Acupuncture Treatment - West Byfleet and Wokingham

Dr Amer Sheikh provides acupuncture appointments for chronic pain management, migraines, joint and muscle discomfort and other conditions. Acupuncture is available at our clinics in West Byfleet Health Centre and Wokingham. Dr Sheikh is a former lecturer and past president of the British Medical Acupuncture Society. He also has a masters degree in pain management and was the architect of the award-winning Surrey Integrated Musculoskeletal Service (https://www.surreyimsk.com) at Ashford St Peters Hospital.

Dr Amer Sheikh MBChB MRCGP MSc

Acupuncture is a treatment derived from ancient Chinese medicine. Fine needles are inserted at certain sites in the body for therapeutic or preventative purposes.

It is used in many NHS GP practices, as well as in most pain clinics and hospices in the UK.

How Acupuncture works

Western medical acupuncture (dry needling) is the use of acupuncture following a medical diagnosis. It involves stimulating sensory nerves under the skin and in the muscles.

This results in the body producing natural substances, such as pain-relieving endorphins. It’s likely that these naturally released substances are responsible for the beneficial effects experienced with acupuncture.

A course of acupuncture is usually recommended because it can take a few sessions for you to see improvements.

Traditional acupuncture is based on the belief that an energy, or “life force”, flows through the body in channels called meridians. This life force is known as Qi (pronounced “chee”).

Practitioners who use acupuncture in the traditional way believe that when Qi does not flow freely through the body, this can cause illness. They also believe acupuncture can restore the flow of Qi, and so restore health.

Uses of acupuncture

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides guidelines for the NHS on the use of treatments and care of patients. We follow the same guidelines.

Acupuncture as a treatment is an option for the following conditions:

chronic (long-term) pain
chronic tension type headaches
migraines
prostatitis symptoms
hiccups

Acupuncture is also often used to treat other conditions and symptoms, including:

joint and muscle pain
jaw pain
cancer symptoms such as pain
side effects of cancer treatment such as feeling or being sick from chemotherapy
feeling sick or being sick after surgery

How acupuncture is performed

An initial acupuncture session usually lasts 30 minutes and involves an assessment of your general health, medical history and a physical examination, followed by insertion of the acupuncture needles.

Courses of treatment often involve several separate sessions, but this can vary.

Insertion of the needles

The needles are inserted into specific places on the body, which practitioners call acupuncture points.

During the session, you’ll usually be asked to sit or lie down. You may also be asked to remove some clothes so the practitioner can access certain parts of your body.

The needles used are very fine and are usually a few centimetres long. They should be single-use, pre-sterilised needles that are disposed of immediately after use.

Acupuncture practitioners choose specific points to place the needles based on your condition. Several points may be used during a typical session, depending on the number of symptoms you have.

The needles may be inserted just under the skin, or deeper so they reach muscle. Once the needles are in place, they may be left in position for a length of time lasting from a few minutes up to around 30 minutes.

You may feel a tingling or a dull ache when the needles are inserted but you should not experience any significant pain. If you do, let your practitioner know straight away.

Some people experience mild, short-term side effects such as:

pain where the needles puncture the skin
bleeding or bruising where the needles puncture the skin
drowsiness
feeling sick
feeling dizzy or faint

If you have a bleeding disorder, such as haemophilia, or are taking any medicines such as anticoagulant medicine, Dr Sheikh will discuss with you before providing acupuncture.

It’s generally safe to have acupuncture when you’re pregnant. However, let your acupuncture practitioner know if you’re pregnant because certain acupuncture points cannot be used safely during pregnancy.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT - £115

WEST BYFLEET

WOKINGHAM