Acupuncture
The Chinese and other eastern cultures have been using acupuncture to restore, promote and maintain good health for thousands of years.
According to traditional Chinese philosophy, good health is dependent on the body’s motivating energy (known as Qi) flowing in a smooth and balanced way through a series of channels within our bodies.
The flow of Qi can be disturbed by a number of factors; emotional states such as anxiety, anger, or grief, as well as poor nutrition, hereditary factors, infections, and trauma. When the Qi is unbalanced, illness may result.
The aim of acupuncture is to stimulate the body’s own healing response and restore its natural balance.
Using fine needles at chosen points along the meridians, treatment is aimed at the root cause of your condition, as well as your symptoms. This approach can lead to a more permanent resolution of your problems.
the treatment:
when you come for acupuncture treatment, your first appointment will involve a consultation, up to an hour long. It involves asking lots of questions, partly about your presenting condition of course, but also about other aspects of your health and wellbeing, for example your sleep patterns, your memory, temperature and your favourite tastes. The answers to these help me build up a picture of you as a whole person, so that I can make an accurate holistic diagnosis about the root cause of the presenting problem. It also allows me to find out about any possible contraindications to treatment, and to ensure that acupuncture will be the most suitable therapy for you.
The consultation also involves me taking your pulses - not just to check the rate, but the quality of each of the pulses (3 on each wrist) tells me what's going on within each organ system. I will also look at your tongue - this may feel strange at first but it is a very useful diagnostic tool!
Following this a treatment will be given. Each subsequent appointment will again involve checking the pulses and tongue as this helps me in choosing the right points to use each week, as well as asking on your progress and any change in symptoms.
Reflexology
This is both and ancient and modern therapy - foot massage has been used therapeutically for thousands of years, but the precision therapy we know today has been around since the early 20th century.
Reflexology works on the idea that each area of the body is reflected in an area on the feet, and also the hands. By working on these areas, energy blockages can be cleared, blood and oxygen flow improved, and the nervous system returned to a state of relaxation. This in turn encourages the body to heal itself.
The treatment itself is suitable for all - it is very unobtrusive, as only the feet need to be exposed. It is also extremely relaxing and very enjoyable!
before the treatment, a short consultation will take place to find out about symptoms or health problems you may be experiencing, and to check for any contraindications to treatment.
Holistic Massage
This is a form of massage that employs a variety of techniques to bring about a sense of wellbeing, by addressing the root of the condition as well as specific symptoms or areas of tension. I use swedish massage techniques, as well as acupressure, and tui na.
It may be used as part of an acupuncture session, but can also be used as a stand-alone treatment.
