Gillian Price BSc DipAc LicOHM MBAcC MRCHM

For more details about acupuncture and Gillian Price please visit: www.gillianprice.com

Richard Steven Bsc (Hons)TCM, BM(Beijing), Dip Tui Na, MATCM

For more details about acupuncture with Richard Steven please go to Richard Steven Acupuncture or visit Acupuncture London

London Fields

Alison Courtney BSc Hon Ac

Alison had a long career in the NHS then moved into acupuncture and traditional chinese medicine, with established practices in Hackney. She enjoys a busy general acupuncture practice and has a special interest in pregnancy treatment.

Alison Courtney BSc Hon Ac

Alison had a long career in the NHS then moved into acupuncture and traditional chinese medicine, with established practices in Hackney. She enjoys a busy general acupuncture practice and has a special interest in pregnancy treatment.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Acupuncture is part an holistic system that tries to restore the body as a whole to full health rather than looking to remove particular symptoms of ill health in some part of the body.

The mind and body must work together in harmony. This is seen as vital for genuine lasting good health. The organs and systems of the body are seen as working in harmony; an imbalance in one part of the system affecting other parts somewhere else.

Chinese philosophy teaches us to take personal responsibility for our well being, to prevent imbalances/illness before it starts. This is done by living according to the rules of the Tao. Many people know this as yin and yang which expresses the harmony of opposites.

In acupuncture, body systems are believed to be connected by meridians - channels that loop around the body. Qi or vital energy flows through them. With disrpution or deficiency of qi, one will experience symptoms of ill health. Qi maintains harmony between yin and yang, preventing one or the other from getting the upper hand. Yin qualities are reflective and inward looking. Yang qualities are outgoing and extrovert.

The acupuncture practitioner ascertains the patient's unique 'pattern of disharmony'. The tongue, ears and abdomen may be examined. A case history taken and various questions asked of the patient. The acupuncturist is then able to build up a picture of where the imbalances and disruptions to harmony are, and the body systems affected.

After completion, fine, solid needles will be inserted into the acupuncture points on the body, reflecting the channels that need to be influenced. The needles may be inserted for a short time but could be up to thirty minutes. Sometimes the acupuncture practitioner will determine that additional stimuli are needed. If this is the case dried leaves called moxa may be burned in a cone above a needle at a particular acupuncture point invigorating the flow of qi. Cupping is another technique that pulls the skin upward. The pressure this gives rise to encourages the flow of qi and blood in the area beneath the cup, helping to clear local stagnation.

That covers one answer as to the question how does acupuncture work? To give a modern Western answer to this question is not possible. The simple answer is that scientists don't know. There has been a plethora of studies into acupunture in recent years. These have shown acupuncture to be of benefit in chronic headaches, migraine, back pain, fibromyalgia, pregnancy and childbirth pain, hot flushes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, anxiety, sinusitis, infertility, arthritis, smoking and other addictions, stroke, cancer, hypertension, frequent urination, radiation-induced dry mouth in cancer patients, heartburn, pregnancy indigestion, post-op nausea and vomiting. The World Health Organisation lists 28 conditions for which it is effective. Although scientists have shown acupuncture has an effect on the nervous system and on stimulating endorphins, this may explain why acupuncture works in the short term but it fails to explain why it works over an extended period of time.