Can i get acupuncture on the nhs

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Celebrating Success Showcasing staff and achievements. The cost of acupuncture varies widely between practitioners. If you're being treated by an acupuncture practitioner for a health condition or are considering having acupuncture, it's advisable to discuss this with your GP. An initial acupuncture session usually lasts 20 minutes to 1 hour and involves an assessment of your general health, medical history and a physical examination, followed by insertion of the acupuncture needles.

Courses of treatment often involve several separate sessions, but this can vary. The needles are inserted into specific places on the body, which practitioners call acupuncture points. During the session, you'll usually be asked to sit or lie down. You may also be asked to remove some clothes so the practitioner can access certain parts of your body. The needles used are very fine and are usually a few centimetres long.

They should be single-use, pre-sterilised needles that are disposed of immediately after use. Acupuncture practitioners choose specific points to place the needles based on your condition. Several points may be used during a typical session, depending on the number of symptoms you have. The needles may be inserted just under the skin, or deeper so they reach muscle.

Once the needles are in place, they may be left in position for a length of time lasting from a few minutes up to around 30 minutes. You may feel a tingling or a dull ache when the needles are inserted but you should not experience any significant pain.

If you do, let your practitioner know straight away. If you choose to have acupuncture, it is recommended that you check the acupuncture practitioner is either a regulated healthcare professional such as a doctor, nurse or physiotherapist or a member of a national acupuncture organisation. The answer is that the chances are quite slim and again it is a bit of a geographical lottery. If you live in areas where the GP practice or Primary Care Trust is in favour of such therapies you may find it much easier, than one where only traditional treatments are available.

Both osteopathy and chiropractic are regulated which means that they are accepted under NICE National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines, yet surprisingly they are not as available as you might expect. Acupuncture is, however, widely available in the NHS but provision is still patchy and you may not get it wherever you live.