Most people arrive at acupuncture after everything else has been tried. The GP was thorough. The physio helped for a bit. The blood tests came back normal. And yet something is still wrong: the pain, the insomnia, the anxiety that sits just below the surface…and nobody can explain why.
That’s usually where I come in.
Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that has been practised for over two thousand years. Across East Asia it is not considered alternative; it is part of standard healthcare, used alongside Western medicine in hospitals and primary care. It works by inserting fine needles at specific points on the body to influence its own regulatory systems: circulation, inflammation, nerve signalling, hormonal balance, and immune response. It is not magic. It is not a placebo. There is a substantial and growing body of research into how and why it works.
What makes acupuncture particularly useful (and what separates a competent acupuncturist from someone who did a weekend course) is the diagnostic framework. Chinese medicine does not treat symptoms in isolation. I will assess your pulse, your tongue, your sleep, your digestion, your mood, and, if relevant, your menstrual cycle, to build a picture of what is actually going on underneath the complaint that brought you through the door. That is why two people with identical migraines often receive very different treatments. And why acupuncture can sometimes help where other approaches have stalled.
It is, in short, medicine that pays attention.
What Acupuncture can help with
How does Acupuncture work
There are two honest answers to this question, and I think you deserve both.
The classical answer
This is the framework a traditional acupuncturist actually uses to understand your condition and select points. It uses the concept of Qi (the body’s functional activity, its capacity to do things) and its movement through defined pathways.
When someone is in pain, for instance, Chinese medicine considers this a blockage in the flow of Qi. A traditional acupuncturist selects points along the affected meridian to restore movement. If someone is persistently angry (the kind of anger that produces headaches and a tight jaw) the Qi is considered to be rising. An acupuncturist might choose points in the feet to bring it down.
This is not mysticism dressed up in clinical language. It is a sophisticated observational system developed over millennia, and it works well enough to have survived the arrival of antibiotics, MRIs, and evidence-based medicine. The overall aim is to direct the flow of Qi to trigger your body’s own healing response and to restore physical, emotional, and mental equilibrium. Treatment addresses you as a whole organism, not a collection of symptoms; which is why, as the condition you came for improves, you may notice other things quietly resolve too.
The biomedical answer
The first mechanism identified (and still the most famous) is the release of endorphins. But attributing acupuncture’s effects to a single mechanism would be like attributing the effects of exercise to “getting warm.” The picture is considerably more interesting than that.
Current research points to multiple mechanisms working simultaneously [1]:
- Peripheral effects — release of adenosine and nitric oxide by axonal and dorsal root reflexes
- Spinal effects — modulation of sympathetic tone and motor reflexes
- Modulation of endogenous descending pain inhibitory and facilitatory systems
- Changes in functional connectivity of the brain, including activation and deactivation of:
- Limbic structures involved in stress and illness responses
- The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis
- The prefrontal and frontal cortices
- Restoration of the default mode state
- Modulation of parasympathetic activity
- Activation of the reward and mirror systems
- Modulation of the immune system
- Expectation, attention, conditioning, and extinction of conditioned responses
And then there is the study that changed the conversation. A landmark paper published in Nature demonstrated that electroacupuncture at ST36 activated a vagal-adrenal anti-inflammatory axis in mice [2]. The importance of this finding is not just that acupuncture reduces inflammation (we knew that). It is that the effect was point-specific. In other words: it matters where you put the needles. Which is what acupuncturists have been saying for about two thousand years, but it is nice to have Nature catch up.
References
- Lund I, Lundeberg T. Mechanisms of acupuncture. Acupuncture and Related Therapies 2016;4(4):26–30. doi: 10.1016/j.arthe.2016.12.001
- Liu S, Wang Z, Su Y, et al. A neuroanatomical basis for electroacupuncture to drive the vagal–adrenal axis. Nature 2021;598(7882):641–45. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04001-4
Source: British Acupuncture Council
Who is Acupuncture for?
Acupuncture can help everyone, as it is a very safe and gentle type of therapy. Children between 14 and 18 years of age must be accompanied by a guardian. For children under 14, I am happy to refer to an acupuncturist with specialist paediatric training.
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Acupuncture is one of the key healing techniques in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncturists place incredibly fine needles delicately into specific points in the body. With a 3000 year history of practice, it connects 20 pathways that harness your natural vitality through 2000 acupuncture points. This stimulates your body’s natural healing response, aiding recovery. It acts as a holistic healing approach for the body rather than a narrow focus, which is why it is so helpful for so many conditions.
How can acupuncture help you?
There is a huge body of scientific research attesting to the benefits of acupuncture; the NHS has a specific page detailing the evidence that supports the effectiveness of regular treatments, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cite it as a recommended treatment for migraines and stress-related headaches. Also, the British Acupuncture Council has a collection of research fact sheets that you might be interested in.
What will a session be like?
During our first session we will discuss what brings you to my clinic. I will also take a very detailed health history so that I can understand how your current complaint came to be.
With all this data, I will make a diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) terms. TCM has a specific vocabulary (e.g. Liver Qi Stagnation), but I will translate into Western medical terms when possible.
Once you are on the treatment table, I will insert very fine needles on your body, most commonly in arms and legs but sometimes on your back or stomach. You will not have to undress fully, I can work around loose fitting clothes but I also have single use towels to protect your modesty.
Does it hurt?
The needles used in acupuncture are incredibly delicate so that, other than a small prick, you will barely feel a thing! You may well feel a slight tingling sensation, but that is a sign the treatment is working. I have treated many people with a fear of needles who have had no issues coming back for further treatments – see my testimonial page to hear from just a few of my previous patients.
Is acupuncture safe?
Absolutely! As a registered practitioner I am fully licensed and qualified to practice. All needles are sterilised pre-treatment, and are discarded after use to ensure it is completely sanitary. The World Health Organisation conducted an in-depth study in 2010 concluding acupuncture is “inherently safe”. Please also see my page on the precautions I take for safe practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How many sessions do I need?
The number of sessions varies depending on what brought you to my treatment room. For recurring ailments, regular treatments are the most effective, but some issues can be helped hugely with just a couple of sessions.
Links
Scientific evidence review
The Acupuncture Evidence Project is a review of the effectiveness of acupuncture for 122 treatments over 14 areas. It also contains medical guideline recommendations for acupuncture and compares the effectiveness of acupuncture against other established treatments.The main regulatory body for acupuncture in the UK
With over 3k members, The British Acupuncture Council is the biggest and main regulatory body for acupuncture in the UK, with close ties to the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board which oversees acupuncture schools to make sure they reach an excellent standard of training and safety.The only London BAAB accredited acupuncture school
Text: Vanessa trained in and now lectures at the City College of Acupuncture, which offers a three year Licentiate (degree level) in Acupuncture that guarantees admission into the British Acupuncture Council.Would you like to know how acupuncture can help you?
I am always happy to discuss your specific condition or circumstances, and what acupuncture can do for these.