So, you’re interested in having acupuncture. Great! Now the tough bit – how do you go about choosing an acupuncturist?
Top tips:
- Make sure they’re regulated. Sadly (and to my utter frustration) acupuncture isn’t regulated in the UK. However, don’t worry. The British Acupuncture Council is the largest self-regulatory body for traditional acupuncturists in the UK – being a member guarantees that someone will have taken a course of at least three years to degree level or equivalent. Also that they’ll undertake ongoing professional development and follow a stringent code of safe practice. The BAcC website has a handy tool that will show you details of acupuncturists who live near you when you type in your post code. Helpful!
- Ask your friends. A large number of my patients come from personal referral – people are always happy to pass on details of someone who has done a good job.
- Look at their website. Do you like what it says? Are they informative, approachable and helpful? You should be able to get a good feel for an individual acupuncturist or clinic from their website. Here’s a link to my website, which is full of information (and which has nice pictures of the treatment room too)
- Pick up the phone. Ask questions. I love it when prospective patients phone me – it gives me the opportunity to answer their questions without any obligation on their part to book an appointment. A free 15 minute phone consultation will help you decide if acupuncture is the right therapy for you. Occasionally, I’ll even suggest that you might do better with another therapy (yes, really!) – it’s important to get the treatment right for the person, to help get them well and keep them well. If you’re not able to get to a phone, then try email jeanie@jgordonacupuncture.co.uk
Hope that helps!