Acupuncture- what does your acupuncturist do?

by **nz2000** » Fri Feb 24, 2022 11:12 am

Hi girls

Attended my first session yesterday and I am a bit disappointed.

It started a 15 mins discussion regarding my infertility and diet – didn’t learn anything new that I didn’t know but it was good to openly talk to someone regarding my Endo & PCO issues.

Then the needles were placed in various area’s, that was fine! She switched on a CD and I relaxed on my own for @ 30 mins!

She popped into other patients she had whilst I was relaxing and I could fully hear their conversations which I didn’t realise when I initially talked to her! She came back in and discussed diet changes and that was it!

It cost €60 for an hour and maybe I was wrong in expecting that the acupuncturist was going to be with me for the full hour.

So I’m asking ye what does your acupuncturist do?

I just feel that I could buy the needles my self and stick them in myself for less then a tenner O:|

or maybe I just need to learn how to relax!

Leaf1 · by **Leaf1** » Fri Feb 24, 2022 11:45 am

NZ2000, I don't know of any accupuncturist that will stay in with you for the whole time. I've been to 2 different ones and both had a chat with me at the start, put the needles in depending on what I need that day and then leave me to relax with music on while the needles do their work. My current one has 3 rooms so usually has 3 people on the go at one time at different stages of their treatment (talks to me & puts my needles in then lets another person leave, takes the next person into that room and so on until she gets back to me). I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable with being able to hear other people's conversations with them - You can just about hear a murmour in the place I'm in just now but no way could you make out what was being said.

Having said all that, if you're not comfortable there and don't feel you can relax while the needles are working then maybe it's not for you and you need to look for a different practitioner or a different type of treatment. Hope you find something that works for you.

luckyladee · by **luckyladee** » Fri Feb 24, 2022 11:54 am

Ok - hope I can help you here - because I think my acupuncturist is amazing.

The initial discussion (that you describe as 15 mins) always happens on a first visit - it's like medical history with a new doctor. You won't have that every time so don't let it stress you.

My sessions generally go a bit like this:

1. Catch up - how've you been? anything to report? (in terms of ovulation, temps, sickness, anything)
2. She checks my tongue and my pulse (important for diagnosis in chinese medicene - im amazed at what I'm learning about it from her)
3. I lay on the bed. She starts with a relaxation point in my head and then there would be I supposed usually approx 20 other needles, almost always in my wrists/arms , legs/ankles/feet, and abdomen - though these are in different points depending on where I am in my cycle.
4. The heat lamp is placed over the abdominal needles.
5. Sometimes she uses moxa (a sort of burning herbal cigar type thing) at the points on my feet.
6. Twice I've had my ears either needled or had little seeds taped to the inside which I can then manipulate during the week after I go home.

She stays with me the whole time - we chat while I lie there. To be fair though, we get on well and in many ways, are probably quite similar. Then after approx. an hour, she removes the needles and we're done and dusted.
I've PCOS, which I see you mentioned, and she has had PHENOMENAL success in reducing my cycle length.

I will also stress - these guys study for four long years to do this, studying anatomy etc. as well as the chinese traditional side of things - this is definitely not something that we could just do ourselves. Knowing where to place the needles isn't easy - and for example there are certain points they needle BEFORE you ovulate but that if they did those points after ovulation they could bring on miscarriage - so you really gotta know your stuff.

I'm not sure where you're based, but if you're in North County Dublin / Meath / Drogheda area I can absolutely recommend Anam Mai Acupuncture - http://www.anammai.com

IvytheTerrible · by **IvytheTerrible** » Fri Feb 24, 2022 2:26 pm

What you have described sounds fairly similar to what I would experience at the accupuncture appointments as well. The initial consultation is a fact finding exercise on their part and after that, it's a update, how have you been etc. She checks my tongue and after that, she will do the needles in various different places. I lie there and relax while she goes off and does a bit of paperwork or deals with another patient. I really enjoy that time on my own and couldn't imagine lying there with her there the whole time, I don't think I would get the same relaxation from it. Maybe that's a personal thing.

Accupuncture has really solved my long cycles in only a few visits and I am a convert. It doesn't sound as if you have the same faith in it or maybe you need to find something else that works for you.

libramoon · by **libramoon** » Fri Feb 24, 2022 4:37 pm

It took me three acupuncturists to find the right one for me. I went to one prob 2 years ago and he kept having to look at a piece of paper to figure out the right points. The room was freezing (found out after that it's important for women ttc to be warm!) so I wasn't happy with him so only went to him twice. Heard about this other guy about a year later. He sat with me before each session and talked through everything - diet, emotions, fertility stuff. Room was nice and relaxed and he used the heater so I was lovely and warm. I went to him for 6 months but gave it up after a while. He was great but he told me twice I was preg going by my pulse but he was wrong. Finally I found another acupuncturist in nov 2011 that a friend went to after she had a mc. when I heard my friend was 12 weeks preg I decided to give her a try! She did a lot of what luckylady listed except she never used the burning herbs and she always left me for at least 20 mins in the hope I'd fall asleep. I found I felt more of a reaction from her needles and she stuck magnets in my ear after each session that I kept there for 3 days. I got a bfp in dec so was only going to her 2 months.

I'm telling you all this because I think it's important to find an acupuncturist you are happy with. If you can't relax because of noise etc or you feel she isn't giving you the service you expect then there is no point forking out €60 each session. See if there is anyone else around that you could try.

jewellb · by **jewellb** » Fri Feb 24, 2022 8:16 pm

i was going to a guy last year, for ten months, my first visit was free, and was like an interview, asked everything down to the colour of my flow :-8

and i mean the exact colour !!
we would always chat before the session, but it was more him blowing his trumpet or telling me some far fetched story and thats whet put me off him, on the times i talked about how i was feeling etc i found these sessions better . he would then put in the neddles, one in top of head some in feet and some in tummy, maybe about 7 needles, i didnt get pregnant cause i found out in dec i ave blocked tubes, and i have just made contact with a new acu.

i like the sound of the acu that uses moxa etc, that sounds intesesting, if im not happy with my new one i will move on i am going to be starting ivf soon, but so far form emails etc she seams nice.

by **AnamMaiAcu** » Sun Mar 04, 2022 7:46 pm

Hi Girls,

I hope you don't mind me posting on here but I see that Luckyladee has given a great recommendation for my clinic. Thanks luckyladee for that really appreciate it O:o)

The reason I am posting is that if any of you are interested I am having an open day at my clinic in the Lavender Suite, City North Hotel, Gormanston, Co. Meath on Tuesday 6th March from 9am to 9pm. So if your free and want to pop along or ask any questions you are more than welcome.

:babydust:

to you all.

Niamh

by **sapphire02** » Mon Mar 05, 2022 1:25 pm

Hi Girls,

Just starting to look into acupuncture for next round of IVF - got 2 prices, one is €32 per session, the other is €62 per session. Both say they specialize in acupuncture for TTC. Would be interested to know how much you are paying per session as with everything in life I have a **terrible** tendency to go with the most expensive in the hope that it is best....

Thanks!

IvytheTerrible · by **IvytheTerrible** » Mon Mar 05, 2022 4:41 pm

Hi, hope you don't mind me asking a question :-8

. To those who have attended acu right through their IVF treatment, how often are your appointments? I have been seeing somebody who was recommended to me (not on a TTC basis) but they are in a very handy location and all along I have been very happy with them. They managed to get my cycle back on track after only around 3 visits and I would go once a month. I start Buserelin injections in a few days and have been told to expect EC in early April, all going well. When I mentioned the various timelines etc, they said they didn't want to see me for six weeks as I was doing very well. I mentioned would it not be good to come in around the time of EC, which would be in around a month and they agreed but not overly so. I am now wondering should I change to somebody else if I feel this person is out of their depth :o(

.

by **AnamMaiAcu** » Mon Mar 05, 2022 5:32 pm

IvytheTerrible,

Just PM'd you there

Sapphire2,
The average price for Acupuncture is approx €50 some charge a bit more or less but on average thats the price.

www.afpa.ie is a professional association body and if you look up the site, there is a full listing of acupuncturists throughout Ireland if that is of any help to you.

:babydust:

Niamh

by **Butttons** » Mon Mar 05, 2022 10:51 pm

Hi girls. hope you don't mind me asking a few question. I had my second session with my new acupunturist tonight (affilated to zita west).The first session, she took history etc and then did the needles and stayed in the room chatting then while they did their magic She didn't take my pulse or look at my tongue though. Is this unusual? I previously went to 'Herb and Acupunture' and the doc always did this. Tonight she did a very quick chat and then needles. After she had the needles in she asked did I think I had ovulated yet. I told her that i had got my peak on cbfm today so expected to ov today (cd16)or tomorrow but that it was earlier than normal, as I don't normally ov till cd18. Would she have put the needles in the right place then?

by **AnamMaiAcu** » Mon Mar 05, 2022 11:16 pm

Hi Buttons,

Don't worry over the needles being in the right place as I am sure they were. That close to Ov is fine even if the acupuncturist did needle certain points so its ok. That and they are Zita west affiliated so they do know their stuff.

As for the tongue and pulse each practitioner is different but generally they should check your tongue and pulse. Perhaps have a chat at your next appointment and mention it and see how you get on.

:babydust:

by **Positive2012** » Fri Mar 16, 2022 12:35 pm

Girls, i hope you don't mind me joining in this thread. I've done a few sessions of acpuncture and I know it's highly recommended for shortening long cycles. Do you think it has any uses for getting AF back though? I haven't had a AF for 6 months since my MMc and i don't know where else to turn. I'm hoping it will trigger something to get me back on track again. Any suggestions/thoughts would be welcome. O:o)

by **AnamMaiAcu** » Fri Mar 16, 2022 5:58 pm

Hi Positive2012,

Here is an extract from a clinical trial for Amenorrhea (no periods) using acupuncture. Hope it's of some use to you.

A clinical study was conducted at the Thousand Buddha Mountain Hospital in Jinan, China, to determine the efficacy of acupuncture versus medication for amenorrhea. There were 95 subjects in the study. All the patients’ amenorrhea had lasted for six months or more, and was attributed to the use of birth control pills. 57 of the patients were in the Acupuncture Treatment Group, and 38 patients were in the Medication Group. The entire treatment consisted of six courses (20 treatments in each course), with five-day breaks between the courses. In the Medication Group, patients took Stilbestrol first, then Progesteronum was injected. One month after finishing the treatments, the effective rate (cure, great improvement and improvement) for the Acupuncture Treatment Group was 96.49%, while the effective rate for the Medication Group was 97.36%. Six months after finishing the treatments, however, the effective rate was reported at 94.73% for the Acupuncture Treatment Group, while the effective rate dropped to 78.94% for the Medication Group. This is a significant difference between the two groups, suggesting that the long-range effects of acupuncture are very positive.

Many studies in China reveal that acupuncture, moxibustion, and Chinese herbal medicine are superior to conventional medicine in the treatment of menstrual disorders, including amenorrhea.

by **Positive2012** » Tue Mar 20, 2022 10:21 am

Thanks for that AnamMaiAcu. It's an interesting read.

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