To wait for the illness to develop
before remedying it,
For the disorder to form
before taking care of it,
Is to wait until one is thirsty
before digging the well.

-Su Wen

Traditional acupuncture is a system of healthcare which originated in China many thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese were not allowed to cut into the body, so they came up with a different system to explain the communication and connections within the body that worked via channels as opposed to nerves and blood vessels. Through meticulous observation and record keeping, they showed how any obstruction along a channel would, over time, lead to pathology and/or pain within the body. Through careful study they developed an intricate system of cause and effect. Acupuncture aims to address any imbalance within the body to correct the communication networks and therefore improve health.

From a medical viewpoint, acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system, influencing the body's self-regulating homeostatic systems, leading to the promotion of physical and emotional well-being.

Its benefits are now widely acknowledged all over the world and in the last few decades’ traditional acupuncture has begun to feature more prominently in mainstream healthcare. A mounting weight of evidence from western scientific research is demonstrating the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating a wide variety of conditions (see Research Page).

How Acupuncture Works

Acupuncture works via many mechanisms, and those most easily understood can be separated into local and systemic reactions. At a local level, such as with the treatment of musculoskeletal and painful conditions, acupuncture is thought to stimulate the nerves in the local tissue, reduce inflammation, reduce pain, improve local circulation which reduces muscle stiffness and improves joint mobility (1)

On a systemic level, the stimulation of the needle at certain acupoints sends signals from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system, which can lead to a range of systemic reactions, such as the regulation of blood flow, the secretion of hormones and endorphins, and the inhibition of pain signals (2). The resulting biochemical changes activate the body's self-regulating systems, stimulating its natural healing abilities and promoting physical and emotional well-being (1).

1. British Acupuncture Council (2011). Research resources fact sheets: Acupuncture and chronic pain. Available online at http://www.acupuncture.org.uk/research-fact-sheets/1187-acupuncture-and-chronic-pain.html

2. NIH Consensus Development Conference Statement. (1997). Acupuncture [Electronic version]. Available from the National Institute of Health website (PDF file)

3.ACUPUNCTURE- REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF REPORTS ON CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS p27

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Cost:
Initial Consultation & Treatment: 90 mins, £50
Follow up Consultation & Treatment: 60 mins, £40

Practitioners:
Dr. Jacqueline Greenfield
Heidi Mather - Email : acupuncture@nature-cure.co.uk