Acupuncture is one of the oldest treating methods in China, even earlier than the use of Chinese herbal medicine. Acupuncture has been proven effective by the World Health Organization (WHO) in handling health complaints like: lower back pain, arthritis, migraine, sciatica, tennis elbow, chronic fatigue syndrome, hay fever, depression, sleep disorders, facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders), etc.
There are 12 main meridians and 8 extra meridians running in our body, each carrying multiple acupressure points. They are the channels of transporting qi (energy). Blockages in the meridians can result in health related issues. Stimulating the acupressure points by using acupuncture can improve blood circulation and energy flow, restore the inner balance among the zang-fu organs and help strengthen general health.
What can you expect from acupuncture?
All needles are sterilized for one time use only. When inserting the very thin acupuncture needles in the pressure points, you may experience the sensations of soreness, swelling up, or sometimes mild electric shock, which are all normal. Such sensations indicate that the needles are in the right points and they are working.
One acupuncture session usually takes about 30 minutes. The acupuncturist needs to decide the best way of treating each individual, as everyone is different.
How many sessions do you need?
Again, it depends on individual conditions and specific complaints. It can be 3 times or up to 20 times, with intervals of every 3, 4 days, every week or once every two weeks. For chronical problems, usually it takes longer.
Insurance coverage
Our licensed acupuncturist is a member of Zhong (Nederlandse vereniging voor Traditionele Chinese Geneeskunde), which is recognized by most of the insurance companies. If you have aanvullend verzekering, acupuncture is covered. Please check the polis to see how much is covered and the list of insurance companies that cover acupuncture on zorgwijzer.
You need to pay at the practice first, with the invoice you can then claim it back from your health care provider.
Ear acupuncture
Since the 1980’s, ear acupuncture (also known as auriculotherapy) has been widely used in addition to whole body acupuncture treatments. Many studies have shown that ear acupuncture is an effective treatment for weight loss, PTSD, menstrual pain, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, and stress, and many other conditions.
Within the ear there are dozens of acupuncture points that represent specific areas and functions of the body. This creates a microsystem that reflects our health and that can be used for treatment. In our practice, ear acupuncture is often combined with the body acupuncture or with Tuina massage as a way of reinforcing the therapy.
During ear acupuncture, we will apply the ear acupuncture seeds to specific points in the ear and we ask the client to leave those seeds for a few days to allow the benefits of treatment to continue. The client needs to massage these points several times a day, one to two minutes each time, to keep the stimulation going.