Pain

The AcuMedic Pain Clinic provides specialist syndrome acupuncture treatment and powerful Chinese herbal prescription to relieve pain caused by a wide variety of conditions affecting the joints (e.g. Arthritis), the nerves (e.g. Sciatica, Migraine, Morton’s Neuroma), the tendons (e.g. Tendinitis), the head (e.g. tension Headache). Post-operative pain can also be successfully treated at this Clinic.

Treatment is performed by a fully qualified CMIR-registered doctor with extensive Western medical training.

The AcuMedic Pain Clinic treatment includes:

• A full Chinese Medical diagnosis with personalised lifestyle advice
• Pain relieving acupuncture
• An optional Chinese herbal prescription (charged separately) tailored to your individual condition and health needs
• Pi and Fu specialist acupuncture needle treatments which are especially effective for pain relief. These treatments can be provided upon the doctors recommendations. Pi Needle or Fu Needle Acupuncture – £15 extra to treatment costs.

Please note that this pain clinic is NOT for pain caused by musculo-skeletal injury (tennis elbow, frozen shoulder etc). For these conditions we recommend our Musculoskeletal Pain Clinic.

If you are in any doubt about whether this programme is suitable for you, just ask for Free Health Advice and our Doctors will let you know if, and how, they can help. You can also visit our Centre in London and one of our doctors will speak to you for free as a walk-in service.

What makes this Pain Clinic different

At AcuMedic’s Pain Clinic you will be provided with a personalised combination of syndrome acupuncture, and Chinese herbal treatment will be formulated, to eliminate your pain as well as the related symptoms or reduce its severity, thus enabling you to perform more everyday functions and have a better quality of life.

Since pain often causes mental symptoms such as feelings of frustration, anger and fear which can in turn aggravate the pain, the AcuMedic doctor will also aim to naturally balance the emotions through acupuncture and Chinese herbs.

How we can help you

Acupuncture is now widely used as a natural treatment for controlling pain and speeding up the recovery process. Chinese Medicine understands that pain arises out of blockages or stagnation in the circulation of blood and essential energy (Qi) in the body and uses acupuncture to unblock circulation which can alleviate the pain and promote healing and recovery.

---

+ About the Acupuncture at AcuMedic

Acupuncture treatment is available all over the world but not all acupuncturists are the same. Many acupuncturists in the West are only trained in a small modality of acupuncture such as trigger point acupuncture or perhaps 5 Element acupuncture. AcuMedicin London treats with syndrome acupuncture which is based on the complete system of theories in Chinese Medicine (including trigger point and 5 Element). This is authentic acupuncture treatment as practised in China and is based on Syndrome Differentiation diagnosis.

+ How it works

Acupuncture has long been known to be effective at pain relief. Pain is a manifestation of an imbalance in your body. Auto-immune disorders like arthritis are related to an imbalance in your immune system. Headaches can be caused by a multitude of imbalances such as hormonal, excessive heat or cold, poor circulation etc. Nerve pain can be caused by external issues such as wind or internal imbalances due to anxiety or stress.

The key to effective pain relief is to try to unravel these causes rather than just masking the symptoms. Acupuncture can provide instant pain relief using gate control theory but can more importantly treat the root cause and reverse these imbalances to relieve pain from its source.

To find out more read our brief Introduction to Chinese Medicine.

+ What to expect

An AcuMedic doctor will carry out a full Chinese Medical diagnosis (including tongue- and pulse-diagnoses to check internal health) and will talk to you to learn a bit about the circumstances of your physical complaints.

A Pain Clinic appointment usually lasts between 25-40 minutes. This includes consultation, diagnosis and acupuncture treatment. If you are prescribed raw Chinese herbs then this can take up to half an hour to prepare after your appointment.

+ Diagnosis and Consultation

There are four main diagnostic methods in Chinese Medicine which are observing, pulse diagnosis, questioning and listening. Each method has a unique function in the process of collecting different clinical information and understanding the root cause of your pain. Therefore all four diagnostic methods must be used to make an accurate diagnosis of your health and individualise the treatment so that the pain can be treated in your individual case.

Observing involves looking at all the outward manifestations of your condition. This is done by observing your general vitality, complexion, figure and skin. One of the most well known parts of observing is tongue diagnosis. The tongue is like a mirror showing the state of your internal organs. The AcuMedic doctor will be able to judge the condition of your essential energy (Qi), identify the location of the affected parts inside your body, determine what is exactly is wrong and identify how your condition might progress just from looking at your tongue.

There are over 50 different pulse types and the AcuMedic doctor will take your pulse on both wrists to determine which pulse type you have. Your pulse is identified in terms of depth, speed, strength, shape and rhythm. Your pulse is an indicator of how Qi and blood are moving around your body, therefore how well your internal organs are functioning. From your pulse the doctor can determine a great deal about your physical and emotional condition and what the treatment must do to treat your pain.

The doctor will ask you a huge variety of questions to learn about your symptoms and general lifestyle. It may seem like some of these questions are odd, but it all goes towards building a complete picture of you and your health. No matter how trivial something might seem to you, tell your doctor. No symptom that you have is unrelated or unimportant to your condition and diagnosis. It is also very useful for your doctor to see the results of any medical tests you have had so make sure you bring them along to your first consultation and whenever you get new results through.

Once the doctor has finished diagnosing you, they will tell you about your particular Chinese Medical syndrome. These syndromes often have funny sounding names, like Liver Qi Stagnation or Kidney Yin Deficiency, but do not let that put you off. They will accurately explain why you have the symptoms you have and therefore what treatment you need to alleviate the pain and recover.

The doctor will then suggest an acupuncture treatment plan based on the diagnosis to return you to good health, thereby easing all of the different symptoms at the same time while tackling the painful condition at its root.

If the doctor feels that you should take some Chinese herbal medicines in addition to acupuncture then a prescription will be written for you. This is charged separately to your treatment. The prescription may be in the form of raw Chinese herbs or herbal extract capsules which are assembled and dispensed by our expert dispensary on our premises.

Chinese herbs provide the essential nutrition the body needs to overcome any physical, mental or emotional imbalances.

+ Treatment

After consultation you will be asked to lie on the bed and remove some clothing to receive acupuncture. The doctor will provide you with a blanket to cover yourself. Micro-fine needles will be inserted and you will be left alone to relax for about 20-40 minutes.

Please be aware that this is crucial treatment time for the acupuncture to have a therapeutic effect and you have not been forgotten. Just relax and enjoy the sensation of the acupuncture treatment (many patients will fall asleep). If you need to call the Clinic reception then there is a bell to alert us to come and talk with you.

Usually, the acupuncture needles do not hurt when they are inserted, although if a lot of blocked energy has built up at one area of your body, you may feel a pricking and pulling sensation as the Qi begins to flow again in there. Most people find acupuncture incredibly relaxing.

AcuMedic doctors only use sterile disposable acupuncture needles. AcuMedic actually invented the disposable acupuncture needle.

For people who are afraid of acupuncture needles, please speak to your doctor who may recommend a different treatment based on electro-acupuncture instead of needles. Electro-acupuncture works in the same way as conventional acupuncture, but instead of using needles, an electronic pointer is used to stimulate the acupuncture points on the body.

+ After the Treatment

After the treatment you should feel a relief in your pain as well as in any other health issues which might seem unrelated to the main condition. You should also feel an increase in your energy levels; an improved sleep and appetite. You should also feel much more relaxed and calmer.

After the treatment many people notice an overall improvement in their physical and mental health.To find out more about being a patient at AcuMedic please take a look at the

To find out more about being a patient at AcuMedic please take a look at the AcuMedic Patient Handbook.