ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture is part of a system of medicine that has been practised in China for several thousand years, and has now become an integral part of complementary therapy in the UK. Its focus is on improving the overall well-being of the patient rather than the isolated treatment of specific symptoms. By treating the whole person physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual are all addressed. Traditional acupuncture is based on the principle that our health is dependent on the function of the body’s motivating energy, known as Chi or Qi. Chi flows throughout the body but is concentrated in channels beneath the skin, known as the meridians. These channels are a quite separate system from nerves, blood vessels and lymphatic ducts, and although they do not appear to have any definable anatomical structure, they can be detected with electronic instruments.

The aim of treatment is to restore the harmony between the equal and opposite quality of the chi, the yang and yin. A yang excessive may be experienced as acute pain, inflammation, spasms, headache and high blood pressure. Yin dominance might be felt as dull aches or pains, chills, fluid retention, discharges and fatigue.

An acupuncturist will insert fine needles into the channels to stimulate the body’s own healing response and restore health. In addition, stimulation of the points induces the release of endorphins from the brain that have pain-relieving properties.

It is important to note that there are two types of acupuncture:

Western-style or Medical Acupuncture
This is a more recent development practised predominantly by doctors and physiotherapists. It uses a more limited range of acupuncture techniques based on a western medical diagnosis.

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture
This is a holistic approach to the management of disease as well as the maintenance of health. A diagnosis is formed from the assessment of a person’s yin and yang, Five Elements, organ systems, pulses and meridian network. The exact pattern and degree of disharmony is unique to each individual and with traditional acupuncture will be treated as such with a personalised treatment plan. Sometimes moxibustion is also used. This involves using small cones of moxa, a dried herb, which is gently burned on the end of the needles to generate heat and warm the chi.