Acupuncture

What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture originated in China and other far eastern cultures where it still features in mainstream healthcare, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with conventional western medicine. Acupuncture is a safe and effective form of treatment that is increasingly popular all around the world. There is a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating a whole range of health problems. In the UK more and more people are finding out what acupuncture can do for them.
What does acupncture do?
Acupuncture works to help maintain your body’s equilibrium. It involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body to regulate the flow of ‘qi’, your body’s vital energy. For a number of lifestyle and environmental reasons, qi can become disturbed, depleted or blocked, which can result in some symptoms of pain and illness or. In certain instances, traditional acupuncture can be an effective therapy to help restore balance and promote physical and emotional harmony.
Who has acupuncture?
Many people come to acupuncture for help with specific symptoms or to relieve specific pain like osteoarthritis of the knee. Some use acupuncture because they feel generally unwell but have no obvious diagnosis. Others choose acupuncture simply to enhance their feeling of wellbeing. It can be used effectively alongside conventional medicine and will not interfere with any medication you are taking.
What can it do for me?
Most people turn to acupuncture for help with a specific symptom or condition. Others choose to have treatment to help maintain good health, as a preventive measure, or simply to improve their general sense of wellbeing. Because traditional acupuncture aims to treat the whole person rather than specific symptoms in isolation, it can be effective for a range of conditions. I focus on treating the person, not just the condition which they have, so each patient’s treatment plan will be different. Many people return to acupuncture again and again because they find it so beneficial and relaxing.
In 2009 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommended that acupuncture should be made available on the NHS, as a cost-effective short-term treatment for the management of early, persistent non-specific lower back pain.
Please do get in touch if you have any questions or wonder whether acupuncture might help you.