Many people come to acupuncture for help with specific symptoms or to relieve specific pains like osteoarthritis of the knee. Some use acupuncture because they feel generally unwell but have no obvious diagnosis. Others choose acupuncture simply to enhance their feeling of wellbeing.
The translation between the patterns of Chinese medicine and western named conditions is a fascinating one. For nearly every named condition you bring to your practitioner, like nausea, or osteoarthritis of the knee, there is a complex weave of different syndromes and patterns within which it is understood.
The symptoms are important, a bridge between what you experience and how the practitioner, be they eastern or western, makes sense of what you bring to them.
In 2009 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommended that acupuncture should be made available on the NHS, as a cost-effective short-term treatment for the management of early, persistent non-specific lower back pain.
You can get more information on current scientific research into the effectiveness of acupuncture by visiting the British Acupuncture Council's website or by speaking to a BAcC registered acupuncturist at Acupuncture South Devon on 07767 665677.
