Acupuncture in Horsham

Horsham District was ranked 19 out of 250 districts in the 2016 annual Halifax quality of Life Index so understandably there is a lot of focus on quality of life and personal welling being in Horsham.

Horsham district wellbeing  has a large resource of useful information pointing to ways in which you can improve wellbeing including; being active; alcohol consumption; being a healthy weight; and wellbeing at work. This proactive lifestyle advice is all part of becoming happier and healthier. However, sometimes we find our health needs additional support and treatment. Here is some information about Traditional Acupuncture as a treatment option in Horsham.

Traditional acupuncture

The aim of traditional acupuncture is to treat the whole person rather than specific symptoms in isolation. This means finding the root cause of the problem in order to create long lasting change. Traditional acupuncture works on its own diagnostic system which can be applied to treat a range of conditions.

There is a growing body of research supporting the benefits of acupuncture:

  • The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides guidance and advice on improving health and social care. NICE recommends acupuncture for the treatment of tension headaches.
  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) produced a report listing a wide variety of diseases and disorders that can acupuncture can treat.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture balances the body’s systems through the application of fine needles to specific points. The most commonly used points are between the hand and elbow, and the knee and foot. Acupuncture regulates the flow of ‘qi’, your body’s vital energy. When qi is balanced, health is restored.

You may have had or know someone who has had acupuncture but not with an acupuncturist. However, this is not traditional acupuncture. Rather it is generally aimed specifically at treating musculo-skeletal pain, taught in short courses and referred to as dry needling or trigger point therapy.

Horsham Acupuncturists

Did you know that there is no statutory regulation of acupuncture in the UK? However, in Horsham acupuncturists are required to register with the local authority; also The British Acupuncture Council holds a register of practitioners that have been vetted and approved by the Professional Standards Authority.

Membership to the British Acupuncture Council

Qualifications

The standard of training required to be a member of the British Acupuncture Council is:

A BSc or BA degree level training or its equivalent in traditional acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and western biomedical sciences including anatomy, physiology and pathology (3,600 hours of study)

Places of study

There are nine British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB) approved courses to study Acupuncture in the UK including, close to Horsham, the International College of Chinese Medicine (ICOM) in East Grinstead.

Finding the right practitioner for you

Choosing a therapist in any profession is a very personal decision and most often comes from word of mouth. There is nothing more reassuring than hearing a friend’s positive experience with a practitioner to elicit confidence. However, if it is not always possible to get a personal referral and, in such cases, I suggest the following to help find the right therapist for you.

Location

This Is an obvious way to start looking for the right practitioner. The British Acupuncture Council have a great search tool which allows you to type in your post code and gives you a list of the acupuncturists working in your area. It may be worth searching from both your home and work address and then checking how practitioners’ availability works with your commitments.

Timings

Many acupuncturists will offer early morning, evening and weekend appointments to meet the needs of their patients’ work schedule. If a longer course of treatment is necessarily it may well worth finding a practitioner who is able to offer a time you can easily commit to.

Specialisms

Acupuncture is diagnostic system and aims to treat the whole person rather than specific symptoms in isolation. This means it can treat a range of conditions. In addition, some practitioners undertake further post-graduate training specialise in areas such as:

Paediatrics

Gynaecology

Fertility

Obstetrics (Pregnancy)

It may well be worth seeking out a practitioner who specialises in the condition you are seeking help for.

Extra advice

Many practitioners offer a free introductory consultation to discuss your condition and the ways in which acupuncture can help. I always suggest approaching the practitioner initially. It helps you get a better idea of what to expect from treatment and gives the opportunity to clarify any questions you may have ahead of a first appointment.

I hope this helps inform you about Acupuncture as a therapy and finding the right therapist for you.