Ineke Lam TCM
@Darling Corner Osteopathy

Consultation:

During a consultation the Chinese Medicine practitioner will ask you about your health complaint/s. In addition to this, other questions will be asked to gain a better understanding of your overall general health.
Chinese Medicine Practitioners call these the 10 Diagnostic Questions. These questions focus on body temperature, aches and pains, appetite, bowel and urination patterns, sleep and energy.
Women will be asked about their menstrual cycle and birth history.
The whole consultation may take up to 30 minutes.
After the consultation the practitioner will discuss with you the different options that he/she thinks will be appropriate for you.
If you are adverse to any recommended techniques, inform the practitioner and an alternative treatment will be arranged.

 

Acupuncture:
Before an acupuncture treatment

 

Acupuncture can have an effect on your blood sugar levels. It is advised that you have something in your stomach before a session, however having a full stomach is also not recommended.

It is not good to have acupuncture if you:
• Have drunk alcohol just before the treatment
• Have had a hot bath or sauna just before treatment
• Are feeling too anxious about the treatment
• Are feeling angry or ‘worked up’
• Are having to rush to another engagement after  
   treatment

Depending on your condition you will be asked to remove certain items of clothing. Acupuncture needles cannot be inserted through any item of clothing including stockings. If you do not want to remove certain items of clothing please inform your practitioner.

It is recommended that you wear loose fitting and comfortable clothes to the session.

 

Acupuncture Treatment Process:

1. The area to be needled will be swabbed with alcohol to sterilise and clean the area

2. A plastic guide tube will be placed on the skin at the location

3. The practitioner will then tap the needle into the muscle. Practitioners use single use disposable needles that are approximately 20-25mm thick.

4. The needle will be inserted at a deeper level, until the practitioner receives a positive response from your body called ‘de qi’

5. You may feel a combination of sensations including; pressure, warmth, dull ache, tingling, throbbing. You should not feel a sharp pain, in the case that you do please inform the practitioner and they will adjust or remove the needle

6. Once all the needles are inserted they will remain there for 15-20 minutes. The practitioner will leave the room to ensure your body relaxes. If you do not feel comfortable being left alone, please do not hesitate to inform the practitioner

7. As there are many tiny blood vessels on the skin surface some bleeding or bruising may occur. To minimise this from occurring a cotton wool ball will be placed over the location and pressure applied.

 

Some people may feel a little stiff after the treatment; this is a normal reaction after lying for some time on the massage table. After moving around your body should feel more comfortable.

 

After the acupuncture consultation
Everyone is unique and therefore everyone’s acupuncture experience is different, here are some feelings that clients have felt:

• Relaxed or a little ‘dazed’
• Tired
• Relief from their pain
• A rise in pain initially but then on the following day or 
  two a decrease in pain
• No change at all

Most people have a good night’s sleep on the day of their treatment.

It is recommended after a treatment to avoid vigorous exercise or exposure to the cold.

 

Moxibustion:

Moxibustion may also be recommended. This is a technique in which a Chinese Herb called Ai Ye (Mugwort or Artemisia Vulgaris) is either applied to the needle or held above the skin and lit. 
Once lit the moxibustion burns slowly and provides heat stimulation to the point in order to increase the circulation to the acupuncture point and around your body.
Moxibustion can release some smoke and has a musty smell, it has quite a calming effect on most but if you find it irritates your throat or the smell is too much smokeless moxa can be used as an alternative.

 

Cupping:

Cupping is another technique that may be applied. It is useful to help release muscular tension in the body.
The cupping method involves an insertion and removal of a flame into the glass cup. This removes oxygen from the cup and once the cup is applied to the skin it creates a vacuum. Cupping enables blood to be drawn to the outer muscle layers to release any tension and to nourish the muscle.
Cups may be lifted off and on, fixed in one location or glided over an area, the method used depends on the individuals’ condition.
Cupping can leave red marks and depending on the muscle tension can be quite dark. These marks may stay for 1 day to 1 week.

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine:

Chinese Herbs plays a very important role in Chinese Medicine and can supplement any other treatment you may receive.
Herbal medicine aims to realign your body back to its optimum health.  In contrast to conventional medicine that focuses on treating the current condition, Chinese Medicine focuses on finding the underlying causes that may have lead you to your current health state. As the underlying issue may have existed for some time it may take a few treatments to elicit a positive response.

Is herbal medicine safe?
All our practitioners are up to date with the latest research and therefore are aware of main herb-drug interactions. It is vital that you inform your practitioner of any medication or herbal supplements that you are taking at the time as some Chinese herbal medicine are not suitable for certain conditions.
We use Sun herbal patent pills and capsules because they are all listed with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and have an AUST L on each bottle.
Our herbal granules are from various reputable sources that are all approved by the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
We only supply herbal medicine that are for practitioners only ensuring quality and safety for our clients.

 

Number of Treatments:

This is difficult to measure as every individual is different and every condition is not the same.
In general for:
• Acute conditions it can take 3-6 treatments to feel a noticeable difference
• For chronic or long-standing conditions as a rule of thumb for every year you have had the condition it takes approximately a month to treat. For example if you have had a condition for three years it may take three months or more to notice a significant difference

 

Three months (or three cycles) is usually recommended for women's conditions in order to regulate the hormones.