What is Acupuncture? 

A Natural Approach to Healing

Acupuncture originated in China approximately 2500 years ago.  It has since been developed, tested, researched and refined  into a convincing treatment by ever-increasing patients numbers in the West. Without the benefit of modern scientific equipment, the first acupuncturists made many discoveries which are now familiar aspects of biomedical science.

A growing body of evidence-based clinical research is discovering how the body responds to acupuncture and its benefits for a wide range of common health conditions.  Many people use acupuncture to relieve specific aches and pains such as osteoarthritis of the knee, TMJ pain, headaches and lower back pain, or for common health problems like an overactive bladder.  Other people choose acupuncture when they can feel their body is out of balance but have no obvious Western medical diagnosis that will easily lead to a Western medical treatment.  Many people also have regular treatments simply because they find it beneficial and relaxing.

The focus  for a traditional acupuncturist is on the patient as an individual and not just their specific illness, and all symptoms are seen as part of an interconnected pattern. Treatment involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific points which are said to affect the flow of your body’s qi, or vital energy, although there is ongoing research and study that suggests what many practitioners already know: that inserting needles into the channels (or meridians) affects change within the human body, and that the term ‘energy’ is rather simplistic.