An initial treatment includes a consultation during which the patient is asked questions which help the acupuncturist to make a diagnosis and treatment plan based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This initial consultation is followed by the acupuncture treatment itself and lasts approximately 1 hour. Additional acupuncture treatments may be required. These last approximately 45 minutes.
The practitioner will begin the initial treatment by asking the client certain questions even if a diagnosis has already been made according to conventional medicine. The reason for this is that the acupuncturist follows the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), according to which the body is seen as a whole and the root cause of the disorder is treated in addition to the symptoms.
The questions the client is asked relate to the condition itself (i.e., its onset, severity, whether acute or chronic, symptoms experienced, if anything makes it worse or improves it, if medication is being taken for it, etc.) as well as questions regarding general health, energy, appetite, diet, lifestyle, sleep, family history and previous medical history.
The acupuncturist will also look at the client’s tongue and will check their pulse. The tongue and pulse also provide information regarding the nature of the disorder, the state of the internal organs and the state of the body’s Qi (vital energy).
Once a TCM diagnosis has been made, the practitioner will decide a treatment plan. Acupuncture points from appropriate Channels will be selected to treat the areas of blockages identified in the body as a whole. These points may be in the area affected (“local” points) or further away from the affected area (“distal” points).
There may be a slight pinch as the needle is inserted but for a lot of points used the needle can in inserted without the patient even realising it. Very fine surgical steel needles are used. Since they are very thin, they can be inserted without the discomfort that is typically associated with a needle. Once the needle has been inserted, the therapist will then obtain the acupuncture sensation, known as 'deqi', which can be varied and the client may exerpience a mild tingling, a numb, 'heavy' or warm sensation, or just an “unusual” sensation. Once the acupuncture needles are inserted, they are generally retained for 15 to 30 minutes.
The benefit of a treatment is often experienced immediately or shortly after the treatment. Often, particularly in the treatment of pain, that response produces decreasing symptoms that last for increasingly longer amounts of time. Chronic problems will normally take longer. All results are a combination of the severity of the problem, the person's own state of health, their level of healing energy and the treatment. A full course of treatments consists of 10 treatments. Often people continue with acupuncture even after their immediate problem has been resolved, coming regularly once a fortnight or once a month, in order to prevent further problems and to increase their maximum state of well-being.
Other TCM therapies such as moxibustion or cupping may be applied or elctroacupuncture may be used. Throughout this time, the client relaxes comfortably on a special acupuncture couch.