Acupuncture Awareness Week & my radio appearance debut!!!

The Week isn't quite over yet, but what a week its been!!! The British Acupuncture Council has organised its first ever Acupuncture Awareness Week and has conducted a survey to show where people are still struggling with the idea of acupuncture in essence.

Fascinating stuff.. not surprised that people are put off by the idea of needles, but the thought that 53% of those surveyed think it is 'nothing more than a placebo' is a bit shocking and disturbing for me.    Guess im so used to talking to those that are already converted I didn't realise how little respect this ancient traditional medicine has.

There is a wealth of research out there showing how useful acupuncture is in treating all sorts of conditions, and it has VERY little in the way of side effects, unlike pharmaceutical interventions (which are very necessary!).  What I particularly love is that it can work on so many levels all at once.. no only can i treat your sore knee, but your repeated UTIs, and your stress/anxiety and emotional volatility all at the same time!!!

Yesterday I was asked to appear on the Fred MacAuley & Co Show, with co host Karen.  It was around an 8 minute slot during which i was asked all kinds of questions: what does it treat, can I work with all ages, does it hurt, size of the needles and was even given the challenge of doing a 'live on air' treatment.. a wee mini one  to help focus Karens mind to allow her to better face the training challenges she has set herself in preparation for an event.  I inserted 2 needles in her hair line and two in her inner wrists. Whilst the whole time talking about how tiny the needles were, the normal sensations people feel (tingling) and answering all of Fred's questions...

He also asked about cupping therapy and I took the opportunity to also mention electro-acupuncture and moxa.. which i described as getting a hug!!!!

It was an incredibly exciting opportuity to talk to the nation about the thing that i love!!! One of my clients sent me a wee message saying my passion & faith in acupuncture shone through along with my incredible knowledge on the subject.. I was hugely flattered by that feedback! And I'm relishing the idea of doigg much more work like that!!!

colds and wee 'flu type bugs..

January flew past in a blur for me, but in a good way, work was keeping me busy as well as settling into my new home and new routine!

I was having a conversation the other day with a new client who was wonderfully self aware of what signals his body were giving him,  and he'd come for acupuncture treatment with myself to help boost his immunity as he had become aware of catching a couple of colds in just over a month.  The full consultation revealed that his energies were indeed weaker than normal, due in a VERY large part to stress wearing him down.  Both family and work pressures having a negative impact as well as working long hours and neglecting to eat regularly. 

Anyhoo, he sparked some thoughts in me, and the very next day was reading an article about how there are alternative ways to look at the common cold:
1. its our body's way of WARNING us that we need to slow down, take time out and look after ourselves.
2. its the body's way of detoxing.. that the build up of toxins etc in our system need to clear!!

I like both these ideas, the 2nd one is a new one to me, but certainly for those with chronic rhinitis (sinus problem not cold/hayfever related) this may well be the case, and it does manifest with very similar symptoms to the common cold.

Fortunately, this is where acupuncture is very useful!! I have worked with many individuals with either/or both frequent infections and sinus problems with great success.

My honours dissertation looked at the use of acupuncture in helping people with HIV manage their drug cocktail and found many articles that looked at improving immune system and found very positive results.

Common self help for boosting your immune system: zinc; echinacea and of course vitamin C are all traditionally known to help! of course don't take any herbs/vitamins without proper advice!!
 Some foods that in TCM terms can help to strengthen your immune system include: royal jelly, nettles, turnip, rice, chicken, and herring)

If receiving acupuncture is something you'd want to think about, then get in touch; FREE taster sessions always available!  Not only can I utilise my knowledge and skills in the use of needles but also cupping, electro-acupuncture and moxibustion where appropriate!

what a week!

what a week its been! monday was my 1st day working 9 til 530 at Woodlands, and had 2 new clients with interesting cases: one who's about to boil over with anger all the time, and another who's recovered from cancer last year but seems to be unable to clear out a wee light infection...

as well as a return client who's liver serosis (forgive my spelling) doesn't seem to be clearing despite being sober for over 18 months, and is getting very anxious/nervous about it all, as well as having some nasty physical symptoms.

Wednesday, fairly standard day for me.. lots of return clients who are improving steadily based on what they've told me and a new client: one of many who is suffering from fairly intense stress, and its beginning to tell.

I moved house thursday/friday. Then at the end of the move, finally, i fell due to a pot hole and badly damaged my ankle: ended up in A&E, but not broken PHEW!!!  what it meant was that I had to cancel all my clients on saturday.. gutted.. but thankfully almost all of them were very understanding and have just rescheduled to another time! So I duely spent ALL of sat and sun resting my poor wee ankle and managed back to work today (Monday!).

had a wonderful day so far, several very happy clients, all feeling a wee bit sleepy after their session, but all are the types that run on empty, so soon as you make em stop they tend to feel like they need sleep!!

And as ever, the 'discount club' is proving popular on Monday mornings!! where you can get acupuncture in Glasgow for just £25

new year..

Wow.. December truly flew in for me... I was given some bad news in that the Bothwell Clinic is 'restructuring' and as such I am no longer there (Joyce is working alone now).  Short term I have increased my hours at Woodland Herbs, but will begin to look for new premises as soon as I am able.

New year.. always seem followed by NEW YOU each and every year in marketing campaigns.  I consider it a great time for reflection and considering change, and in the season of water, its the perfect time for some serious nurturing and almost hibernating!

If you have decided its time for a change: use acupuncture to support you through it, it allows your body to deal with change in a much easier way, making it less of a battle! it can even help to strengthen your will so is useful for those who need a bit more determination in their day!!  As part of Woodland Herbs Acupuncture team, I am offering smoking cessation treatment at a discounted rate: just £90 for 3 sessions!

Contact me: 07964544110 for more information or to book :)

4 year already

Well today is the day! 4 years ago today I took my first FULL paying acupuncture client: at woodland Herbs.  Back in the days when I worked full time in a call centre and just 3 hours a week at Woodland Herbs.

That 1st client was a gentleman with depression, didnt see him for as long as i'd have liked, but managed to help lift him at least a little - based on subsequent feedback.

Now 4, incredibly quick, years later I have worked with it must be at least a few hundred people, from all walks of life, builders, postmen, lawyers, medics (in many guises), journalists, lecturers and many many forms of office based mon to fri 9 to 5 workers.  Working with MANY conditions: ME, fertility, period problems, pain in so many places I cant keep track, lots of emotional stuff. e.g depression, anxiety and of course good old faithful stress and even helped someone through a break up of a relationship.

A few of the cases have had such good results its been a surprise to even me including 'agonising pain' in the ankle that all but disappeared after just one session, a girl with abdominal pain that was making her feel suicidal who'd had medical intervention for over 6 years to no avail, and within just one session felt better, and now (after many sessions) just pops in on occasion essentially for a 'top up', so many pregnancies that i've supported the parents through and a delightful man with bipolar who suffers badly with anxiety.

I've also supported people with long term problems, seeing them as and when needed to just keep them topped up, M.E.being one of the biggies in that field.

Four years in and I love what I do more than ever before! I have grown so much in that time, learning daily from the all the people that walk through my door, learning how to be a better person & therapist with my interactions, not to mention improving my skills as a therapist with lots of research, and clients who  willing to be guineapigs for me and who's opinions I value when im tweaking my treatments.

I still can't believe that in just 4 years I have gone from working part time - only 3 hours a week to the 39(ish) i now do, splitting my time between two very different clinics run by two very different people, and providing me with different types of people to work with.

As an acupuncturist working in her home town of Glasgow I am delighted to share my skills and experience with everyone I meet, and as many of my friends will attest I'm sure, acupuncture for me is not just a job, its a way of life!  I'm quite sure they  are sick of me saying 'in TCM terms...'

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my friends family and clients who have supported me in this challenging, yet incredibly rewarding, 4 years! Looking forward to the next 40!!!

Why I am an acupuncturist

As an acupuncturist one of the most common questions I am asked is why i do it.

I have a bit of an interesting route into it, as do most acupuncturists I know and have worked along side.

I started out doing a degree in Psychology, realising before I graduated that it wasn't for me, I did want to 'help people' but psychology just didnt cut it for me.

Upon graduating I wandered around the globe a bit, ending up in South Korea teaching English as a second language.  The town I lived in was a relatively small one, and if one ever saw a white person one said hi! I did such a thing whilst sitting in a internet cafe catching up with mates! Got chatting to a lady who told me about this yoga type class she went to most nights.. I was intreged, and a few days later was introduced to one of the most influential couples I have ever had the privaledge to meet.  I soon became a regular - going to class up to 5 times a week, it wasnt quite yoga, and to this day I still don't know what it was called, what I know is that the regular movements were having a positive influence on my life.

Anyway, not too long after that I was persuaded to try having a massage with the Wangjang Neem, a very intuitive therapist who spent up to 90 mins working solely on my abdomen.  I then saw his wife Bo Wangjang Neem, who gave me healing in the form of energy work as well as massage.  A few months later, I managed to burn myself and the Wangjang Neem offered to experiement with his new therapy.. Acupuncture.. and from that day I was hooked!! but hadn't yet considered it a career option.

By Feb 2003 (i had been in Korea for 8 months) I had a new flatmate, Suzanne, who was a reiki master and also practiced yoga on a daily basis, having spent a lot of time in India & Thailand, she introduced me to the idea of therapy as a profession.

By the end of May i was coming to the end of my time in Korea and considering what to do next, on a PURE WHIM, decided to look at how to become an acupuncturist... and quickly realised this was meant for me.. my dad has just moved to Manchester.. and guess where I could study?

I am soo very grateful to my time in Korea, it completely opened my eyes to a new system, a new way of looking at the world, I loved the gentleness of the people, their kindness & respect for others as well as a whole new way of eating...

Food in KOrea is hugely important, and everyone knows the importance of food for healing and maintenance, and changes their diet dependant on weather, lifestyle etc, I found it fascinating that they considered eating Chicken and Ginseng to keep them strong through the hot/humid summers, certainly within my family, food was not there to nurture.

Anyway, by the time I got back to the UK I applied to the University of Salford, but had a year to kill until starting the degree, so decided to do a 'wee massage course' to get me back into studying and to begin to learn about the body.... and it just so happened I loved it.

Soon as I finished my degree (2007)I returned to Glasgow, and found Woodland Herbs, and also now The Bothwell Clinic, I am rapidly approaching my 5th year as an acupuncturist and massage therapist in Glasgow and South Lanarkshire, and I can honestly say that I still adore it.. on a daily basis I learn something new as well as help people to rediscover their health!

I am forever grateful to that chance meeting with Pat in a internet cafe that started me on this path to finding my vocation.. and hope that I can share my passion for health and especially for acupuncture with everyone so they can too benefit and lead a more fulfilling life, free of what ails them!

western acupuncture v traditional acupuncture.

The other week I was treating a GP and we got chatting about acupuncture - most of this conversation happened before I found out what she did for a living..

But I was explaining the difference between 'Western' and 'Traditional' Acupuncture as they have been coined.  For me the key difference is in the theoretical understanding.  Physios, osteopaths, nurses and doctors as well as many other 'health care professionals' have the opportunity to study acupuncture, but to my understanding they do not spend a lot of time understanding the theory behind it all...

In the Beijing International TCM Hospital, where I gained post graduate training I learned that Acupuncturists in China are at Uni for over 8 years (unlike our unis - only getting a few weeks a year off) where they learn the full theory behind acupuncture - that of the 5 Elements/Yin Yang and Qi, they learn about herbs and also get a full western medical degree while they are at it!   My training is not that comprehensive, however I spent the 1st half of my degree learning all about the TCM theory , the Western anatomy, physiology and pathology, before I got anywhere near a needle, in addition to over 400 hours hands on clinical experience whist at Uni.  I have done a little research - physiotherapists are completing 'approved training' with just 80 hours training. (http://www.aacp.org.uk/index.php?option=com_seminar&Itemid=86).


I have now been in practice for a full 4 years, and with 7 plus years of working with and getting to grips with Chinese Medicine Theory I can finally say i PRETTY much get it now.. but even still the odd person will pop up and will remind me of how much I still have to learn, so how someone can condense this into 80 hours and fully understand it, amazes me!!

What I am aware of is that the majority of these practitioners work with pain conditions, and for most people this is relatively simple: stagnation of Qi=pain and as such is relatively easy to treat, assuming that is all that is going on.. but what we as traditional acupuncturist do is look for why the Qi is stagnating, and treat the underlying cause.

My belief is that this simplification of acupuncture is very useful in alleviating pain conditions, mainly in the short term, , but that the traditional, all be it more complex, model of acupuncture is far more useful in improving quality of life.

I have recently read a beautiful book talking about traditional acupuncurists, and comparing them to gardeners.  Stating that it is my role as an acupuncturist to cultivate life, whilst western medics role is to prevent death..