Acupuncture treatments are not painful. Acupuncture is performed with hair-thin needles that are sometimes even hard to feel and that do not resemble the pain felt from a hypodermic needle. Patients often fall asleep and are in deep relaxation on the table.

People report a sensation sometime after the insertion of the needle, but this is a pressure-like sensation rather than a pain.

To go to your “regular doctor/GP”, you generally need to be ill. Not so with TCM – you can use acupuncture and TCM even when you are not ill, just ‘not feeling 100%’, or you don’t want to wait until you get ill.

TCM has always been used to improve health, to be so well that you don’t get unwell, and be able to live your life to the fullest.

In olden times in China, the patient used to see their practitioner regularly in the understanding that it was the practitioner’s job to help them stay well. If they did fall ill, they wouldn’t pay for the treatment.

Needles are sterile, generally cause no bleeding upon entry or removal, with little or no pain being felt; however, slight bruising may be experienced on a rare occasion. The number of treatments necessary will depend upon your condition, if your symptoms are chronic or acute and your health in general. The needles may vary in size, depending upon your condition and the course of treatment prescribed.

In addition to needling your treatment may also include a variety of non-needling techniques such as moxibustion (heat), herbal formulas, etc. One advantage of acupuncture treatment is the absence of serious side effects which may result from the use of prescription drugs.

People mostly know about acupuncture for acute and chronic pain. Both respond well to acupuncture, sometimes very quickly. With acute pain, you may feel 80% relief after one treatment, and some people feel 100% better. Getting to the bottom of chronic pain is an ongoing process over multiple sessions. And some people come in for one thing, such as sleep problems, and discover another benefit that keeps them coming back, like relief from anxiety.

Acupuncture pairs nicely with other forms of medicine. A Chiropractic session immediately after your acupuncture with Dr. Kelley takes total body care to a whole new level. It’s often used during cancer treatment to help with nausea. As stated in another question, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is highly recommended and used routinely before, during and after fertility care with your Reproductive Specialist. And it’s good for complex conditions like autoimmune conditions, post-surgical care to enhance healing and more.