Award-winning, highest-rated clinic offering

Acupuncture in Huntingdon

Name: Acupuncture in Huntingdon
Brand: True Health Clinics
Price: 69
Rating: 4.9 (1513 reviews)

Irina Szmelskyj and Phil Rose-Neil are award-winning Acupuncturists highly experienced in all aspects of acupuncture.

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4.9 based on 1,500+ reviews

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a treatment where thin, sterile acupuncture needles are inserted into specific acupuncture body points on the body to treat a wide variety of physical and emotional health conditions.

Acupuncture originated in China over 2,000 years ago. Over the last 50 years, much scientific research has been done to explain how acupuncture works. With the help of brain scans and blood tests, scientists discovered that acupuncture has a powerful effect on the brain.

It has been shown to rewire brain pathways and have a permanent healing effect.

Does Acupuncture Work?

Acupuncture is one of the most evidence-based medical modalities.

Past 20 years

Unprecedented in allied medicine, over 13,000 acupuncture trials published

Over 13,000 studies conducted in 60 countries. Conditions studied include pain, cancer, insomnia, inflammatory conditions, infertility and many others. The quantity and quality of acupuncture research is rising exponentially. (Evidence Based Acupuncture)
2003

World Health Organisation publishes report on acupuncture effectiveness
World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report on the evidence of acupuncture effectiveness. They identified 91 conditions that had preliminary moderate to strong evidence of acupuncture effectiveness.
2017

The Acupuncture Evidence Project finds evidence that acupuncture can help 117 conditions
Publication of a major review of acupuncture effectiveness in which the authors reviewed over 1,000 trials. They found moderate to high evidence of acupuncture effectiveness for 117 conditions out of 122 conditions studied. Only five conditions were found to have little or no evidence of acupuncture effectiveness.
Stephen Janz, one of the authors, concluded "It is no longer possible to say that the effectiveness of acupuncture can be attributed to the placebo effect or that it is useful only for musculoskeletal pain”.
2018

2,189 international guidelines recommend acupuncture
A review of 1,311 clinical guidelines from government health institutions, national guidelines, and medical speciality groups from around the world found 2,189 positive recommendations for acupuncture for 107 pain and 97 non-pain conditions.
It takes around 17 years for new clinical research to be incorporated into clinical practice. Therefore, with the increase in the evidence of acupuncture effectiveness, it is likely that acupuncture will be recommended in more future guidelines.
2021

Acupuncture is now more accepted than many other forms of medicine

After 13,000 trials, thousands of reviews and an unmatched safety record, acupuncture is one of the most widely recommended treatments in contemporary medicine.

Registered Acupuncturists

Irina Szmelskyj

DipAc, MSc, MBAcC, MBMAS, MBAA, RBAF

Principal Registered Acupuncturist

18 years experience
National award-winning acupuncturist
Registered with The British Acupuncture Council
Speaker, lecturer, author and researcher
Specialising in fertility, IVF and miscarriage prevention

Philip Rose-Neil

BA(Hons), Lic.Ac, MBAcC

Associate Registered Acupuncturist

10 years experience
Registered with The British Acupuncture Council
International speaker and presenter
Former Chairman of The British Acupuncture Council
The British Acupuncture Council’s Regional Group Co-ordinator in the Northampton area

Is Acupuncture Safe?

Research on the safety of acupuncture is so conclusive, even critics concede that acupuncture is safe

Several studies on the safety of acupuncture involving over 10.5 million treatments demonstrated that acupuncture is one of the safest forms of medical treatment. The most common side effects reported included minor bleeding or bruising, tiredness and temporary aggravation of symptoms.

The rate of more serious adverse events was 0.00011%. In contrast, a recent meta-analysis study found that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as Ibuprofen even for a short duration increased the risk of a heart attack.

Acupuncture is only safe if administered by a fully qualified acupuncturist. In the UK, anyone can work as an ‘acupuncturist’ with virtually no training. It is possible to do short courses over one to two days (sometimes referred to as ‘dry needling’ or ‘medical acupuncture’).

World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 2,500 hours of formal training to qualify as an acupuncturist. Therefore, the onus is on patients to verify how well trained their acupuncturist is.

Our acupuncturists, Irina Szmelskyj and Philip Rose-Neil have degree-level acupuncture qualifications after undertaking four years of formal training. They are registered with The British Acupuncture Council and are accredited by The Professional Standards Authority.

True Health Clinics premises have been inspected and are licensed by Huntingdonshire District Council for carrying out acupuncture treatments.

What happens during acupuncture consultation?

The initial acupuncture appointment will include detailed medical history, examination (if appropriate), diagnosis and treatment.

Medical history

Before your acupuncture consultation, you will be asked to fill out our detailed medical questionnaires. You will be asked about:

how long you have had the problem
how it may have started
what factors may be stopping it from getting better
what aggravates and relieves the symptoms
the impact on your daily activities
medical tests and investigations
history of similar problems
past injuries and illnesses
hospitalisations or operations
any diseases that have affected your blood relatives
the effects of your lifestyle on your health, for example, your diet and exercise

We will ask you more questions about any aspects of your medical history that require more detail during your initial acupuncture consultation.

Examination

Acupuncture examination will depend on your presenting condition; for example, we may assess your posture, muscles or joints.

The acupuncturist may also check your pulse and examine your tongue. These are valuable techniques used by acupuncturists to confirm a diagnosis.

Once all the relevant information has been obtained, your acupuncturist will formulate the diagnosis and the most appropriate acupuncture treatment.

acupuncture pulse taking

Acupuncture treatment

You may need to remove some of your outer clothing. Only the areas of the body treated will be exposed during the treatment, and a sheet may be offered for your comfort if required.

You will usually be asked to lie down on a treatment couch, but acupuncture can be administered with you sitting up if required.

Acupuncture needles will be inserted into acupuncture points based on your diagnosis. This may be away from the site of the problem. The needles will usually be left in place for 10-15 minutes, although this may be shorter or longer depending on the condition treated. During this time, most patients feel very relaxed; some even fall asleep. At the end of the acupuncture treatment, the needles will be painlessly removed and disposed of.

We may recommend exercise, rest, and dietary alterations as part of your acupuncture treatment. This lifestyle counselling will help you recover faster and prevent future health problems.

Does Acupuncture Hurt?

Acupuncture needles are only slightly thicker than human hair. So, you will barely feel them.

Acupuncture needles are so thin you will barely feel them. Once inserted, we may adjust the needle until you feel a slight ache or tingling sensation. This sensation is a sign that we’ve activated the acupuncture point. Research shows that this sensation induces physiological changes in the body.

That sensation shouldn’t be uncomfortable and should settle within a few seconds. If you feel any discomfort during your treatment, please tell your acupuncturist, who will adjust the needle to make it more comfortable.

If you are still concerned about having needles inserted, why not book a 15 minutes free consultation with our acupuncturists and ask to try one needle so that you know how it will feel.

Acupuncture Techniques

Acupuncture treatment may involve the use of supplementary techniques.

Electro-acupuncture

Electro-acupuncture enhances the effects of manual acupuncture and is particularly effective in the treating pain.

Ear acupuncture

Auricular (ear) acupuncture is where acupuncture points on the ear are treated to help relieve symptoms.

Cupping

Cupping is where the air is removed from a cup and it is then placed on the patient’s skin.

Acupressure

Acupressure is where acupuncture points are stimulated by finger pressure or by a small pen-like probe.

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