“The acupuncture treatment to me has been very successful... and has helped in my every day life too.” 

Graham, who is 51 years old, is paralysed from the waist down. He has ongoing health problems because of this, suffering from a lot of muscle spasms in his legs, which can be very painful. He also has shortness of breath, an old pressure sore on his knee, and pain in his back and wrists. Despite this, he still works out regularly at the gym, which helps him to stay as healthy as possible.

It was Graham’s GP who mentioned to him that complementary therapies were on offer at the surgery. He was having acupuncture privately once every few weeks and was keen to continue, but it was costing him £30 a session. Graham found it really easy to access the service. He was contacted about an appointment the day after his GP filled in a referral form.

“The first treatment went very very well...I found the spasms were reduced from one week to the next by about 70%...the pressure sore was a much better colour...the shortness of breath was helped...the back pain was  alleviated... and the wrist pain visibly reduced within hours”, he said.

Graham initially had 12 sessions at weekly intervals, and is now just over half way through another course of 12 sessions, this time at 2-3 weekly intervals. He finds that the treatments also provide him with an increased sense of wellbeing and help to relieve stress.

“For a period of time now, I’ve felt very well” he said.

The beneficial effects of the treatment are also having a big impact on his everyday life....

“By reducing muscle spasms in my legs, it is much easier for me to transfer from my wheelchair to the car or in to bed” he explained, adding “Because the pain in my wrists has lessened, I can use the gym to the full again.”

Graham has also been impressed by the way the service is run, saying he has found it very professionally organised and operated.

He concluded, “I’ve been very happy with the service and long may it continue”.