Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an extension of bodywork and deep tissue massage which allows me to physically get into and release muscle tension. I can work on deep, tight areas of muscles which can’t be reached in the same way through massage. It is a subtle form of release, and is often less painful than massage.

Stimulating and releasing muscles can get rid of circulatory blocks which can lead to pain. If you allow a tight muscle to lengthen, you gain more freedom of movement.

This approach can be used to release areas of tightness that create constraints in the abdomen, and affect how the organs function. It can thereby be used to relieve not just musculoskeletal conditions but deeper ones too. This is the genius of the channel system.

Research has shown that acupuncture stimulates your body’s natural pain killers.

Among many other things, acupuncture can be used to:

• Relieve pain

• Reduce inflammation

• Relax muscles

• Calm your nervous system

• Stimulate healthy digestion

• Disperse headaches

• Improve sleep

I almost always use massage (specifically Tui na massage) alongside acupuncture, as a diagnostic and treatment tool. Massage provides a lot of information about the channels, and whether there is heat, cold, stagnation (or circulatory problems), among other things. This kind of information is very important to be able to use acupuncture to its full extent.

Chinese medicine is holistic and the perspective it gives allows me to offer insights that Western-style treatments may not offer. Any treatments given will not interfere with medicine you take, but should help alongside them.

A 2017 study lists acupuncture as having an effect on a significant number of conditions: Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association research.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommended acupuncture as a treatment for chronic pain in a 2021 report.

I’ve written a blog piece about a few different ways that acupuncture works, click here to read it. Please contact me if you want to find out more or ask any questions.

Contact me to find out more, or to make an appointment.

Recognised by Westfield Health

As a British Acupuncture Council acupuncturist, many health insurance schemes will pay for my acupuncture treatments. I often combine deep tissue massage with acupuncture, which could also qualify. Please ask me for further details if this interests you.

 Member of the British Acupuncture Council

As a member of the British Acupuncture Council, I adhere to its high standards of practice and continue to train to improve my skills.