I have practiced acupuncture in South London and South West London for over twenty years. Time and again I have witnessed amazing results from this profound medical system - from simple treatments of otitis media that restores a child’s hearing and with it their ability to engage fully in their world, to restoring a woman’s ovulation cycle so that she can conceive and start her family. Or it might simply enable free movement in joints and muscles that allows people the freedom to come and go as they please.
I qualified in acupuncture with a Bachelor of Acupuncture degree in 1986/87 after a four-year full-time training which covered Western medical sciences as well as Chinese medical theory, and have been practicing acupuncture since that time. I soon discovered that four years is not enough to cover this vast and endlessly fascinating subject and I have continued to research and learn ever since. I have spent the past few years researching and writing a book on the original theory known as ‘Stems and Branches’ to be published in 2008 by Churchill Livingstone.
The Stems and Branches acupuncture which I practice emphasises our place within the context of the wider world, in this time and place. I am interested in the whole picture, in how one organ or meridian system relates to another, and how you relate within yourself to your emotions and the deeper aspects of your psyche. I am also interested in how attuned you are within your environment: are your sleep/wake patterns in line with night and day? How do the various seasons affect your energies? Are your digestive system, hormonal patterns, moods etc. moving and changing in a harmonious ebb and flow with life? By understanding energy interactions at a person’s core, and how this internal energy reacts within the wider world, this acupuncture system aims to bring about a profound change in your sense of well-being. It is only by restoring internal harmony that the best acupuncture, acupuncture that works quickly and at the right level for people (whether on a physical, emotional or on a deeper level) can be delivered.
Additional interests
I undertook further studies in Traditional Chinese herbs (pre-formulated) and Tui Na (Chinese massage), and have attended post-graduate acupuncture courses in Beijing and London. However, my main interest is in acupuncture and in stimulating the body’s own healing energies.
I am also committed to maintaining and enhancing high standards of training in acupuncture. I was involved early on with acupuncture regulation and was a council member for the International Register of Oriental Medicine and the Council For Acupuncture, both of which preceded the British Acupuncture Council. I subsequently became a member of the working group on acupuncture regulation for the present British Acupuncture Council. I am a passionate believer that patients deserve the best acupuncture treatment. In pursuit of this I believe that acupuncture training needs to be substantial. In addition to western medical sciences, training needs to include an in-depth study of the holistic concepts at the heart of Chinese medical theory. It is my hope that my book on Stems and Branches acupuncture will contribute to this aim.
