Clinic hours and Fees
Tuesday (10:00 am to 6:30 pm)
Wednesday (10:00 am to 6:30 pm)
Thursday (10:00 am to 6:30 pm)
Friday (10:00 am to 6:30 pm)
Some Saturday (10 am to 1 pm) may be available by special appointment - Saturday fee applies
Late evening (6:30 pm to 7:30 pm) is now available by special appointment - late evening fee applies
£15 DISCOUNT for six pre-paid block bookings. (£225 for a course of 6 acupuncture treatments)
Treatment offered
My fees are per session and payment is requested by cheque or cash at the time of each treatment except a course of six bookings.
Acupuncture
(with or without Chinese Herbal Medicine consultation)
Initial appointment (consultation & treatment): £50 (up to 90 minutes)
Subsequent appointment: £40 (up to 60 min)
Facial revitalisation acupuncture
(Body acupuncture, facial acupuncture and Shiatsu massage on Face/Neck/Feet, also with or without Chinese Herbal Medicine consultation)
Initial appointment (consultation & treatment): £60 (up to 90 min)
Follow up treatment: £50 (up to 75 min)
Chinese Herbal Medicine
(without Acupuncture treatment)
Initial appointment: £50 (up to 60 min)
Subsequent appointment: £35 (up to 30 min)
For all the above treatments with herbal orders: Please note the followings:
If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please give a minimum of 24 hours notice. For emergency contact during my clinic times, please call the clinic reception 01727 856687 and leave a message to me. Cancellation at shorter notice (less than 24 hours) or failure to attend an appointment will normally be charged in full.
The following Private Health Care Schemes allow you to claim for acupuncture treatment given by a British Acupuncture Council member (BAcC member) by self-referral:-
BHSA, HSF, Westfield, WHA, Clinicare, Healthshield, Pinnacle Insurance PLC, Simplyhealth Group Ltd., Sovereign Healthcare. The following schemes require a referral from a GP or consultant:- AVIVA, CS Healthcare, PruHealth, Standard Life Health Care. Please check directly with your insurance provider to confirm that your policy covers your conditions, and the treatment.
Your consultation
Your first consultation takes longer than subsequent sessions (about one and a half hours). I need to assess your general state of health, in order to identify the underlying pattern of disharmony and give you the most effective treatment.
You will be asked about your current symptoms and what treatment you have received so far, your medical history and that of your close family, your diet, digestive system, sleeping patterns and emotional state. To discover how the energies are flowing in your body, the pulses on both wrists are examined noting their quality, rhythm and strength. The structure, colour and coating of your tongue also gives a good guide to your physical health.
After initial questions, I will then discuss with you the most appropriate forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment. Then, I will explain what is involved and together work out a treatment plan with you that is suited to your personal needs.
Acupuncture Works
Acupuncture is a tried and tested system of medicine. The Chinese and other eastern cultures have been using acupuncture to restore, promote and maintain good health for thousands of years. Nowadays more and more people are finding this long established therapy can offer an effective solution to all manner of today's ills.
Good health is not just the absence of pain or disease. Traditional acupuncture works to maintain the body's equilibrium by focusing on all aspects of wellbeing, physical, mental, and emotional.
According to traditional Chinese philosophy, our health is dependent on the body's motivating energy moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of channels beneath the skin. This energy is known as qi. The flow of qi can be disturbed by any number of factors. These include emotional states such as anxiety, anger, or grief, as well as poor nutrition, hereditary factors, infections, and trauma. When the qi is unbalanced, illness may result. The acupuncturist inserts ultra fine needles at chosen points along the channels of energy. The aim is to stimulate the body's own healing response and restore its natural balance. Treatment is aimed at the root of your condition, as well as your symptoms. This approach can lead to a more permanent resolution of your problem.
What does Acupuncture feel like?
Because acupuncture needles are so fine, there is only the slightest prick as the needle is inserted. It is possible to have a variety of sensations from nothing at all to a sensation of heaviness, a tingling feeling or a dull ache.
Needles are inserted either for a second or two, or left in place for up to 20 minutes, depending on the effect required. During treatment, patients commonly experience a heaviness in the limbs or a pleasant feeling of relaxation.
The benefits of acupuncture frequently include more than just relief from a particular condition. Many people find that it can also lead to increased energy levels, better appetite and sleep as well as an enhanced sense of overall well being.
I use disposable, single use acupuncture needles which are pre-sterilised, stored in sealed packs and are disposed of after each treatment.
Who has acupuncture?
Many people come to acupuncture for help with specific symptoms or conditions. Others choose acupuncture as a preventive measure to strengthen their constitution, or because they just feel generally unwell. Acupuncture is considered suitable for all ages. It can also be used alongside conventional medicine.
How many sessions will I need?
Frequency and length of treatment depends on your individual condition. Some change is usually felt after six treatments, although occasionally only one or two treatments are required. Some patients may need treatment over several months. Patients are normally asked to come once or twice a week at first.
What can Acupuncture do for you?
Acupuncture is widely considered to be beneficial for a range of illnesses and symptoms, from clearly defined complaints such as headaches, vomiting, neck ache, and back ache, rheumatic and dental pain, through to more general feelings of ill health such as nausea or low energy.
Many women choose to have acupuncture throughout pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, it is increasingly used by couples dealing with problems of infertility or to support IVF treatment.
For further information (regarding above acupuncture information leaflet), please visit The British Acupuncture Council
What is Shiatsu?
Shiatsu, Japanese 'finger pressure' therapy is a natural healing discipline springing from the same ancient Oriental principles as acupuncture. Like acupuncture, Shiatsu works by stimulating the body's vital energy flow (known as 'Ki' in Japanese) in order to promote good health. However, in Shiatsu the practitioner uses thumbs and fingers, elbows and even knees and feet to apply pressure and stretching to the energy lines, known as 'meridian'. Treatment usually leaves a feeling of calmness and well being, of being more in touch with one's body and self.
For further information, please visit The Shiatsu Society
Shiatsu, Japanese 'finger pressure' therapy is a natural healing discipline springing from the same ancient Oriental principles as acupuncture. Like acupuncture, Shiatsu works by stimulating the body's vital energy flow (known as 'Ki' in Japanese) in order to promote good health. However, in Shiatsu the practitioner uses thumbs and fingers, elbows and even knees and feet to apply pressure and stretching to the energy lines, known as 'meridian'. Treatment usually leaves a feeling of calmness and well being, of being more in touch with one's body and self.
For further information, please visit The Shiatsu Society
What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Chinese Herbal Medicine has retained a strong presence in health provision in China today, where it is practised alongside western medicine in state hospitals throughout the country in the treatment of a wide range of conditions. Recently Chinese Herbal Medicine has increased its popularity in the UK since the 1980s.
Treatment with Chinese Herbal Medicine involves the use of combinations of herbs which are designed to correct the particular disharmony of the individual. The ingredients such as roots, stems, barks, berries, flowers, leaves and some no-plant materials are made into formulas. The principle is that a balance of ingredients with certain properties is matched to the individual patient's pattern. Each formula can be adapted to suit the changing needs of the patient. Chinese Herbal Medicine may be prescribed either as a tea, to be made up from raw herbs or from concentrated powders/granules, or as a ready-made formula in tablet form.
Chinese Herbal Medicine is based on the principle that good health depends on achieving optimum vitality and balance - a balance described in the terms of the polarity of Yin and Yang. Chinese Herbal Medicine treatment can be done in conjunction with Acupuncture treatment in order to maximize the effectiveness of treatment. Most of the herbs commonly used here have been scientifically researched and are perfectly safe. In our clinic, individually formulated Chinese Herbal prescriptions are made from concentrated granules from RCHM approved suppliers, which can be taken as a instant tea or capsules.
The length of treatment will vary greatly depending on the condition. Anything between one and six months would be common, though in certain cases treatment outside this range may be suggested.
Are Chinese Herbs safe?
Serious adverse effects from Chinese Herbal Medicine are very rare, and it has a very good safety record. However, 'natural' does not in itself mean that no side-effects are possible. It is therefore essential that you are treated by a practitioner who is trained to a high standard, who complies with a professional code of practice, who monitors each case carefully to ensure that the patient has no unusual reactions to treatment, and uses suppliers that are committed to quality.
It is also important that your practitioner takes note of any drug treatment that you may be receiving, in order to assess if there is any incompatibility between such treatment and particular ingredients in the Chinese Herbal Medicine prescription.
The RCHM demands high standards for admission, imposes stringent rules on its memebers, and is actively engaged in initiatives to assure the quality of herbs and herbal products. The public is therefore well-advised to seek help from RCHM members.
For further information, please visit The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine
