Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the longest established forms of healthcare in the world dating back thousands of years.

Acupuncturists are trained to use developed and refined subtle diagnostic techniques in a patient centred approach focusing on you as an individual, not your illness, and all symptoms are seen in relation to each other.

Treatment involves stimulation of specific points on the body often by inserting very fine needles to affect the flow of your body’s “qi”, or vital energy.

Acupuncture for you…

Although Acupuncture comes from the far east, our acupuncturists will explain what they’re doing in plain English.

Treatment involves the gentle insertion of very fine sterile needles into acupuncture points, which are found along the acupuncture channel (known as meridians). This action stimulates the body’s own healing response, thus restoring its natural balance.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncturists use subtle diagnostic techniques to focus on you, not your illness, and all symptoms are seen in relation to each other.

Treatment involves the insertion of very fine sterile needles into specific points on the body.

Who can benefit from it?

Commonly people have acupuncture to relieve specific aches & pains or for common health problems. Others have it when they feel out of balance.

Many have regular treatments because they find it beneficial & relaxing.

What research is there?

There is a growing body of higher level evidence to support the use of acupuncture for a wide range of conditions. 

The British Acupuncture Council have research based fact sheets for 72 conditions you can find here.

Why us?

Our acupuncturists are very experienced and passionate about her work. Often combining the needling approach with moxibustion, Tui Na, and Qi Gong.

Acupuncture at Summertown Clinic

The Aim Of Treatment

Traditional acupuncture is a healthcare system based on ancient principles which go back nearly two thousand years. It has a very positive model of good health and function, and looks at pain and illness as signs that the body is out of balance. The overall aim of acupuncture treatment, then, is to restore the body’s equilibrium.

How It Works

Based on traditional belief, acupuncturists are trained to use subtle diagnostic techniques that have been developed and refined for centuries. The focus is on the individual, not their illness, and all the symptoms are seen in relation to each other. Each patient is unique; two people with the same western diagnosis may well receive different acupuncture treatments.

Traditional acupuncturists believe that the underlying principle of treatment is that illness and pain occur when the body’s qi, or vital energy, cannot flow freely. There can be many reasons for this; emotional and physical stress, poor nutrition, infection or injury are among the most common. By inserting ultra-fine sterile needles into specific acupuncture points, a traditional acupuncturist seeks to re-establish the free flow of qi to restore balance and trigger the body’s natural healing response.

There are many different styles of acupuncture which share a common root but are distinct and different in their emphasis. You may read of TCM, Five Elements, Stems and Branches, Japanese Meridian Therapy, and many others, all of which have their passionate devotees.

Five Element Approach

The ancient, classical practice of Five Element Acupuncture is based on Daoist philosophy which believes that all things follow the School of Naturalism. Therefore, the cyclic laws of Nature also applies to humans – so by treating the five elements Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water which the Chinese believe to be the manifestation of seasonal influences within the body, we can connect and work with each of the body’s systems such as digestion, the organs (liver, spleen etc) and the emotions, resulting in a reduction of signs and symptoms. Working at such a deep level not only treats the underlying disharmony but also addresses the root cause of the problem, thus long term balance and wellness is restored to the mind, body and spirit.

Our Acupuncturists:

Our acupuncturists are registered with the British Acupuncture Council. Click on them to find out more…

Ben came to Acupuncture following a number of successful years within Massage Therapy. He has a BSc (Hons) in Acupuncture, learning both TCM and Five Element. He regularly integrates his experience of Massage with Acupuncture, working with mental health, muscular-skeletal, chronic fatigue, auto-immune conditions, and many others…

 

Chris has been helping patients from Summertown Clinic for over 42 years! He uses a unique combination of Acupuncture, homeopathy, SKENAR, Laser, and infra-red therapies to help his patients improve their health.