WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, our health is dependent on the body's energy (known as qi) which flows through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin. By inserting fine needles into acupuncture points in the body, an acupuncturist can stimulate the flow of energy through these channels.
Generally the insertion of the needle is painless. Once the needle is inserted there is often a tingling sensation as the treatment starts to work. Acupuncture treatment activates the body's own healing response and helps to restore its natural balance.
Acupuncture has been practised in China for over 3,000 years. The skill of an acupuncturist lies in their ability to make a traditional diagnosis using tongue and pulse diagnosis. The treatment an acupuncturist will give will be unique to each individual.
Acupuncture treatment can help - Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Back Pain, Depression, Digestive Disorders, Gynaecological Problems, Headache, Heavy or Painful Periods, Insomnia, Joint Pain, M.E. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Muscular Pain, Sinusitis, Skin Conditions and Stress.
TREATMENT INFORMATION
Simon Heather - Lic. Ac., M.C.O.H., has been practising Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in Bishops Castle since 1991.
The cost of an acupuncture treatment is £40. This cost includes your initial consultation fee. The first treatment takes an hour. Subsequent treatments generally take between 45 minutes and an hour.
Simon Heather practises at - The Pharmacy, Church Street, Bishops Castle, Shropshire, SY9 5AE.
To book an appointment please contact Simon on 01242 230 904.
BENEFITS OF ACUPUNCTURE
Through clinical trials, acupuncture has been proven to be effective in treating various medical conditions and many doctors and physiotherapists now use it.
Acupuncture treatment can help to reduce the need to take drugs to control pain or other symptoms. Acupuncture can promote faster recovery from injuries, decrease stress, improve circulation, increase energy levels and improve sleep patterns.
Acupuncture can be used to treat anxiety, depression, addictions, phobias, eating disorders, low self-esteem. If you are experiencing difficulties at work, or unhappiness in a relationship, then acupuncture treatment may help you cope better.
Acupuncture treats the whole person. Having regular acupuncture treatment can give you a greater sense of well-being and enjoyment of life. Acupuncture treatment can help to boost your immune system making you better able to withstand colds and flu. After recovery from illness many people continue to have acupuncture as form of preventative medicine.
RESEARCH INTO ACUPUNCTURE
Recent scientific research has indicted the benefits of acupuncture treatment for a wide range of conditions. The BBC Reported on 30th April 2005 that - "Scientists say they have proof that acupuncture works in its own right."
The Researchers at University College London and Southampton University conducted a series of experiments using brain scans. The researchers used PET scans to see what was happening in the brains of people having acupuncture treatment for arthritis pain.
During the treatment, an area of the brain associated with the production of natural opiates, substances that act in a non-specific way to relieve pain were activated.
Kathy Sykes investigated the practice of acupuncture in a recent television programme on BBC 2. Kathy began her journey in China where she saw some incredible demonstrations of acupuncture.
The most astonishing was a scene in a Chinese hospital in which doctors performed open-heart surgery on a young woman - using a combination of acupuncture and conventional pain relief instead of a general anaesthetic.
In China acupuncture is used alongside western medicine and, at times, as a replacement. The programme reported that scientists have identified a number of chronic pain conditions which acupuncture can have a powerful effect.
Dr. Claudia M. Witt of Charite University Medical Center in Berlin and her colleagues write in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology state - "Our study showed that acupuncture was beneficial for women with menstrual pain."