Acupuncture

• Direct Needling: Using single use, disposable needles.
• Electro acupuncture: Where electrical stimulation of needles is provided, this is sometimes used in acute or chronic pain conditions.
• Trigger point needling: Here needles are put into trigger points (painful areas in the body), and with a lift thrust technique of the needle a twitch response is sometimes elicited.
• Moxibustion: Occasionally a herb is burnt on top of the needle which transfers heat into specific areas, which can be helpful in very chronic Osteoarthritis. These days this treatment is superceded by electro acupuncture.

Acupuncture stimulates the nerves in skin and muscle, and can produce a variety of effects. It increases the body’s release of natural painkillers – endorphin and serotonin – in the pain pathways of both the spinal cord and the brain. This modifies the way pain signals are received.

But Acupuncture does much more than reduce pain. It has a beneficial effect on health. Patients often notice an improved sense of wellbeing after treatment.Modern research shows that acupuncture can affect most of the body’s systems – the nervous system, muscle tone, hormone outputs, circulation, antibody production and allergic responses, as well as the respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems.

Listed here are some of the more common conditions which are treated using Acupuncture:

• Pain relief for a wide range of painful conditions. Acupuncture is commonly used to treat muscle pain, for example – back, shoulder, neck and leg pain. Acupuncture is especially useful for low back pain, and Sciatica.
• Acupuncture has been used successfully to treat headaches, migraines, trapped nerves, chronic muscle strains, sports injuries and various kinds of arthritic and rheumatic pain.
• Bladder problems such as urinary frequency, and ‘irritable bladder’.
• Menstrual and menopausal symptoms, eg period pains and hot flushes
• Allergies such as hay fever, perennial allergic rhinitis, and some types of allergic rashes such as urticaria and prickly heat, can be helped with Acupuncture techniques
• Acupuncture for  skin problems such as rashes and ulcers, itching, and some forms of dermatitis.
• Sinus problems and chronic catarrh.
• Acupuncture can help conditions such irritable bowel, bloating, nausea.