The main conditions we see and treat in the clinic are:
Body
Pain relief
There is a general misconception that acupuncture works as a pain relief method. That is not in fact the case. It works because it addresses the actual condition and tries to remedy it directly, not just relieve the pain caused by it. It treats both the presenting symptom and underlying cause hence why described as holistic medicine.
Muscular Pain
Many people have acupuncture for muscle pains and aches as they respond to treatment. As well as general muscle and joint weakness, stiffness or tension they may be acute conditions caused by injuries or accidents such as strains, sprains or tennis elbow, they may be chronic. These include fibromyalgia, frozen shoulder, or repetitive strain injury (RSI). Many on-going muscular issues affecting the limbs, extremities, shoulder and neck that are side-lined by mainstream medicine, respond well to treatment. Even when you’re not looking to be permanently cured, as with some arthritic conditions, the level of pain can be reduced and flexibility and mobility markedly increased.
Nerve Pain, aka. Neuralgia
This is another pain condition often seen in the clinic. Nerve pain can affect the head, eyes, ears, teeth, sinuses such as sinusitis and face such as trigeminal neuralgia. It also includes pain along the nerves of the limbs, such as sciatica pain down the leg which often accompanies low back or hip pain.
Lower back Pain
This is a very common condition that people come to seek help from acupuncture. Clinical studies have shown that lumbar or sacral back pain is remedied by acupuncture more than nearly all other types of treatment. This is one of the reasons I was commissioned and funded by the NHS to set up and run a regional primary care acupuncture service in South London for 25 years (1990-2015).
Headaches and migraines
Nearly all types of head pain can benefit from acupuncture especially whether related to mental stress, work-related tension, blood pressure, lack of sleep, menstruation or tiredness.
Digestive conditions
Whether acute or chronic complaints such as indigestion, reflux, constipation, they respond when treated over a period of time. These, such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Movement), often accompany stress which the acupuncture helps alleviate.
Respiritory conditions
Chronic cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, laboured breathing and/or rib cage discomfort with exertion, can be alleviated or at least reduced in most cases.
Women
Gynaecology
Women’s issues is a prominent branch of Chinese Medicine since its beginnings three millennia ago. Over this time, much attention has been given to devising effective treatments for pelvic inflammation, endometriosis, PMT, menstrual issues, pregnancy issues and infertility.
Menstrual issues
Painful or heavy or irregular or lack of periods can all be addressed with acupuncture even if you have suffering from these since the onset of your periods so assume that is ‘normal’. In Chinese Medicine pain or any other difficulties related to your menstrual cycle are considered as pathologies that can and should be rectified.
Menopause
Another common women’s complaint are menopausal symptoms such hot flushes, night sweats, and mood swings. These can be managed and reduced in intensity and in some cases eliminated altogether. Again, menopausal issues are not considered normal, rather as a symptom of underlying deficiency and imbalance of Yin and Yang.
Child Bearing
Pregnancy related difficulties such as habitual miscarriages, morning sickness, insomnia and exhaustion; plus post-natal issues such as depression and deficient lactation can be helped.
Energy and mind
Weak constitution / Burn out
In Chinese Medicine your constitution is considered paramount to your health and wellness. Whether a weak constitution is inherited or a result of burn-out and other factors in your current or previous lifestyle, it is not directly addressed by orthodox Western medicine. When it is in a poor state, one is susceptible to conditions of debilitation such as Post Viral Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as general low immunity, physical and nervous exhaustion, poor concentration and motivation, low mood and lack of stamina. Acupuncture can make an important contribution by directly strengthening your underlying constitutional state.
Deficient energy
This leads to tiredness, lethargy, lassitude, weak stamina, lack of libido and no get-up-and-go. Acupuncture has a good record in dealing with these frequently-seen complaints; as well as with general lack of vitality by replenishing any deficiency of life energy in your system.
Emotional and mental health
Acupuncture is truly effective for the mind and emotions. A whole range of complaints, anything from chronic mental health issues to everyday stress can be benefited. Insomnia, worry, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, PTSD are conditions that I see and treat with acupuncture as much as any physical complaints. Many have come and been supported and helped whether their issues stemmed from troubled childhoods, bereavement/s, heartache, recent shock/s, post-traumatic stress or simply due to difficult situations at work or home.
Psychosomatic conditions
Acupuncture is particularly effective for psychosomatic symptoms, which are usually dismissed by the medical establishment as being in your mind. Chinese Medicine sees them as a very real response to either stress or imbalances in your body-mind-spirit continuum. This is because it works on a level that bridges the physical, vital, essential and mental.
Summary
Over many centuries of internal practices (Qigong) the Chinese discovered the matrix that underpins and ties together all the different levels of existence: matter, energy and sentience. This may seem a rather radical notion but the modern-day physics of Quantum Mechanics verify exactly this same premise.
