There are acupuncture points all over the body…literally from the top of your head to the sole of your foot and almost everywhere in between. The most commonly used points, however, are on your lower arms and legs.

If you wear something soft and loose that can easily push up to your elbows and past your knees, you won’t have to do more than take your shoes and socks off for treatment. Most importantly you want to feel comfortable and relaxed. Avoid tight skinny jeans, leggings or your work suit if you can. If we need to use points on your back or tummy you can wear one of my gowns. You won’t win a fashion parade but they’re clean, loose fitting and will keep you covered up, or you could just bring your pyjamas! Honestly, I’d be a happy practitioner if everyone came in their PJs. No one can relax if it feels like we’re cutting off circulation to their legs!

I don’t care if you’ve shaved or waxed your legs, have done your hair or have polished your nails. I probably won’t even notice. I’m tuned in to how you are feeling much more than how you look. This does get me into trouble with my friends as I’m not the quickest to notice a new hair do, but if that same friend is anxious, stressed, frustrated, overwhelmed or not feeling 100% I will be diving straight in to find out why!

When I’m taking pulses it’s easiest if you’re not wearing a watch or tight bracelets. If you have something special that you don’t want to take off in clinic it’s probably best left at home.

In acupuncture we use points all over the body regardless of your symptoms. If you suffer with headaches you might not have needles in your head….much to the relief of new patients! The acupuncture channels connect all areas of the body so we might use points near where you have pain or we might use “distal” points that are further away. Often for headaches or anxiety we use points on the feet and hands.

Can we also talk about make-up? As a teenager I had spot prone skin so started wearing make up to cover up spots from a young age. I didn’t get out of the habit until Covid hit. I gradually got more confident going out of the house without make up on. As part of my diagnosis I look for colour (or “lack of colour”) around your eyes and mouth. This is so much easier if you’re not wearing foundation or other make up on your face!

Now you might be wondering what colours we can see around your eyes and mouth. It doesn’t matter what shade your skin is we can still see these subtle flashes or spots of other tones. We look at the outer corner of your eyes and around your lips.

• Babies will often seem very green / blue around their mouth if they have a sore tummy
• Some people look ghostly white around their eyes and might be anxious or suffering with insomnia
• Others have a yellowy sheen across their whole complexion and suffer with bloating.

All of these little clues are observed and noted down without you noticing. What is “lack of colour”? Imagine someone is very pale around their eyes. Have a look at people on TV or walking down the street if you like a challenge! My job is to decide if that pale colour is:

• bright shiny white,
• ghostly (like they’ve put on too much translucent powder),
• “lack of red” (they might often flush red across their face but this doesn’t stretch up to their eyes)
• a very pale yellow.

I add that information to everything you’ve told me about your symptoms and feelings to work out the priorities in treatment. But don’t worry, you just need to get comfy and chat or sleep your way through the treatment!

Would you like to know what colours I see on your face or how acupuncture could help you? Book in for your free 20 minute consultation now to discuss your physical health concerns or your emotional well-being. Feel free to wear your pyjamas!