Acupuncture involves inserting very fine, single-use needles into specific points on the body, leaving them in place for 20 to 30 minutes. It comes from traditional Chinese medicine; Western medical acupuncture, practised by physiotherapists and some GPs, uses the same technique based on modern understanding of anatomy and pain. Most people feel a brief tingle or dull ache rather than pain.
NICE recommends acupuncture as an option for chronic primary pain and for preventing tension-type headaches and migraines, and it is available on the NHS in some areas, mainly through GP practices and pain clinics. Evidence for many other uses claimed for it is weak. Wellness centres usually offer it alongside massage and other therapies, and some run lower-cost community acupuncture in a shared room.
A first appointment with a full consultation costs about £50 to £90 and follow-ups £40 to £70; community clinics charge £20 to £35. Choose a practitioner registered with the British Acupuncture Council or a regulated health professional, and tell them if you are pregnant, have a bleeding disorder, take blood thinners or have a pacemaker.
Also known as: acupuncture treatment, Chinese acupuncture, medical acupuncture.
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