acupuncture in action

You’ve heard of acupuncture, but do you know what a session would actually entail or how it really works?

Acupuncture, even with its 2,500 year history, still remains a mystery to many people and yet its effects are wide-ranging and broad – it treats people in body, mind and spirit, and deals with a whole range of acute and chronic problems

While this description could cover many forms of healthcare, Chinese medical treatment differs from Western medicine in one particularly significant area - the techniques of diagnosis.

An acupuncturist, like any good healthcare practitioner, looks at a person’s complete and unique state of well-being. During an acupuncture session, however, a number of diagnostic tools are used to assess a patient’s physiological and psychological make-up, the backdrop against which the symptoms are viewed. As well as conducting an in-depth conversation, a practitioner will use two distinctive techniques - feeling the pulse and looking at the tongue

The tongue talks

Lisa Sherman from the British Acupuncture Council explains: ‘The tongue provides a detailed picture of your body’s state of health as the body’s different organs are represented by specific areas of the tongue. In an acupuncture session, the colour, shape, moisture, movement and coating will be assessed. It may seem strange at first but a practitioner can actually tell a lot from this evaluation.

‘The tongue diagnosis is individual to each person and together with the other diagnostic assessments can tell the acupuncturist if, for example, a person has blood deficiency or lack of body fluids, a tendency to become emotionally upset or the beginnings of a viral infection.’

An acupuncturist’s diagnosis is based on the principles of asking and hearing (the consultation), seeing (tongue diagnosis and observation), and feeling (pulse diagnosis). The pulses reflect the internal functioning of the body, mind and spirit. A practitioner will assess through the strength, depth, rhythm and rate of the pulse the condition of the different parts of the system, the disharmonies and imbalances which an acupuncturists skills can help to correct.

Tailored to your needs

The combination of these diagnostic methods determines the overall diagnosis and only then will an acupuncturist apply treatment. This treatment, tailored to the unique needs of each individual patient, takes the form of inserting fine needles into specific points on the body which stimulates the body’s energy channels.

Acupuncture can be used to treat most diseases and conditions from respiratory problems to neurological and musculoskeletal disorders through to gynaecological issues and mental conditions.

The British Acupuncture Council has 3,000 accredited members who are able to adapt traditional acupuncture theory to the needs of modern healthcare while still retaining its essence.

To find a practitioner in your area call the British Acupuncture Council on 020 8735 0400 or visit acupuncture.org.uk