Treatment

At the first consultation Pandora will ask about all aspects of your health and will examine your tongue and feel your pulses. Needles are then inserted at certain points on the body and usually retained for about twenty minutes. The needles are very fine and are nothing like those used for injections. There may be a dull ache or tingling but there is rarely any pain. As long as you wear loose clothing there is normally no need to undress. At follow-up treatments Pandora will examine your tongue and pulses and ask you about your symptoms before starting treatment.

How much treatment will I need?

Treatments are usually on a weekly basis to begin with but can be spread out as your health improves. It is difficult to say how much treatment you will need as this varies according to your condition, your individual response to treatment, your age, general vitality and whether you follow any advice you may have been given. Some people need only one or two treatments, most need at least six and a few may require treatment over several months.

Traditional acupuncture aims to treat the cause of your condition, not just the symptoms, in order to bring about a more permanent improvement in your health.

Testimonials

"I’ve had a big back problem for many years and I have to say I was very sceptical about acupuncture but as a last resort I thought I would give it a go. To my amazement I actually had some pain relief which was heaven. It was pretty much the next day I could feel the difference and it lasted for nearly a week the first time and then a little longer each time after. I have been to the doctors and had x-rays and was told that my discs have gotten closer together because the tissues between have worn thin which I suppose is causing my pain. But I can say that acupuncture works for me and I would and will have it again, not only for my back but for other things as well. Thank you again."

Female, age 44

"My experience of acupuncture has been very positive. I went initially to try and get some relief from severe sciatica, which I had had for a year, resulting from spinal stenosis. The pain was causing me to feel very run down and miserable and I was living on a cocktail of painkillers. I began to feel some benefit after about four sessions and following about another four, almost total relief. There were days when it would seep back but usually because, feeling so much better generally, I did too much. Added benefits have been dealing with hot flushes which went from too many to count, to the odd one or two a day and now the odd one or two a week, if that. I also have far more energy and am no longer dragging myself around every day. One thing I have learned is that instead of making acupuncture my last port of call when nothing else has worked, I will go there first."

Female, age 66

"I was recommended to try acupuncture (…) to treat my thumb because it had become so painful that I could not push the food on my plate with a fork. I was sceptical about acupuncture (…) however, being reluctant to have a steroid injection I decided to give it a go.

Well! The improvement was virtually immediate! I should add that it was painless. All I felt was a warm surge in my thumb. After three or four more sessions I felt my thumb had improved as much as it was going to. However, Pandora believed it could improve even more and advised me to have one or two more sessions which I did. I followed her advice (….) and I listened to the things she said about how our bodies behave. I found myself becoming very interested in acupuncture and its possibilities. I enjoyed the very peaceful, healing atmosphere of the treatment room, the quiet stillness of the whole experience and the conversations with Pandora. On reflection I think being treated by a caring individual, who is interested in the patient and who not only answers questions but informs as well, was as much a part of the treatment. My thumb went on to complete recovery following the extra acupuncture and has given me no further problems. I garden, quilt, knit and play golf with no ill effects, now a year on. I shall most certainly pursue treatment from Pandora in the future should the need arise.

Female, age 62