Acupuncture
Acupuncture uses very fine needles placed at points on the body, with time to rest afterward. At Lamplit it is a slow, quiet hour, and most of it is lying down.
Who usually comes
Most women who come are in their 40s and 50s, working or caring for someone, and notice that their sleep has changed. Some come for a stiff neck and mention their nights later.
The needles
Fine, single-use, and few
Most visits use somewhere between a handful and a dozen needles, in the arms, legs, belly, back or ears. They are hair-thin and they stay in for about twenty minutes while you rest. Needles are never placed in the face.
Sterile and used once
Placed after you say you're ready
Taken out before you get up
Services
What a visit is like, in order
- 01
Step 1: We talk
About your nights, your days, your cycle if you have one, and what you take. Ten minutes, more if you need them.
- 02
Step 2: I check
Your pulse at both wrists and your tongue. It tells me how to plan the visit, not what is wrong.
- 03
Step 3: You lie down
Fully clothed in loose layers, under a blanket, with a bolster under your knees.
- 04
Step 4: The needles
A few fine needles go in. You may feel a tap, then a dull ache or warmth. Tell me if it is too much.
- 05
Step 5: You rest
I dim the lamp and step out for about twenty minutes. Most people doze or just lie there.
- 06
Step 6: We plan
I take the needles out, we have tea, and I suggest when to come back.
Before the needles
Tell me first
Six things that change how I treat you or whether I do. Say them even if they seem small.
If you are or might be pregnant
Some points are avoided in pregnancy. I ask you to check with your doctor or midwife first.
If you take a blood thinner
Or have a bleeding disorder. Needles can bleed a little more, so I take extra care or skip some points.
If you have a pacemaker
Or another implanted device. I never use electrical stimulation with one.
If you have had lymph nodes removed
Tell me which side. I keep needles and pressure off that arm.
If needles make you nervous
Say so at the start. We can go slowly, begin with a single needle, or lie down first and talk.
What you take
Medicines, hormone therapy, sleep aids and supplements. Bring a list, and tell your prescriber you are coming.
How many visits, and what this does not do
Many people plan for a short run of visits close together, then spread them out. I suggest a plan at your first visit and we look at it every few visits. It is a plan, not a promise.
What you may feel afterward
Often a sleepy, loose feeling that evening. Some people have a light ache or a small mark where a needle went in, and a few feel more tired for a day. It passes. If something worries you, call me.
What it does not do
It does not replace your doctor or your medicines, and it cannot tell you why your sleep has changed. If you have snoring with pauses in your breathing, night sweats with weight loss, a low mood that is new or chest pain, see your doctor first.
Ready for a first visit?
Tell me when you are free and I will find you an evening.