What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is one of the oldest and safest medical treatments in the world. Traditional acupuncture is a healthcare system used in the East for over 2,000 years. Acupuncture adopts an holistic approach to healthcare, considering the mind and body as one, and is based on the idea that a blockage or disturbance in the flow of ‘qi’ (a concept from Chinese philosophy), can cause health issues.  

Traditional Chinese Medical theory views pain and illness as an indication that the body is out of balance. The aim of acupuncture treatment is to stimulate the body’s natural healing system and restore health and equilibrium.  

Traditional Acupuncture works by helping to restore balance to the body’s vital energy or ‘Qi’. Acupuncturists insert very fine needles into specific points throughout the body, along pathways known as ‘meridians’, to regulate body processes and functions, balance the body energies, stimulate healing, and promote relaxation. Other techniques can include moxibustion and cupping. 

You can come to us for a treatment to restore health or to promote and maintain health. It is used both as a stand-alone therapy or in combination with other forms of medicine to help treat a wide variety of acute and chronic health conditions. 

Acupuncture treatment is aimed at treating the root cause of a condition as well as the main symptoms. A holistic therapy, traditional Chinese Acupuncture treats the whole person – body and mind. It can be effective treatment for a range of conditions. 

the inside of the multibed acupuncture clinic. Two couches separated by screens

What conditions do we treat at our Acupuncture Clinic in East Grinstead? 

At our tranquil Acupuncture Clinic in East Grinstead, we treat a wide range of health conditions. These include:

  • musculoskeletal pain
  • pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee
  • chronic pain conditions
  • allergies
  • fertility issues
  • nausea
  • headache & migraine
  • stress, anxiety & depression
  • insomnia
  • and much more…

You can have Acupuncture treatment as a measure to prevent illness, helping to maintain good health or to improve your mental health and  sense of well-being. 

You can read factsheets for different conditions on the British Acupuncture council website. 

Since 2009, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended that Acupuncture should be made available on the NHS, as a cost-effective short-term treatment for the management of early, persistent non-specific lower back pain.  NICE now recommend Acupuncture as one of the alternatives to prescription drugs to treat chronic primary pain. 

A full list of treatments available at our Acupuncture clinic in East Grinstead can be found here. If you are coming to us for the first time, you can take advantage of our free 15-minute initial consultation with no obligation (does not include treatment). 

Affordable Acupuncture

ICOM is a not-for-profit organisation and part of our mission has always been to enable the whole community to access affordable Acupuncture. We do this through our low-cost student clinics and our multibed clinics.

What to expect at an Acupuncture appointment

Patient consultation

Your practitioner will take a detailed medical history. They may check your posture, examine the site of any symptoms you have and they may ask to look at your tongue.

Diagnosis and point selection

The acupuncturist will then make a diagnosis according to Chinese Medicine and decide which combination of points is right for your whole body as well as the symptoms you may be presenting with.

Needle Insertion

Sometimes acupuncture needles are inserted for just a second or two, or you may be left to rest for a while before the needles are removed. The needles are so fine that most people don’t feel them being inserted or they might just feel a small scratch.

Moxibustion

Sometimes your practitioner may carefully place moxa on the ends of the needles. The moxa is set alight and left to burn to warm the needles. This is a safe procedure.

Needle Removal

At the end of the treatment the Acupuncturist will carefully remove the needles and dispose of them safely.

Book a free 15-minute consultation with an Acupuncture practitioner

 

These are no-obligation consultations to allow you to ask questions and find out how Acupuncture could help you.