In the first year of studing for my acupuncture degree, whenever one of the students asked a question about Chinese medicine, the answer was very often, ‘Well, it depends’! It wasn’t long before the entire cohort would pipe up, ‘It depends’, when someone asked a question. And as frustrating as the answer was, we students slowly realised that when it comes to acupuncture, it really does depend!

But depend on what?, I hear you cry.

Acupuncture is an individual medicine, which means that two people could come into the clinic with the same health issue, but the treatment for each of them would be completely different – which is just one of the reasons it’s such a marvelous medicine – everyone is treated as an individual!

Which is why it is so hard to say how many treatments someone will need until I have sat down with them and not only gone into detail as to why they’ve come to the clinic for treatment, but also delved into their medical history to find out if there are any contributing factors there.

Just as is often the case in Westen medicine, for example when taking antibiotics, a course of treatment is prescribed. And just as with antibiotics, the length of the course relates to the issue being treated and just like antibiotics, you must complete the prescribed course to gain the full benefit.

After your initial appoinment your acupuncturist should be able to give you an idea of the treatment plan and therefore how many treatments you are likely to need.

So to answer the question, ‘Depends on what’? It depends on you!

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Many look forward to this seasonal change, anticipating cosy evenings, woolly socks and blankets, while a steaming mug of hot chocolate warms the hands. The Scandinavians even have a word for it, they call it, Hygge! 

There is no direct English translation, but it conveys a feeling of contentment, cosiness and wellbeing. 

The sentiment of relaxing into the darker evenings and embracing a time of, well, woolly socks, blankets and hot chocolate!

But for some people the darker evenings signal the start of something not quite so welcome, the beginning of what is often called the ‘winter blues’.  Seasonal Effective Disorder or SAD, is estimated to affect over 25% of the UK population, with more than 2million people experiencing symptoms severe enough to disrupt their day-to-day life.

Symptoms can vary from person to person, but often include:

• Persistent low mood
• Irritability 
• Increased appetite-including cravings for carbohydrate rich foods
• Lack of energy
• Disinterest in activities you usually enjoy
• Difficulty concentrating
• Reduced sex drive

Some people find their mental health seriously affected:

• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of despair and hopelessness 
• Retreating from society

The exact cause of this seasonally linked mood change is still unclear.                            

Many believe a reduction in natural light exposure during autumn and winter, affects our levels of melatonin, serotonin and Vitamin D.                                                                           

Melatonin is a hormone that assists in controlling your sleep-wake cycle.  Serotonin-often called the happy chemical-transports messages between nerve cells, and also acts as a hormone.  Serotonin not only contributes to sleep and mood regulation, but also to digestion, bone health, blood clotting and sexual function. 

Less light results in increased melatonin production, making us lethargic and sleepy, and decreases serotonin production, affecting the regulation of many of the bodies key functions. 

Vitamin D deficiency is thought to exacerbate SAD symptoms because Vitamin D plays a part in serotonin production.  While some Vitamin D is derived from the foods we consume, the body also produces Vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. 

During darker months, the amount of Vitamin D consumed may not be sufficient.

If you experience the ‘winter blues’, book an appointment at our clinic in Huddersfield or Wakefield and see how acupuncture could help you.

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The long answer is, well, just a bit longer!

The first thing to understand about paediatric acupuncture is that it’s not just about needles, although if approached in the right way, on the whole children tolerate needles very well. Paediatric acupuncturists also have a number of non-needle techniques at their fingertips.

Acupuncture stimulates the free flow of Qi in our bodies. Qi has no direct English translation, but ‘energy’ or ‘life force’ is often used to explain what it is, and we all know that children and young people have energy and life force by the bucket full!

Children’s vibrant Qi makes it more accessible than adult’s, which means non-invasive, no-needle techniques can often be used with children.

Paediatric Tui Na – a gentle medical massage.

Tui na for babies and children uses stroking, tapping and massaging movements. Massage routines are put together to treat specific issues and can often be taught to parents, allowing them to soothe and treat children at home.

Shonishin

a Japanese term meaning ‘children’s needle’, is actually a needle-free technique that uses small smooth tools to stimulate acupuncture points and channels. Children often like to choose their own tool and have a go at the technique themselves!

Cupping

a small, usually silicone, cup is placed on the body and very light suction is applied. Cupping is a great treatment for any sprains, sports injuries etc, for tension headaches as well as acute problems such as coughs, colds and digestive issues.

Press Seeds

a tiny seed on a small piece of surgical tape can be placed on an acupuncture point to gently stimulate the point. Seeds are often used for chronic conditions such as a chronic cough or bed wetting. They are also great for anxiety, and are particularly good during exam time!

Paediatric acupuncture, in all its forms, has the ability to help so many babies, children and young people suffering from a wide range of conditions.

If you’d like to discuss how it could help your child, please contact me to arrange a free 15-minute telephone appointment.

The post Is Acupuncture suitable for Children? appeared first on Alexandra Illingworth Acupuncture.

Acupuncture has its origins firmly planted in Chinese Medicine, going back more than 3500 years.  It is the insertion of fine, sterile, medical grade stainless steel, single use needles…

Sorry to cut the paragraph short, but as I sit here on this rather damp and miserable autumn afternoon – ‘Damp’ is a good TCM word, mental note to do a future blog on Damp…more interesting than you’d think!

But back to this afternoon and acupuncture.  Is there really anyone, anymore who doesn’t know what acupuncture is?  Do I actually need to go through the usual spiel and potentially put you all to sleep before I’ve even really got started?  

So, what about instead we have a brief jaunt through history – I’ll keep it light, promise – and find out how this marvellous medicine, took a trip across the lands and oceans of the east, and landed firmly in the west.   

As I mentioned, Chinese medicine has been around for over 3000yrs. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a more standardised version of the Chinese medicine that was practiced before the Chinese revolution, and one of the two branches of Chinese Medicine that is taught in the UK today – the other being Five Elements, more on that another time.  Standardisation just means that students are taught the same things – originally you would have served an apprenticeship under the close watch of a ‘Master’ and the techniques taught, varied depending on who your mentor was.    

Acupuncture came to the attention of the West, by way of two connected events.  The visit in 1972 by President Nixon to China, and the lesser-known trip taken the year before by the first American reporter, invited by the Chinese Government to tour China, which corresponded with Henry Kissinger’s ‘secret’ visit to set the stage for Nixon.  

While there the reporter fell ill and as part of his recovery, he was given acupuncture treatment.  No longer able to cover Kissinger’s visit, the journalist instead wrote an article about his medical treatment in a Chinese hospital.  The article was published on the front page of the New York Times.

President Nixon’s visit to Beijing the following year, further fuelled American’s curiosity for the treatment.  There are reports of acupuncturists in New York’s Chinatown, unable to treat the volume of patients turning up at their clinics.  And as we all know, whatever happens in America, sooner or later finds its way across the Atlantic – and the rest, as they say, is history!

Acupuncture isn’t just about the needles.  In fact, as an undergraduate student of acupuncture, you spend just as much time learning how to diagnose correctly.  An accurate diagnosis is required in order to be able to select the appropriate points ‘prescription’, to bring about the return to health, balance and wellbeing that the patient needs.

TCM and acupuncture look at the root cause of a patient’s symptoms.  Two people with the same issue may have completely different acupuncture points needled.   

I had a great example in clinic just the other week.  Two men, similar ages and build, both presenting with severe headaches.  Both experienced the pain in the same areas of the head.      For one the headaches were the result of referred pain from an old sporting injury, but for the other, the headaches were triggered by stress.  Same symptoms, but different causes, therefore different points.

The ability to treat a patient as an individual is just one of the reasons I think acupuncture is a truly marvellous medicine! 

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