. For example, the moxa mentioned above is a very popular addition to needling. As is cupping, scrapping, massage, herbal medicine, and even Chinese medicine physiotherapy.
- Acupuncture needles are very thin. Much thinner than a medical Drs needle. They are solid and very sharp. This means that you will barely notice them being inserted during your session. If, by chance, a needle does hurt, just let your Dr know and they will adjust it for you
- The best treatments often involve very few needles. It is not true to think that more needles mean better treatment. Sometimes more needles confuse the message that the Dr is trying to give the body. So if your Dr only uses a few needles, think yourself lucky to be in the hands if such a confident and experienced practitioner
- You may go to sleep during your session. This is a very good outcome. Don’t fight it. Relax and go with it. Your Dr will wake you when it’s time to get up.
- If you choose to attend a busy acupuncture center, you will notice just how popular this medicine is these days. Many people enjoy knowing that other people are using the same medicine as them.
- Chinese medicine is very old! As such it has had a great deal of time to develop lots of different ways to manage any single symptom. Keep that in mind if your Dr does one thing one time, and then something completely different the next time. They didn’t forget what they were doing. Instead, they are probably utilizing one of the great variety of methods known to Chinese medicine.
- Because Chinese medicine is so old, it has had a long time to iron out any kinks in its performance. This is one of medicine’s greatest strengths. The modern Dr of Chinese medicine will use both the ancient texts, as well as the latest peer-reviewed research to inform their decision-making process.
- But one of the best things about Chinese medicine, acupuncture, in particular, is that it is a fabulously drug-free way to manage your health. If you want to reduce the number of chemicals you put into your body, but still gain some fabulous benefits, then Acupuncture would make a great choice for you.
Incorporating acupuncture into real life:
Acupuncture is a useful adjunct treatment for those individuals who are currently using other treatment modalities to help their problems. Almost every acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner is highly skilled at incorporating acupuncture into an existing regime of treatment. Just let your practitioner know what else you are doing and they will explain how best to integrate what they’re doing for you into your existing regime.
