What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture, and the philosophy of Chinese medicine that it has evolved from, have been in existence for thousands of years, only moving to the western world during the last few decades.

Acupuncture is an integral part of the rapid growth of complementary therapy in the UK and increasing numbers of people are seeking help for various illnesses and conditions, through it.

Acupuncture is a safe and effective form of treatment. It can be used alongside conventional Western medicine for acute or chronic illnesses and injury, as well as other alternative therapies, such as Homeopathy, Chiropractic and Osteopathy.

Traditionally Acupuncture is an holistic energetic form of medicine - it sees the person as a whole in the management of disease and maintenance of health. In Chinese medicine the Body, Mind and Spirit are inseparable.

The skill of an Acupuncturist lies in the ability to make a diagnosis from what is often a complex pattern of disharmony. This exact pattern is unique to each individual and will be treated as such in traditional Acupuncture, with a personal treatment plan.

Simplistically, in Chinese philosophy, our health is dependant on the elusive Qi, the body's motivating energy or life force. This flows in meridians or channels that cover and permeate our entire body. Along these lie the Acupuncture points which are used, via needles to recover the equilibrium between the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of each individual.
Thus, using several distinctive methods of diagnosis the imbalance of energy, which is often the origin of dis-ease, can be rebalanced to restore and maintain health throughout and within.

How does it work?

Acupuncture uses the homeostatic system of the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

Through various methods of diagnosis - questioning, feeling the pulses, observing the tongue, using body diagnosis - any imbalance, strength or weakness in the Five Elements, Yin/Yang or Qi can be assessed, leading to a treatment aim and principle as discussed between patient and practitioner at each appointment.
This will define the Acupuncture points to be used which lie along the numerous meridians or channels that run over and through the body connecting to the internal organs.

In this way, dis-ease manifests as an imbalance in our unique life force where:

Mind :: refers to our ability to think and understand. An imbalanced mind leads to problems such as indecision, forgetfulness, loss of concentration or obsession.

Body :: refers to our physical being or structure. Problems present as aches and pains or changes in strength or physiological function.

Spirit :: refers to the place of origin or seat of our emotions. In Chinese Medicine a ’healthy’ Spirit is essential for well-being, recovery, and healthiness at all levels.

A traditional acupuncturist uses very fine, solid, single use, sterile needles, inserted into specific points to access and restore and rebalance this energy/Qi/life force and so return the patient to symptom free health.