Q1: Is acupuncture safe?

Yes, acupuncture is safe if carried out by a fully qualified practitioner. Acupuncture is currently unregulated in the UK and there are many practitioners practicing without adequate qualifications. Yang Kang Tang would like to advise you to choose your practitioner carefully and suggests consulting the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine for a list of recognised practitioners in your local area.

There is a momentary level of discomfort associated with acupuncture. The more physically and mentally relaxed the patient is during the treatment, the less discomfort will be felt.

If you do have a fear of needles, you can try our acupressure treatments. Acupressure is the stimulation of acupuncture points without the use of needles.

Yes, we only use disposable needles for each individual patient. Each disposable needle comes completely sterilised in an unbroken sealed pack, which is opened in front of the patient.

Yes, acupuncture is safe for children, however, many children (especially younger ones) usually have difficulty in staying still during needle retention, which can be dangerous. Acupressure is often used as an alternative to acupuncture in children.

Q7: What happens during a treatment?

For some acupuncture points, it may be necessary to remove some items of clothing to allow access to certain acupuncture points e.g. points on the back. After the needles have been inserted, a towel or a blanket would be placed over the needles to keep you warm.

The most appropriate treatment will be chosen by our practitioner Patricia after a personal diagnosis and a discussion of your individual needs and concerns.

Yang Kang Tang does not use any patent pills that contain animal products. Traditionally, animal products are used in Chinese herbal medicine but this is illegal in the UK.

A herbal formula usually contains around 10 to 15 different herbs, with herbs working on different organs and different aspects of the condition. They together to regulate and harmonise the different organs therefore treating the body as a holistic unit.
Herbs are available in 2 forms - dry herbs for boiling or Chinese patent herbal pills.

Dry herbs are more potent and are usually prescribed for acute conditions. They are more costly, less palatable and take between 30-45 minutes each day to boil. Chinese patent herbal pills are slightly weaker in action, so the patient may need to take more of them, but they are much more affordable, palatable and are ideal for chronic conditions or for those with a busy lifestyle.

Chinese herbal patent pills are less concentrated and are made from condensing herbal decoctions into pill form. For example, a bowl of herbal decoction will be condensed into 12 small pills. This is unlike Western medicine, which is highly concentrated and may only require a small dosage each time.

No, at Yang Kang Tang we do not sell Chinese patent herbal pills without a consultation as it is unsafe to prescribe a treatment without a full personal diagnosis.

If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please contact us at least 24 hours before your appointment, otherwise a cancellation charge may apply.

Weekend appointments may be arranged. Please contact us for more details.

We only accept cash or cheque payments. Please make cheques payable to YANG KANG TANG.