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, have a bare minimum
of treatments which are not necessarily enough to address the problem.
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 and osteopaths who incorporate acupuncture into their practice. The main
difference between these and Traditional Acupuncturists is that Traditional Acupuncturists have three full years training and are members of the professional body, the British Acupuncture
Council. Medical Acupuncturists do not train in the Chinese system of diagnosis and treatment. They generally have a short training in trigger points, which can be effective in short term relief
of symptoms at their branch level. Traditional Acupuncture, through its ancient system addresses the deeper root of the problem as well the branch level.
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 equally the case with medical acupuncture. 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.
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