About acupuncture

Acupuncture is an integral part of the rapid growth of complementary therapy in the UK. Acupuncture, as practised by members of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) is an holistic approach to health based on over 2,000 years of development and refinement in the Far East. The tradition is as much about the maintenance of health as the management of the disease. It is used to treat people with a wide range of illnesses and its focus is on improving the overall wellbeing of the patient, rather than the isolated treatment of specific symptoms. The skill of an Acupuncturist lies in their ability to make a traditional diagnosis from what is often a complex pattern of disharmony.

Though there is a growing body of scientific research into the use of Acupuncture, there is, however, little data that conforms to the usual Western medical standards of large scale, double-blind, randomised controlled trials on the human population and, as a result, its efficacy must still be considered to be largely unproven. All of the references made within this website to research into Acupuncture need, therefore, to be seen in that context.

Over recent years Acupuncture has started to be used more frequently in mainstream healthcare in the UK. It is particularly used in relation to the treatment of musculo-skeletal pain and as a supportive treatment alongside Assisted Fertility and pregnancy

The exact pattern and degree of disharmony is unique to each individual and so, following diagnosis, the Acupuncturist puts together a personalised treatment plan. Thus five people could present with the same western diagnosis, for example depression, but each one would be treated in a different way, depending on their individual patterns of disharmony.

According to traditional Chinese philosophy, our health is dependent on the body’s motivating energy – known as qi – moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin. The flow of qi can be disturbed by many factors, physical, mental and emotional, for example anxiety, stress, anger, fear or grief, poor nutrition, environmental conditions, hereditary factors, infections, poisons and trauma. With the insertion of fine needles into the channels of energy, Acupuncture may restore balance and aid you on your road to recovery.

The beauty of Acupuncture is its ability to treat the underlying cause of a problem and not just the presenting symptoms.

Is Acupuncture For You?

I often wonder how far people will go before they realise that something needs to change – will it be the increasing headaches or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or the M.E., constant tiredness or relentless viruses, or does it have to become really serious – the heart attack or the nervous breakdown? Our bodies are very good at telling us something needs to change and we are generally very good at ignoring them.

A lot of the clients I treat have embarked upon treatment because of a physical problem and during the consultation it has become clear that this is a symptom of an underlying emotional or stress related cause, the treatment of which being where Acupuncture comes into its own.

Fortunately if you are reading this then you are thinking of making a change, which is fantastic!