Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine in Canterbury, Dominic Harbinson and Pippa Sequeira

The initial consultation lasts 1-1½ hours. It is used to gather the information necessary to make an accurate diagnosis of the underlying weakness or imbalance that is causing your particular condition. You will be asked about your current symptoms, previous treatments, medical history and overall state of health including your sleep patterns, digestion, diet and emotional state. Your pulses will be felt on both wrists, and your tongue looked at.

Careful diagnosis enables the most appropriate treatment to be selected and this in turn influences the number and location of the points chosen for needling. There are over 400 recognised acupuncture points on the body, but the most commonly used ones are located on the arms below the elbow, and on the legs below the knee.

Following the initial consultation, subsequent visits take 45 minutes. The number of treatments required depends on the individual. At the outset, weekly sessions are advisable although some acute conditions may need more frequent attention. Sometimes the effects of treatment are dramatic and only one or two sessions are required. For more chronic conditions, the benefits are more gradual and treatment may be needed over several months. Generally one expects some improvement to be felt within the first 4-5 treatments and the frequency of treatment can then be reduced.