What is Acupuncture
 Acupuncture is one of the main components of Traditional Chinese Medicine (along with herbalism, diet, massage & exercise). Today in China, and in a number of other countries, it features in mainstream healthcare, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with conventional western medicine.
From the point of view of Chinese Medicine good health is our natural state, and results from balance and harmony in the energy, or "qi", of the body, mind and spirit. Qi is understood to be distributed through a network of twelve major channels, each supplying one of our major physical organs, and through a countless number of smaller interconnecting channels. Symptoms of pain or illness are thought to arise when the qi is disturbed, blocked, depleted or compromised. This can happen as a result of environmental factors such as infection or extremes of damp, cold or heat; because of mental and emotional disturbance or stress; because of weak constitution; or because of poor diet, overwork, lack of (or unsuitable) exercise, and physical trauma such as operations, accidents and so on. Our systems can also be poisoned by such things as contaminated food, and inappropriate use of alcohol or drugs.
 Chinese diagnosis is a way of understanding why and how the balance of the Qi has been disturbed. Acupuncture is understood to work to help restore and maintain the balance of the Qi and the equilibrium of your body, mind and spirit.
Treatment is therefore aimed at the root of your condition as well as your main symptoms. This approach aims to help in resolving your problem and enhancing your feeling of wellbeing. Patients also often report that they notice other niggling problems resolve as treatment progresses.
Who chooses Acupuncture?
Many people come to acupuncture for help with specific symptoms or pains. Others come because they feel generally unwell but have no obvious diagnosis. Some people choose acupuncture simply because they want to enhance their feeling of wellbeing and because they want help to cope well in our challenging and fast-changing world. Acupuncture is suitable for people of all ages, including children. It can be used safely alongside conventional medicine.
Can Acupuncture help me?
Traditional acupuncture seeks to treat the whole person rather than specific symptoms in isolation. Because an acupuncturist treats the person, not just their condition, each person's treatment plan will be different, even if their symptoms are the same. So, before deciding on treatment please talk to us about your particular circumstances and we can tell you whether we think we can help you or not.
You might also like to look at information on current research into the effectiveness of acupuncture.
Is Acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is generally very safe, and serious side effects are very rare (fewer than one per 10,000 treatments). Research published in the UK in 2001 (www.frtcm.org.uk) found that:
some people feel drowsy after treatment. If you do you we advise you not to drive straight away;
minor bleeding or bruising occurs after acupuncture in about 2% of treatments;
pain occurs in about 1% of treatments;
very occasionally a patient can feel faint, especially at the first treatment;
occasionally (less than 3% of patients) symptoms get worse after a treatment before getting better. You should tell your practitioner about this; in our experience it is usually a good sign.
5 Element Acupuncture
 The Five Element style of Acupuncture is an ancient and elegant way of applying the understanding that we are governed by, and are part of, the energetic cycles of the world around us. For example it is not unusual for someone to thrive or to struggle at particular times of the year, or in different sorts of weather, or to feel that his or her energy is better or worse at certain times of the day. Similarly life events affect us for better and for worse. We seem to be more susceptible to illness when we are tired, overworked, stressed, unhappy or bereaved, and we feel better when we are fulfilled, happy and loved. Our constitution and what happens to us in life are important factors in determining our physical and mental health. So a Five Element diagnosis seeks to understand each person's individual constitution and potential, and to see how this has been influenced by the physical and emotional environments of his or her life. The treatment focuses on any constitutional weakness and on the energetic imbalances which have been caused by the circumstances of our lives.
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Acupuncture
These days the name TCM is usually used to describe the mainstream style of traditional acupuncture and herbalism practiced both in modern China and widely in Europe, America and elsewhere. It is valuable in assessing constitution, and also in helping with problems which may not be of constitutional origin, or with symptoms which need to be addressed more quickly. Chinese hospitals offer acupuncture and herbs alongside western medicine, and a TCM diagnosis can be made for many of the diseases described in the western medical tradition.
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