Acupuncture
Acupuncture improves the body’s functions and promotes the natural self-healing process by stimulating specific anatomic sites - commonly referred to as acupuncture points. The most common method used to stimulate acupuncture points is the insertion of fine, sterile needles into the skin. Pressure, heat, or electrical stimulation may further enhance the effects.
Acupuncture therapy can release blocked Qi in the body and stimulate function, evoking the body’s natural healing response through various physiological systems. Modern research has demonstrated acupuncture’s effects on the nervous system, endocrine and immune systems, cardiovascular system, and digestive system. By stimulating the body’s various systems, acupuncture can help to resolve pain, and improve sleep, digestive function, and sense of well-being.
Acupuncture is used in many NHS general practices, as well as the majority of pain clinics and hospices in the UK.
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Acupuncture is one of the safest medical treatments, both conventional and complementary, on offer in the UK.
Two surveys conducted independently of each other and published in the British Medical Journal in 2001 concluded that the risk of a serious adverse reaction to acupuncture is less than 1 in 10,000. This is far less than many orthodox medical treatments.
There are very few side effects from acupuncture when practised by a fully qualified practitioner of traditional acupuncture. Any minor side effects that do occur, such as dizziness or bruising around needle points, are mild and self-correcting.
When you receive treatment from a BAcC registered acupuncturist you can be confident that your well being and safety is at the heart of everything your practitioner does.
Acupressure
Acupressure is an ancient art of healing believed by some people to be even older than acupuncture. It involves the use of the fingers (and in some cases, the toes) to press key points on the surface of the skin to stimulate the body's natural ability to heal itself. Pressing on these points relieves muscle tension, which promotes the circulation of blood and Qi to aid in the healing process.
Like acupuncture, acupressure involves the stimulation of certain points on the body. Stimulating these points can trigger the release of endorphins, chemicals produced by the body that relieve pain. When endorphins are released, the pain is blocked, and the flow of blood and oxygen to the affected area is increased. This causes the muscles to relax and promotes healing.
In acupressure, as with most traditional Chinese medicine concepts, local symptoms are considered an expression of the whole body’s condition. A person with a tension headache, for instance, may actually be suffering from pain or stress in the shoulder and neck. The doctor will focus not only on relieving pain and discomfort, but removing the source of that pain and discomfort, before it develops into a more serious condition.
Besides relieving pain, acupressure can help rebalance the body by lowering stress and tension levels and strengthening the immune system. Certain acupressure points can also relieve tension in the chest, enabling people to breathe more deeply and sleep better, and there has been anecdotal evidence that acupressure can help pregnant women have a quicker, less painful delivery
Chinese herbs
Chinese Herbal Medicine is one of the great herbal systems of the world, with an unbroken tradition going back to the 3rd century BC.
Yet throughout its history it has continually developed in response to changing clinical conditions, and has been sustained by research into every aspect of its use. This process continues today with the development of modern medical diagnostic techniques and knowledge.
Chinese herbs is one of the most important components of Chinese Medicine therapy, There are over 300 Chinese herbs in common use. Each herb has several healing characteristics that are used to treat specific conditions and have different effects. After a diagnosis is taken the doctor prescribes a complete herbal medicine treatment which contains different herbs based on each individual patient unique clinical condition. The herbs can be consumed as a Tea or taken in a herbal tablets.
Chinese Herbal Medicine, along with the other components of Chinese medicine, is based on the concepts of Yin and Yang. It aims to understand and treat the many ways in which the fundamental balance and harmony between the two may be undermined and the ways in which a person's Qi or vitality may be depleted or blocked. Clinical strategies are based upon diagnosis of patterns of signs and symptoms that reflect an imbalance.
We are greatly concerned about the threat to wild animals and plants that have come as a result of the growth in demand for traditional medicines. We strongly condemn the illegal trade in endangered species and have a strict policy prohibiting the use of any type of endangered species.