I believe acupuncture and craniosacral therapy are incredibly powerful healing modalities to release us from the past. I will try to explain more about this here. Firstly, the human body is utterly miraculous – and as a practitioner I am continually humbled by the way clients respond to the treatment I give, which is really Continue reading
Advanced Classical Acupuncture – what is it?
A style of acupuncture that is gaining popularity in recent times, especially since the Covid pandemic, is Advanced Classical Acupuncture – following the teachings of Jeffrey Yuen and his students. Advanced classical acupuncture uses a much broader range of channels and acupuncture points than the standard approaches taught at undergraduate level in the UK. Advanced Continue reading
Getting to the root of your persistent headaches with online Chinese herbs
When Hannah consulted me for online herbs (consultation via zoom or telephone) for skin problems I soon discovered that she also suffered from chronic debilitating headaches. It was fantastic to be able to help her: I contacted Sylvia in May 2021 because I had a skin rash that wouldn’t clear up, she managed that very quickly with Continue reading
Exciting new developments with acupuncture in the UK
Last Friday (15.1.21) I learned about a landmark change for the acupuncture profession within the UK. This change means that acupuncture professionals who have completed a three year degree level training are to be given the same recognition as osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists by the ONS (Office for National Statistics). It is wonderful to have Continue reading
The origins of a desire to help others & putting one’s own needs first
I experience a desire to help and support others as if it were part of my nature – why else would I be so drawn to being a therapist? I now understand, through reading, and through learning about pre and perinatal development as a craniosacral therapist, that a need to help others is something that Continue reading
Connecting with our own paradise within
Roger Robinson’s has just won the TS Eliot poetry prize for his beautiful poetry collection, A Portable Paradise You can listen to him read the title poem on BBC’s Front Row (14/1/20) at 23 minutes. The poem begins with the line And if I speak of paradise I am speaking of my grandmother…. Roger wanted Continue reading
Prescription drug dependency – what’s the alternative?
We learned in the news this week that in the UK around one in four of us are taking prescription medications such as antidepressants, anti anxiety medications, painkillers and sleeping pills. Many people are using the drugs for far too long – they are no longer clinically appropriate. Professor Paul Cosford, medical director of Public Continue reading
The Placebo Paradox – and some thoughts about the placebo effect and healing
A fascinating Radio 4 programme about the placebo effect has given me food for thought about the nature of healing and medicine: The Placebo Paradox So often, when I was involved in health research, I was reminded of the parable of Nasruddin and the lost keys. It felt that rather like this sage/fool, the scientists Continue reading
The Social Engagement System, Autism & Craniosacral Therapy
I believe and hope that one day we will understand much better how to support and care for people with mental health problems or those who are not neurotypical with sensory processing difficulties such as autism. I hope we will also understand better how to support those who parent, care for and support children or Continue reading
Researching the benefits of acupuncture for depression, as an acupuncturist
This is a personal story about what happened to me when I was given a PhD fellowship award, as an acupuncture practitioner, to research depression in 2003, by the National Institute of Health Research My first experience of acupuncture was in the 1980s when a friend who suffered with depression had her life turned around Continue reading