Pain Management

Chronic Pain can cover a whole range of conditions including regional pain in the back, neck, joints, limbs, chest, abdomen and pelvis. It can also include less specific syndromes such as neuropathic, myalgic and geriatric pain, and cancer.

How do I know if I am a chronic pain sufferer?

Have you suffered from a painful condition for what seems like a long time? Has medical intervention proved ineffective in diagnosing the root of your condition? Do you feel that people around you - health professionals or family and work colleagues fail to understand the significance of your pain? Are you being made to feel like a hypochondriac? If you answer yes to any one or more of these questions, the chances are that you are suffering from a Chronic Pain condition.

Why should I consider Acupuncture?

Consider this. In 2004 Dr Foster's survey Adult Chronic Pain Management Services in Primary Care (2004) found acupuncture to be the third most used service in Chronic Pain management in the Primary Care setting. Unfortunately, however, it was also found that although Chronic Pain is one of the most significant causes of suffering in the UK, Chronic Pain management services are grossly under funded. This means that even if you are on an NHS list for Pain management services you could be in for a long wait, and when you do get the chance to benefit, you only have a bare minimum of treatments which are not necessarily enough to address the problem. In the current times, with the cuts in NHS funding, acupunctures is becoming less accessible in the NHS pain clinic setting.  

How does Traditional Acupuncture differ from Medical Acupuncture practiced by other Health Professionals?

As you begin your search for an acupuncturist you will come across other health professionals such as doctors, physios, osteopaths and other physical therapists who incorporate acupuncture into their practice. The main difference between the practice of these practitioners and Traditional Acupuncturists is that Traditional Acupuncturists have three full years training and therein are qualified to become members of the professional body, the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC). The BAcC is a member of the Accredited Register Scheme run by the Public Standards Authority (PSA), backed by the government. The BAcC is hallmarked , in terms of its historical development of clinical and educational standards for acupuncturists and the colleges they train at. Moreover, for the most part, Traditional Acupuncturists, are professional acupuncturists - it is the main thing we do day in and day out, with our skills being honed through years and sometimes decades of practice. Medical Acupuncturists often do very short day courses, and do not generally train in the Chinese system of diagnosis and treatment and needling arts. They generally have a short training in trigger points, and practise what is termed ‘dry needling’. This is a very useful adjunct for physical therapists , when practised well, and can be effective in the short term relief of symptoms at their branch level. Traditional Acupuncture, however, through the merits of its ancient system of diagnosis, addresses the deeper root of the problem as well the branch level. This is because Traditional Acupuncture diagnosis holistically takes on board the wider constitution of the patient as well as the symptoms that are shouting out.

Why is Traditional Acupuncture suitable for Chronic Pain?

Western medicine accepts that certain affective emotional states such as stress, anger, depression and fear can make our experience of pain worse. The problem is that there is very little in place in the Western medical pain management model to address this aspect of Chronic pain. This is why quite often I see patients with Chronic Pain being all too readily prescribed anti-depressant and opioid medication and sleeping pills. Five Element Traditional Acupuncture is a system which treats the whole person not just the symptom. As acupuncture treatment progresses, tension, frustration, stress reduce, and muscles relax, all of which can significantly aid physical improvements.

What can I expect from you as my acupuncturist?

When you come through my door the first thing you can expect is that I take your experience of pain seriously. Very often by the time patients enlist the help of an acupuncturist they have already exhausted every medical avenue open to them, by which time their condition has deteriorated not improved. It might therefore be worth considering acupuncture as a first step than a last resort.