This is a question that I am frequently asked and is one that is aimed at most things that bothers people! For example, all types of painful conditions, skin problems, digestive system problems, breathing issues, fertility concerns, periods and menopause, headaches, migraines, tinnitus, mental worries like depression and anxiety, insomnia, side-effects from chemotherapy, slow healing scars, post-stroke rehab, heart and blood pressure worries, poor circulation, weight loss, appetite stimulation, autism and ADHD related stress etc, etc. The list is pretty much never ending.
In the early days I used to fret about answering this question as specifically as possible with regards to whatever condition was being enquired about. However, with many years of experience under my belt and thousands of acupuncture treatment sessions completed, I now know that the answer is simply and undoubtedly “Yes!”.
Cue my Dad stepping in to tell his longstanding home-made joke that acupuncture works on everything, except for pins and needles. Boom, boom. (Actually I’ve found it can help with pins and needles too).
It is always worthwhile having acupuncture for pretty much anything that might be concerning you, simply because even if your issue doesn’t resolve, (more of that in a moment), then you will leave my clinic feeling calm, at peace with the world and more crucially with yourself. Importantly, you will know that you gave it a go. Also, for the minority of my acupuncture patients that do not have a reduction or elimination of their issue, they are put into a much happier state and are then more able to accept and cope with whatever it is that was bothering them. Which is pretty amazing isn’t it? I don’t think this can be said about conventional, pharmaceutical based medicine!
As I say to all new enquirers, most of my acupuncture patients get better. Regarding certain conditions such as back pain or peripheral nerve damage from chemotherapy, I would estimate the resolution rate to be around 80-90% of cases. I have found however that one or two conditions such as tinnitus and vertigo to be much more resistant.
I expect miracles from the very first treatment because sometimes they happen and I don’t want to give you any limiting beliefs that you will need a set number of treatments in order to shift yourself into a happier, healthier state of wellbeing. That said, usually if after three treatments there’s absolutely no improvement with whatever it is that you’re wanting to improve upon AND you don’t want to continue simply because of the fantastic relaxation and sense of calmness that the acupuncture gives, then by all means I will do my very best to find a different therapy in the area that might well help. There’s always hope! There’s also a gazillion different therapies and therapists out there and by the laws of probability at least one of those will be able to help you. Provided that is that you are committed to changing and healing. I am not of the view that you need to believe that acupuncture works, but I do from time to time, meet the odd person that actually isn’t ready to heal, or even willing to let go of the identity that their illness is providing. This is a tricky one, because from personal experience it is quite hard to recognise that deep down there’s still a part of you that doesn’t want to be healthy. It’s taken me 6 years to finally go for chiropractic treatment with a friend to sort my longstanding poor posture! The reason for finally doing this is because I’ve reached that critical tipping point of being very annoyed by my poor posture and inflexible back. In hindsight it previously didn’t bother me enough to motivate me to drive the 90 minutes that it takes to visit her clinic. This is the key aspect. It is only when the effort and discomfort of changing and improving becomes less than the discomfort of staying in the current state of health, do we actually take steps to improve our health.
So, if you’re now at the point of being extremely fed-up, annoyed, depressed, even angry about something you need to sort with regards your physical or mental health, then that’s brilliant! Use this discomfort and negative emotional state to motivate you into booking in with me for some calming, gentle acupuncture. Oh, and if you ask me as to whether acupuncture can help with whatever it is that you want rid of, my answer will definitely be “Yes!”.
Love and Light,
Emma xxx