What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a branch of Chinese Medicine that originated in China well over two thousand years ago and it has been developed and refined over many centuries.
This ancient, holistic healing system is used worldwide as a gentle, safe and effective means of helping people of all ages to restore, promote and maintain good health and wellbeing. It can be used preventatively and to treat a wide range of acute and chronic health conditions - either on its own or alongside conventional Western medicine and physical therapies like physiotherapy and osteopathy.
Body, mind and spirit are seen as interdependent aspects of a person and good health depends on them being in balance. Pain and illness are viewed as signs of imbalance, which happens when the body's Qi, or vital energy, is reduced or can't flow freely. This can be for many reasons with emotional and physical stress, poor nutrition, infection or injury amongst the most common causes. The overall aim of acupuncture is to restore mind-body equilibrium.
A key strength of acupuncture is its focus on the person as a whole and it's considered suitable for all ages including babies, children and the elderly. Treatment is tailored to meet each patient's needs and to address the underlying cause of their condition, as well as to relieve specific symptoms. Extremely fine, single-use, sterile needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points on the body to re-establish the free flow of Qi, restore balance and stimulate the body's natural healing response to help ease pain and promote recovery.
It's widely thought to be beneficial in helping with various types of illnesses and injuries - from clearly defined symptoms of pain and discomfort to more general feelings of ill health, reduced energy and low mood.