top of page

Frequent questions

 

As acupuncture is a branch of Chinese medicine, many patients enter the office with a great deal of fear or disbelief. But at the end of the session, if they get over this initial fear, they are happy and mostly relieved with the acupuncture treatment. So don't be afraid and ask any questions you may have or talk to patients who have had acupuncture before at the Poal Institute.

01

Is it going to hurt?

 

This is the most common question I get and the easiest answer I have for them. No. Although everyone associates it with needles, they are not the needles that we know, since they are really fine. Try giving yourself a little pinch on the arm. This is the maximum pain felt when inserting the needle, but once inserted it should only be felt, AND NOT HURT. This is important because if the pinching sensation persists, the needle is removed, as the treatment MUST be PAINLESS to have maximum effect. Rarely you can also feel a little cramp when inserting the needle, but it goes away immediately. Those times I call them lucky since it means that the meridian is really affected and we have hit the right point to move the energy again.

02

How long does an acupuncture session last?

 

The needle is left in for 20 minutes and then removed. No, you will not take it home as a souvenir nor will you go out on the street dressed as Frankenstein. It is removed and thrown away in a special medical container. What if you can take home one day is a kind of seed that sticks in the ear, but for that you will have to investigate more in the auriculotherapy section!

03

How often do the sessions usually take place?


Normally there are weekly sessions when it is acute pain and more spaced when there is less pain.

 

04

Works?

 

Well, readers, I have to give you some important news. Acupuncture is not about believe or disbelieve. It is not a placebo effect that if you believe it works and if you do not believe it will do nothing to you. It will depend on both the acupuncturist and the patient. The patient will have to be sincere to explain all his pathologies and how he feels them and the acupuncturist will have to be perceptive to find which meridians are affecting him and how he should act on them. In each session, how you feel and whether you have to change/add/remove any points will be assessed.

For those who still do not believe it, ask yourself the following question: How can a practice that is more than 2,000 years old and used throughout the world be a placebo? For more information, you can consult the sections on acupuncture on the reading site

bottom of page