Laserson Acupuncture · Lausanne · since 1995
Japanese acupuncture,without the pain.
The Toyohari method uses extremely fine needles, most often held against the skin rather than inserted. A subtle, deeply relaxing treatment for stress, fertility, pregnancy, sleep and pain — and Shõnishin, with no needles at all, for babies and young children.
1995
The practice has been open in Lausanne since November 1995
What to expect
A quiet hour in the centre of Lausanne
The practice sits on the Pont Charles Bessières, between the cathedral and Rue Centrale, two minutes from the Bessières metro stop. A first session lasts about an hour; later sessions around forty-five minutes.
There is nothing in particular to prepare. We start by talking — about what brings you here, but also about your sleep, your digestion, your energy. Then you lie down fully clothed, in loose garments, and the treatment begins.
Japanese acupuncture developed in one clear direction: refining the technique until it can barely be felt. That is why most patients who dreaded needles cannot say at what point the treatment actually started.
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- The practice has been open in Lausanne since November 1995
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- Qualified practitioners, trained in Japan, the United States and France
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- Consultation languages: French, English, German
How a session works
The consultation
Your history, what brings you here, your sleep, digestion, cycle and energy. The first session runs longer because this part is not rushed.
Pulse and abdominal diagnosis
The Toyohari signature: the six pulse positions at the wrist and a light palpation of the abdomen tell the practitioner which pattern to treat. It is re-checked during the session to confirm the treatment is working.
The treatment
Very fine needles, most often held against the skin rather than inserted. Most patients feel warmth, heaviness, or nothing at all. The session ends with a short rest.
Follow-up
Weekly at first, sometimes several times a week in an acute phase, then spaced further apart as your condition improves.
No referral is needed to book an appointment.
Treatments
What we treat
Acupuncture strengthens the body's natural capacity to heal, speeds up recovery from illness, and is also used preventively. These are the reasons people most often come to the practice.
Stress and burn-out
Anxiety, irritability, tension headaches, persistent fatigue and burn-out. Treatment addresses the underlying pattern rather than the symptom alone, which is why sleep and energy often shift before the headache does. For anyone who has been told there is nothing wrong and still does not feel well.
- Anxiety
- Exhaustion
- Headaches
Fertility, female and male
Support for couples trying to conceive, on its own or alongside a medical programme such as IVF or IUI. The aim is to regulate the cycle, improve pelvic circulation and lower the stress load a long process places on both partners. The man is treated too — which is often overlooked.
- IVF / IUI
- Cycle
- Couples
Pregnancy and the perinatal period
Many complaints in pregnancy are energetic in origin and respond well: nausea, back and pelvic pain, sciatica, heavy legs, insomnia, anxiety about the birth, and preparation for labour. The Toyohari approach suits this stage particularly well because it is so light and works at the surface of the skin.
- Nausea
- Sciatica
- Birth prep
Gynaecological complaints
Painful periods, irregular or absent cycles, premenstrual syndrome, the menopause with its hot flushes and disrupted sleep, and chronic vaginitis that keeps returning after treatment. Acupuncture regulates rather than suppresses, which suits long-running cyclical problems.
- Cycle
- Menopause
- PMS
Sleep disorders
Trouble falling asleep, waking at three in the morning, hypersomnia, recurring nightmares. Sleep is one of the clearest markers the practice works from: it usually responds early and visibly, which makes it a good sign the treatment is doing something. For people who want to avoid sleeping pills, or to come off them.
- Insomnia
- Night waking
- Nightmares
Pain, injury and scars
Muscular and joint pain, back pain and the after-effects of accidents — treated by a practitioner who is also a qualified physiotherapist and worked in rheumatology at the CHUV. Scars are treated with the Teishin, a small gold instrument pressed against the skin and never inserted, releasing the disturbance an old scar holds across a meridian.
- Back
- Joints
- Teishin
Shõnishin for babies and children
From shõ (small), ni (child), shin (needle): a paediatric technique with no needle insertion at all, developed in Osaka in the seventeenth century for children under seven. The skin is stroked and tapped with small blunt instruments. Used for colic, reflux, disturbed sleep, recurrent ear infections, eczema and bedwetting.
- Needle-free
- Ages 0-7
- Colic
Circulation, digestion, ENT, immunity
High and low blood pressure and palpitations; incontinence, juvenile bedwetting and chronic urinary infections; poor digestion, constipation, diarrhoea and spastic colon; colds, hay fever, sinusitis, cough, asthma, allergies and ear infections; vertigo and some forms of tinnitus; shingles and eczema. Also used preventively, to tonify immunity before winter.
- ENT
- Digestive
- Immunity
Practitioners
Thirty years in the same room, in the same tradition
Allan Laserson
A qualified physiotherapist, originally from South Africa, I trained in acupuncture at the New England School of Acupuncture in Boston, graduating in 1990. I have lived in Switzerland since 1999, where I worked as a physiotherapist in the rheumatology department of the CHUV alongside my acupuncture practice, before moving to the practice full time. I specialise in Japanese acupuncture and in particular the Toyohari method, in which I am qualified.
- ✓Graduate of the New England School of Acupuncture, Boston (1990)
- ✓Qualified physiotherapist — formerly of the CHUV rheumatology department
- ✓Qualified in the Toyohari method
- ✓Member of the European Branch of the Toyohari Association
- ✓Consultations in French, English (mother tongue) and German
Brigitte Laserson-Taiana
An occupational therapist trained in Lausanne, with six years at the university hospital in Bern in cranio-cerebral trauma rehabilitation and hand surgery. She trained in acupuncture at the Groupement d'Étude des Médecines Énergétiques (GEME) in France from 1989 to 1995, and opened the Lausanne practice in November 1995. She has since specialised in Japanese acupuncture, meridian therapy and specific pain treatment. Qualified in the Shõnishin method, she treats children by stroking the skin.
Reviews
What patients say
★★★★★
“I arrived convinced I was afraid of needles. I still cannot tell you when the treatment started. Three months on, my migraines have gone from weekly to almost never.”
★★★★★
“Burn-out, six months off work. What struck me was how carefully he listened before touching anything. My sleep came back first, and the rest followed.”
★★★★☆
“Treated all the way through my pregnancy for sciatica and nausea. Gentle, and it genuinely helped. The only thing I would change is that appointments can be hard to get.”
★★★★★
“We brought our four-month-old in for colic, fairly sceptical. No needles at all, five minutes, and she slept through that night for the first time.”
★★★★★
“Two years of trying, and my gynaecologist suggested acupuncture alongside the IVF. Whatever the mechanism, the whole process felt far less brutal with these sessions in it.”
★★★★☆
“Very calm practice, no waiting, and a clearer explanation of what was being done and why than I have had anywhere else.”
Invented reviews, written to lay out this demonstration site. They are not from real patients and will be replaced with genuine, consented reviews before launch.
Before your visit
The questions we are asked before a first session
The first question below is the one we hear most, and it is the whole reason this practice works the way it does. Everything else worth knowing before you book is here too.
No. The Toyohari method uses extremely fine needles and works largely by contact with the skin, without penetrating it. Children are treated with Shõnishin, with no needle insertion at all. This is precisely why many patients come here rather than elsewhere.
No. You can book directly, by phone or online through OneDoc. No doctor's referral is required.
Acupuncture given by a recognised therapist is generally reimbursed through complementary insurance rather than basic LAMal cover. Levels vary a great deal between funds, so check your own policy and ask us if you are unsure.
About an hour for a first appointment, and around forty-five minutes afterwards. Arrive a few minutes early rather than rushing in.
Usually weekly treatment at the start. In an acute state, several sessions a week can help. As your condition improves, appointments are spaced further apart.
Any recent results, imaging or a list of current medication, plus your insurance details. Nothing else is required.
Loose, comfortable clothing. Points on the forearms, lower legs and abdomen need to stay reachable.
Yes, at any stage of pregnancy and after the birth. The approach suits this period particularly well because it is light and works at the surface of the skin.
Yes. Shõnishin was developed for children under seven. The treatment takes a few minutes, is done by stroking the skin, and children generally find it pleasant.
Let us know at least 24 hours in advance so the slot can be offered to someone else.
Appointments
Book an appointment
Write us three lines and we will call you back to find a slot. If you would rather not, the phone and online booking are always open.
Practising since 1995 · Painless Toyohari method · No referral needed
Or more directly
The practice answers the phone between sessions.
Getting here
On the Pont Charles Bessières
- Address
- Pont Charles Bessières 1, 1005 Lausanne
- Metro
- m2 — Bessières stop, 2 minutes on foot
- From the station
- 6 minutes on the m2
- Parking
- Bessières or Riponne, minutes away
The practice is at Pont Charles Bessières 1, on the bridge itself, right in the centre of Lausanne between the cathedral and Rue Centrale — one of the easiest addresses in the city to reach without a car. The m2 metro stops at Bessières, about two minutes' walk from the door, which puts the practice six minutes from the main station and three from Flon. Several city bus lines cross Bessières and Riponne. If you drive, the Bessières and Riponne car parks are both a couple of minutes away on foot; on-street parking on the bridge is limited and time-restricted, so the car parks are the safer choice. The entrance is on the bridge and the surrounding streets are flat at this level, which makes access straightforward with a pushchair.