What should patients do after an acupuncture treatment? For starters, they should avoid caffeine, junk food, digital screens, alcohol, difficult exercise, and stressful situations whenever they can. Various other activities should be avoided after an acupuncture treatment, at least for a short time. In some cases, this is for safety reasons, but it may also be done so the procedure's potential benefits can be maximised as a result of this short-lived change in lifestyle. Let's point out the things that should be avoided, this time in greater detail:

Avoid Stressful Situations

Acupuncture is a relaxation treatment for most clients, so at the very least, they need to avoid going back to a stressful situation, necessitating some lifestyle changes, at least for a short while. Whenever possible, you should book your appointments at a time when you won't have to go back to work. It may also be beneficial if you don't watch TV or check stressful news sources but instead listen to relaxing music, read a book or work on your favourite hobby.

Avoid Cold Temperatures

After acupuncture, your body will need to be warmed up to get back to normal. You should consider avoiding cold temperatures and avoiding using ice for any topical pain relief.

Avoid Digital Screens

Regarding relaxation, TV and other digital devices tend to stop the body from relaxing, as you are constantly engaged. You should give yourself at least a couple of hours of rest when you're done with the acupuncture session to wind down and have a good night's sleep. On the night of the acupuncture session, you should read a physical book, listen to music if you need to or lie down and try to relax and sleep.

Don't Drive if Lightheaded

For safety's sake, you should think about how you feel after the session is complete. Some people feel lightheaded after the procedure, so you should avoid driving if that's the case until you feel better. Have someone pick you up instead.

What Should Clients Eat After Acupuncture?

Just like you should avoid certain activities, you may also want to be aware of the food and drinks you're consuming. To maximise the potential benefits of the treatment, you should eat healthy, non-processed foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins, such as the following:

• Kale
• Spinach
• Ginger
• Kidney Beans
• Herbs such as Thyme, Basil, and Oregano
• Peppers
• Tomato
• Broccoli
• Green Tea
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Cranberries
• Turmeric
• Pecans
• Artichoke

What Clients Should Not Eat After Acupuncture

Just like there are foods you should eat, there are also foods and drinks you must avoid after acupuncture, ensuring your rate of recovery and improvement works out for the best:

• Junk food and fast food in general
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Refined sugars

Should Clients Rest After Acupuncture?

Though you don't need to sleep for days on end or get confined at home, you should still take it easy for a couple of days once the procedure is over so that you can reap the most benefits. What's more, you will find that rest will help restore your physical and emotional wellbeing.

What Clients SHOULD Do After Acupuncture

So, to summarise things:

• Rest
• Eat well and drink plenty of water.
• Be aware of their benefits, side effects, and general experience, as this feedback may be useful to you as their practitioner.
• Keep warm and use heat for pain relief where necessary.
• Consider other interventions to maximise outcomes.
• Take it easy and avoid strenuous exercise.

©The Acupuncturists Ltd

Laser hair removal is a popular therapy for reducing hair growth in certain places of the body. It may be done on practically any part of the body, including the underarm, chest, back, and bikini area. It's also an excellent alternative for lowering hair growth over time.

One of the most common cosmetic treatments in the world is laser hair removal. People opt for laser hair removal for a number of reasons, including removing unwanted hair, improving their look, and increasing their self-confidence. Here is a list of six benefits of laser hair removal that you should know about.

1. The procedure doesn’t take much time

Laser hair removal is really a fairly rapid operation, requiring as little as 20 minutes per square centimeter of hair removal because of the short prep time and constant efficacy (i.e. no numerous applications of wax on the same location). The amount of time it will take is mostly determined by the size of the area being targeted. For example, removing hair from your back will definitely take far longer than removing hair from your upper lip or armpits.

2. In the long run, you'll save money

Laser hair removal procedures eliminate the need for a never-ending supply of razors, shaving cream, and waxing visits, among other things. Laser hair removal has become less expensive, whereas waxing has become more expensive. Laser hair removal is more cost-effective, takes less time, and provides a longer-lasting outcome.

3. You don’t need to wait until the hair becomes big enough

A laser hair removal procedure does not require surface hair. In fact, you should shave as soon as possible before your session to avoid burning any surface hair. This implies that you may stay fuzz-free while waiting for the laser hair removal to operate, unlike waxing and other hair removal techniques, which need you to have enough surface hair before a session.

4. You will not get ingrown hair

One of the worst side effects of shaving, epilating, or waxing is ingrown hairs. You may finally say goodbye to such problems with laser hair removal. The laser aids in the removal of hair from the roots, as well as the prevention of ingrown hairs. You won't have to worry about razor burns or hot wax burns either. Ingrown hairs may be completely eliminated with regular laser treatment, so you'll never have to worry about them again.

5. Laser hair removal is long-lasting

One of the greatest features of laser hair removal is how long the effects persist. The hair follicles will not regrow after they have been damaged. This means you can finally say goodbye to unwanted hair.

It's worth noting, though, that some people may need touch-up procedures from time to time to protect their hair from coming back. For the most part, though, this isn't essential. In general, laser hair removal lasts significantly longer than other hair removal treatments such as shaving, waxing, and plucking.

6. The procedure is painless

Don't worry if you're scared that using a laser may cause you to be in excruciating pain! The procedure is pretty gentle, so there's no need to be concerned. There will be some discomfort, as there is with many operations. The easiest way to describe the discomfort of laser hair removal is as a pinch. Depending on the sensitivity of the area, this might be different. 

Your skin will be treated with numbing cream before the operation to assist alleviate some of the discomforts. Though it may appear frightening, there is nothing to be afraid of when receiving this treatment.

The NHS doesn’t condone or fund faith healing, things like crystal healing or using magnets to heal patients. If you ask for a treatment where things don’t fit within the accepted NHS treatment plans, then you will be out of luck. That doesn’t seem to be the case with acupuncture, however.

The government doesn’t share how much the health service is spending on acupuncture every year, but the estimations are somewhere around £25m. The NHS rationing body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says that doctors may prescribe acupuncture for chronic tension headaches and lower back pain. The NHS Choices website mentions there is reasonably good evidence about the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating a range of conditions, such as dental pain, headache, back pain, nausea after an operation as well as osteoarthritis of the knee. There are also plenty of patients who swear by the procedure.

Of all the types of alternative medicine or complementary, acupuncture has the most credibility among health officials and doctors. There are naysayers, however.

Scientific rationalists have been spending their lives debunking quack science, and now they have turned their sight on this ancient Chinese therapy. They couldn’t find any mechanism that explains how the needles ease pain or treat disease or any proof that it does that. Overall, there was no evidence that most of the conditions acupuncturists treat are affected, according to the rationalists. Though there is research showing there is mild effectiveness, the effect is weak, they say. In trials, some patients will benefit, while others won’t. When acupuncture is tested on thousands of patients, the average benefit was too small for someone to notice.

So, are the naysayers right?

The earliest known accounts of acupuncture being used appear in “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine”, a text dating back to the second century B.C. where the principles of traditional Chinese medicine are laid out. Reports of acupuncture appeared in the western world in the 17th century, it grew in popularity much later during the 20th century. Modern acupuncturists have inherited that popularity largely due to the decisions of Mao Zedong, who promoted the use of Chinese traditional medicine during the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976. It was a way to boost the national identity of China and deliver cheaper healthcare at the same time. It spread around the world in 1972 thanks to the visit of President Nixon to China and has been more popular ever since.

In 2000, a survey done by the British Medical Association showed that half of the doctors in the country were prescribing acupuncture in the UK, either as a complementary treatment or as a direct treatment instead. Over 2000 years, more branches of acupuncture appeared, with most of them relying on the idea of the “life force” or “qi” that flows through the human body in 12 channels, called meridians. Pain and illness occur when the qi is blocked from flowing freely, either due to poor nutrition, infection, injury or stress. The insertion of fine needles into specific parts of the body - the acupuncture points - restores the body’s qi flow and helps the natural healing response.

Needles are just part of the procedure, however. Traditional acupuncturists do more than that - they inspect the face, body, condition of the tongue and more. The idea is that different parts of the tongue are linked to different organs and its condition shows their condition in turn. They also listen for unusual sounds, wheezing, and strange odours in the body. They check the patient’s heart for clues of health issues and the state of their organs and qi flow. It is a much more thorough and careful examination than most people realise.

Despite the naysayers, the benefits of acupuncture for pain relief and stress relief are still observed and very real.

©The Acupuncturists Ltd

In cinema, hypnosis is often depicted as some sort of control tool. People fall in love against their will, commit crimes, get brainwashed. Hypnotists are shown as mesmerists who put people on stage and make them quack like chickens or perform other nonsensical tricks. Even though hypnosis is shown in rather ridiculous ways, making it seem like something simply used for fun, there is in fact a useful therapeutic element to it. Hypnotherapy can be used to benefit you either as a standalone treatment or as a supplemental one when paired with other treatments.

• Insomnia and Sleepwalking

Hypnosis may be a helpful tool if you are sleepwalking or having trouble falling asleep. If you are suffering from insomnia, then hypnosis may be the best way to relax and get you in the mood to hit the pillow. Hypnosis may be a very helpful tool if you’re having issues with sleepwalking, staying asleep or falling from your bed. If you have insomnia issues, the treatment can also help you enter a relaxed state so you can sleep more soundly.

If you happen to be a sleepwalker, then you should know that hypnosis can train you to wake up as soon as you’re out of bed, making you avoid the dangers of sleepwalking. You can be put in a trance-like state with verbal cues, something similar to the feeling of being so involved in a movie, a book or something else that you lose track of what happens around you. After hypnosis, you can easily fall asleep.

• Dealing with Anxiety

Relaxation techniques, such as hypnosis may sometimes ease anxiety. Hypnosis is often most effective with people whose anxiety comes from a chronic health condition. This is far more often the case than with people who suffer from a generalised anxiety disorder. Hypnosis may also be able to help with phobias, anxiety disorders where people have intense fears of something that doesn’t ordinarily pose a threat. Hypnosis works to help with anxiety by encouraging the body to activate the natural relaxation response, through the use of nonverbal cues, lowering of blood pressure, slower breathing and an overall sense of well-being. 

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The effectiveness of hypnotherapy on IBS is being supported by clinical studies. IBS is an abdominal pain experienced in your bowels, but hypnosis can help alleviate symptoms such as diarrhoea, bloating and constipation among other things. Hypnosis will work through progressive relaxation, providing you with sensations and imagery that soothes the symptoms you’re experiencing.

• Chronic Pain

Hypnosis can also help with pain, especially one that is experienced after surgery, migraines or tension headaches. It can help with chronic pain as well. Conditions like cancer, fibromyalgia, sickle cell disease, arthritis and more can experience relief through the use of hypnosis as well. The treatment can help you cope with pain, getting more self-control over how you deal with it. Studies have shown that hypnosis can help for long periods. 

• You Can Quit Smoking

The use of hypnosis to quit smoking can work best with a one-on-one session with a hypnotherapist. They can help you organise the hypnosis sessions around your lifestyle, so you can address the issue. For hypnosis to work, you need to want to quit smoking. That works in two ways. The first step is to find a healthy, effective replacement for the act of smoking, then you can guide your subconscious into forming that habit and replacing smoking that way. This may be something as simple as chewing gum or any other activity. The second is to help train your mind to connect smoking to unpleasant feelings like a foul smell or bad taste in your mouth. 

© Zoe Clews & Associates

When it comes to traditional Chinese medicine, the heart is considered central to your body’s health. Ancient Chinese texts of the past, such as Huainanzi and Guanzi, Daoist classics, consider the heart “the ruler of the five organ networks”, also known as the “emperor of the human body”.

The Heart According to Traditional Chinese Medicine

The heart is known as one of the five Zang organs, together with the spleen, kidneys, lungs and liver. They are also known as the yin organs, as they produce, regulate and store the vital substances of the body, such as bodily fluids, blood and qi. The Zang organs are vital to the regulation of the body’s internal functions.

Each of the Zang organs is paired with a fu organ, also known as a yang organ. The yang organs include the small intestine, the gallbladder, stomach bladder and large intestine. They help you digest food, absorb its nutrients and get rid of bodily waste. The fu organs are busy with external functions.

If you keep your heart healthy, you can keep your body healthy as well. If you are taking good care of the organs that generate qi, then your heart will be protected and well-nourished.

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death all around the world. Some of the risk factors surrounding it include inactivity and an unhealthy diet, as well smoking or inadequate amounts of sleep and stress. Each of these risks can be addressed, according to traditional Chinese medicine. You can stay motivated by following the examples below:

• The Risks of Inactivity

The solutions to this particular problem can be found with Tai Chi, Yoga or other activities that promote movement and flexibility. Set a regular schedule, stick to it and alternate activities together with friends or alone if need be.

• The Risks of Unhealthy Diets

According to traditional Chinese medicine, red foods help strengthen the heart by making up for the loss of the yang from the body, the fire energy. Some of the red foods in question are cherries, tomatoes, red beans, apples, watermelon, strawberries, beef and more.

• The Risks of Smoking

You should let people know you’re planning on quitting smoking, making it easier to stick to it by having people keeping you in check. YOu can also look for astragalus with your herbalist, which helps reduce the anxiety of quitting. If you feel withdrawal symptoms, you should look to friends and family for help. You can also join a support group for former smokers if you feel it’s necessary.

• The Risks of Inadequate Sleep

Poor sleep is caused by imbalances in your yin and yang energies. Depending on your type of problem, your herbalist might give you a customized formula that works for your specific needs. You need to practice good sleeping habits, such as having a specific bedtime schedule, turning off your electronic devices before bed and making the room comfortable for sleep, among other things. You need a way to remind yourself to stick to that habit, so set alarms and stick to your schedule.

• The Risks of Stress

You can find a solution by practising meditation, tai chi, qigong, whatever works to calm your nerves. Drinking calming teas recommended by your herbalist also helps, as well as practising deep breathing before stressful situations bring you down. You need to understand that stress is the body’s natural reflex to threats, real and perceived. Take a deep breath once the danger has passed and repeat a mantra that helps you shed the fear.

©The Acupuncturists Ltd