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Welcome to The UK Acupuncture Guide
The Directory that provides all the information for Acupuncture
& Acupuncturists in the UK.
If you are looking for an Acupuncturist
near you or you want to find out more about Acupuncture as an
alternative / complementary therapy or what our therapists can
offer, our guide has all that and more.
If you want to promote an acupuncture related business, product
or service, we offer free listings in our therapist directories
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What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
which has been used in China for over 2000 years. Many claim it
has its origins more than 5000 years ago, and it is based on the
theories and teaching of early Chinese medical philosophers.
The word acupuncture is derived from the Latin -- acus (needle)
and punctura (to puncture) as this suggests, the procedure of
Acupuncture involves the therapist penetrating the clients skin
with very fine (", 0.18mm to 0.51 mm dia.) solid, metallic
needles.
These sterilised and disposable needles are inserted into acupuncture
points (acupoints) throughout the body, producing a slight tingling
feeling. The acupoints relate to specific organs of the patients
body. Traditional Chinese Medicine traditionally recognise more
than 2,000 acupuncture points that can be used.
Most
treatments can involve only one or two needles but occasionally
20 needles may be used depending on the patient and type of treatment
that is required.
The needles are usually left in for 10 to 20 minutes
and courses of ten treatments usually at weekly intervals are
often required.
In
many Eastern countries Acupuncture is accepted as a mainstream
form of medicine but in the West it is still perceived as a Complementary
or Alternative Therapy.
However
Acupuncture has seen a rapid growth in Western countries and has
become more generally accepted by the general public and by many
doctors, with an estimated one in three GP surgeries making Acupuncture
available to patients.
Acupuncture is used for a wide range of physical ailments which
include arthritis, asthma, neuralgia, high blood pressure, skin
conditions, bronchitis, insomnia, and pain of many kinds. It is
also thought to be helpful for emotional problems, including anxiety
and depression, and is often used to treat alcohol and drug addiction.
Other conditions where acupuncture has been found to be successful
is in the treatment of headaches, and has proven to be beneficial
for many patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine.
The
World Health Organisation has a long list of conditions it feels
acupuncture can treat: (whether many acupuncturists would make
the same claims is debatable)
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What
to expect from an acupuncturist
The therapist will ask you to sit or lie on a treatment couch.
You may remain fully clothed or be asked to remove outer garments.
He
or she will then feel 12 pulses - including one for each internal
organ - along the radial artery on the outside of each wrist.
The abdomen and certain acupuncture points may also be checked
for tenderness or pain.
Next,
the colour, shape and coating of the tongue, face and skin are
checked for signs indicating those internal organs that have problems.
The sound of your voice, your breath and any body odours will
be noted and questions asked to confirm the diagnosis.
Acupuncture
points will then be selected for treatment and needles inserted,
either by hand or through a guide tube. This should be quick and
painless. Some people feel a mild sensation as the needles are
inserted, but this usually passes quickly.
Most
modern acupuncturists use disposable stainless steel needles of
fine diameter (0.007" to 0.020", 0.18mm to 0.51 mm),
sterilized with ethylene oxide or by autoclave. The upper third
of these needles is wound with a thicker wire (typically bronze),
or covered in plastic, to stiffen the needle and provide a handle
for the acupuncturist to grasp while inserting. The size and type
of needle used, and the depth of insertion, depend on the acupuncture
style being practiced
As
few as one or two or more than 20 needles may be used in treatment
and they are usually left in for 15 to 30 minutes. A course of
ten treatments at weekly intervals is common.
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How
does Acupuncture work?
Acupuncture
is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been practised
for thousands of years. It believes that a persons health depends
on a balanced and harmonious state within their body. Maintaining
this harmonious balance depends on the smooth flow of Qi (pronounced
chee) along the circuit linking all parts of the body
and the internal organs. Acupuncture relies on applying needles
to various parts of the body to adjust the flow of Qi and thus
rebalancing the body.
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What are the benefits of Acupuncture?
Acupuncture has seen a rapid growth in the Western World
and is now generally accepted by the general public and by many
doctors, as many as one in three GP surgeries now offer acupuncture
to patients.
Acupuncture is used for a wide range of physical ailments which
include arthritis, asthma, neuralgia, high blood pressure, back
pain, arthritis, circulatory problems, skin conditions, bronchitis,
insomnia, and pain of many kinds. It is also thought to be helpful
for emotional problems, including anxiety and depression, and
is often used to treat alcohol and drug addiction.
Some other conditions where acupuncture has been found to be successful
is in treating headaches, and has proven to be beneficial for
many patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine.
In Eastern countries it is regularly used as an alternative to
anesthetic and in pregnancy management and for the relief of pain
in childbirth.
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Choosing
an Acupuncturist
Choosing
an acupuncturist can be made easier by following a few simple
guidelines.:-
Often, one of the best guidelines to use in choosing an acupuncturist
is seek advice from friends and family who may have been treated
by the practitioner.
Ask if the acupuncturist certified and how long have they been
practicing acupuncture. Most qualified British Acupuncturists
will have trained at a college accredited by the British Acupuncture
Council (BAAB).also it is highly recommended that you choose a
practitioner who is a member of the British Acupuncture Council
(BAcC).
Question where they qualified and how long they have been qualified.
Establish if the Acupuncturist has any experience of treating
people with your condition.
It would be useful to establish, either from an initial meeting
or through a telephone call, that you feel comfortable with any
potential therapist and you would feel confident they could treat
your condition successfully. Feeling at ease with the acupuncturist
is vitally important as you may be required to reveal personal
details during diagnosis and subsequent treatment sessions.
It is important that you ask questions both before and after any
treatment offered or given
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History
of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a branch of Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) it is known to have been used
in China for over 2000 years. It is thought by many scholars to
have its origins more than 5000 years ago, and it is based on
the theories and teaching of early Chinese medical philosophers,
evidence suggests that the Chinese and other eastern peoples have
used acupuncture to restore, promote and maintain good health
for around 3 centuries.
The first recorded text, “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic
of Inner Medicine” was written around 300 B.C. and is still
an important textbook today it outlines the principles of natural
law and the movements of life - yin and yang, the organ system
and the meridian network along which acupuncture points are located,
it also contains details of pathology and physiology which still
provides the theoretical foundation for acupuncture today, over
two centuries later.
Early acupuncture instruments were made of stone and later bamboo,
, iron, gold, silver and eventually today we use stainless steel.
Although acupuncture was developed and refined in China for many
years it remained rooted in the rural communities until after
the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949 which then
saw a widespread resurgence of interest and the practice of acupuncture.
In the latter half of the 20th century Acupuncture spread rapidly
in the Western World so much so that it is now recognised as probably
the most popular Alternative/Complementary Therapy available and
is now also generally accepted by the general public and by many
doctors, with an estimated one in three GP surgeries making Acupuncture
available to patients.
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We
have hundreds of therapists listed on our pages so if you want
to find an Acupuncturist near you, use our our Find
a Therapist page
Our
Acupuncturists guide covers the whole of the UK including-:
Therapists
in Bedfordshire,
Bedford,
Luton,
Dunstable,
Leighton
Buzzard, Biggleswade,
Sandy
Therapists
in Berkshire,
Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead,
Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham,
Slough
Therapists
in Buckinghamshire,
Aylesbury,
Milton
Keynes,
Amersham,
Buckingham,
High
Wycombe,
Therapists
in Cambridgeshire,
Cambridge,
Wisbech,
Ely,
March,
Whittlesey
, Chatteris,
Linton
Therapists
in Cheshire,
Chester, Stockport,
Runcorn, Macclesfield,
Sale & Altrincham ,
Crewe, Warrington
Therapy
in Cleveland,
Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees,
Middlesborough
Therapy
in Cornwall,
Bodmin,
Truro,
Camborne,
Falmouth,
Penzance,
Newquay
Therapy
in Cumbria,
Carlisle,
Whitehaven,
Workington,
Penrith,
Keswick
Therapy
in Derbyshire,
Derby,
Buxton,
Chesterfield,
Ashbourne
Therapy
in Devon,
Exeter, Plymouth,
Torquay, Barnstaple,
Exmouth, Sidmouth,
Newton Abbot
A
Therapist in Dorset,
Dorchester,
Poole,
Weymouth,
Sherborne,
Shaftesbury,
Bournemouth
A
Therapist in Co. Durham,
Durham,
Darlington
A Therapist in Essex,
Colchester, Chelmsford,
Southend, Harlow,
Romford
A
Therapist in Gloucestershire,
Gloucester,
Cheltenham,
Bristol,
Cirencester,
Stroud,
A
Therapist in Hampshire,
Portsmouth,
Southampton,
Aldershot,
Winchester,
Basingstoke
A
Therapist in Herefordshire,
Hereford,
Ross-on-Wye,
Leominster,
Ledbury,
Bromyard
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Therapists
inHertfordshire,
Hertford, Watford,
St. Albans, Stevenage,
Hemel-Hempstead, Hatfield,
Bishops Stortford
Therapists
in Huntingdonshire,
Huntingdon,
St.
Ives,
St.
Neots
Therapists
in Kent,
Maidstone, Margate,
Folkestone, Chatham,
Canterbury
Therapists
in Lancashire,
Lancaster,
Preston,
Bolton,
Wigan,
Oldham,
Blackpool
Therapists
in Leicestershire,
Leicester, Loughborough,
Melton Mowbray, Hinckley,
Market Harborough
Therapy
in Lincolnshire,
Lincoln,
Grimsby,
Scunthorpe,
Boston,
Grantham,
Stamford
Therapy
in (Gtr.) London,
Central
London, North
London,
South
London, East
London,
West
London
Therapy
in (Gr.) Manchester,
Manchester
Therapy
in Merseyside,
Liverpool, Bootle,
Southport, Wirral
Therapy
in Middlesex,
Harrow,
Enfield,
Staines,
Ealing,
Potters
Bar
Therapy
in Norfolk,
Norwich, Thetford,
Kings Lynn, Gt Yarmouth,
Dereham
A
Therapist in Northamptonshire,
Northampton, Peterborough,
Corby, Kettering,
Wellingborough
A
Therapist in Northumberland,
Alnwick,
Morpeth,
Hexham,
Berwick-upon-Tweed
A
Therapist in Nottinghamshire,
Nottingham, Mansfield,
Worksop, Newark
A
Therapist in Oxfordshire,
Oxford,
Banbury,
Witney,
Bicester,
Henley-on-Thames,
Thame
A
Therapist in Rutland,
Oakham,
Uppingham.
Cottesmore
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Therapists
inShropshire,
Shrewsbury,
Telford,
Oswestry,
Bridgnorth,
Market
Drayton, Ludlow
Therapists
in Somerset,
Bath, Taunton,
Yeovil, Bridgwater,
Weston-s-Mare
Therapists
in Staffordshire,
Stafford,
Stoke-on-Trent,
Cannock,
Lichfield
Therapists
inSuffolk,
Ipswich,
Bury St. Edmunds,
Lowestoft, Felixstowe,
Sudbury, Haverhill
Therapists
inSurrey,
Guildford, Croydon,
Woking, Sutton,
Kingston-on-Thames,
Wimbledon
Therapy in Sussex,
Brighton, Chichester,
Worthing, Crawley,
Hastings, Eastbourne,
Bognor Regis
Therapy
in Tyne & Wear,
Newcastle, Gateshead,
Sunderland, North Shields,
South Shields
Therapy
in Warwickshire,
Warwick,
Nuneaton,
Rugby,
Stratford-upon-Avon
Therapy
in West Midlands,
Birmingham, Coventry,
Wolverhampton,
Dudley, West Bromwich,
Solihull
Therapy
in Wiltshire,
Trowbridge,
Salisbury,
Swindon,
Chippenham,
Marlborough,
Warminster
A
Therapist in Worcestershire,
Worcester, Kidderminster,
Malvern, Evesham
A
Therapist in East Yorkshire,
Hull, Beverley,
Bridlington
A
Therapist in North Yorkshire,
York, Northallerton,
Scarborough, Whitby,
Harrogate
A
Therapist in South Yorkshire,
Sheffield, Doncaster,
Barnsley, Rotherham
A
Therapist in West Yorkshire,
Leeds, Bradford,
Wakefield, Halifax,
Huddersfield, Pontefract |
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