How do you find an acupuncturist?: Useful pointers

Finding an acupuncturist

When considering having acupuncture for the first time often the biggest considerations for prospective patients are firstly, how do you find an acupuncturist, and secondly which acupuncturist do you choose? While patients are often not aware of it, acupuncture is a very varied practice with many different styles, each with a different focus.  This coupled with the fact that each acupuncture practitioner has their own distinct way of working mean that there is little in acupuncture that is homogenous. It really is a rich and varied therapy with each practitioner/style having their respective benefits.

The most important distinction for prospective patients to make  is the one between western medical acupuncture and traditional acupuncture. Very often acupuncture is labelled and promoted under one banner but these two approaches are very different.

Western medical acupuncture is usually practiced by GP’s, physiotherapists and those with a conventional western medical training. They usually do very short courses (often just two weekends) and focus on using acupuncture to treat a small subset of complaints focussed mainly around muscular skeletal pain.

A traditional acupuncturist on the other hand is using acupuncture in the context of a more holistic perspective that is usually Chinese or Japanese in origin. Diagnosis is often more detailed, more comprehensive, and is aimed at bringing about positive change in not just the symptoms the patient experiences but also the patient themselves. Of the two styles, traditional acupuncture is more concerned with holistic change, with a strong focus on treating the person behind the complaint as well as the complaint itself. This is perhaps one of  traditional acupuncture’s greatest facets.

When trying to find an acupuncturist, and then deciding on which acupuncturist to choose, here are some useful things to consider:

Is the practitioner a member of The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC)?

The British Acupuncture Council is the main governing body for the practice of traditional acupuncture in the UK.  All members will have undergone a minimum of 3 years training, nowadays often to degree level, and will have qualified from an approved course. They are thoroughly schooled in traditional diagnosis, are educated in appropriate clean needle technique, and are required and committed to ongoing professional development. If you have treatment from these practitioners you can be sure their training has been a thorough one. They carry the initials MBAcC after their name.

Are they happy to talk to you before committing to treatment?

Most acupuncturists are very happy to discuss any questions you might have about the treatment itself and whether it’s appropriate for you. Before you begin treatment it can often be helpful to talk to the practitioner so that you can get answers for any questions you might have, these might involve what you could expect to experience with acupuncture, how much treatment you might need, and of course practicalities such as costs and treatment duration. If you don’t feel comfortable or happy to go ahead and book treatment, don’t. You can always speak to other acupuncturists, get a feel for them and choose whichever acupuncturist you feel most suits you.

What have you heard about them?

Skilled practitioners of any discipline have a good reputation behind them and word of mouth is often how practitioners and patients find each other. If you are considering treatment it’s often worth finding out if anybody you know has seen them and what they’re experience was like. This is always a useful place from which to begin, as is the British Acupuncture Council itself who’s website contains lots of useful information about acupuncture. You can find them by clicking here: www.acupuncture.org.uk

Many acupuncturists will have testimonials on their websites in which their patients have volunteered their comments on what their experience of being treated was like. Reading these is useful and will give you a sense of how the practitioner is, how they work, and whether they feel like the kind of practitioner you’d like to see.

If you’d like to see testimonials from patients who’ve had acupuncture with Sean, you can find them here:

http://www.seanheneghan.com/testimonials/