It all started ..…

When I was a child, my father, a toolmaker, developed debilitating back ache. Having received conventional medicine yet still desperate for pain relief he tried acupuncture. It worked wonders and sealed its place in our hearts as a mysterious and healing treatment.

Acupuncture and Far Eastern philosophy remained a passionate interest for me during my career as a primary teacher and led me to embark on a 3 year teaching post at Bangkok Patana, British International school in Thailand, where I was immersed in Asian culture and traditions. During that time, I would regularly visit the Chinese hospital in Bangkok for acupuncture while my Thai-Chinese friend Betsy would translate my health complaints to the doctor. As many as 30 patients would rest in beds in the acupuncture ward as the Chinese doctor briefly chatted to them, took their pulses at the wrist, looked at their tongues then inserted needles before moving onto the next patient. Nurses would be on hand to remove the needles and give out a bag of herbs to boil up and drink at home.

Back in the UK, some years later, my fascination for Chinese Medicine led me to train at the oldest and most respected Acupuncture College in the UK ‘The International College of Oriental Medicine’. It was the most complex, overwhelming yet absorbing subject. From a western medical view, we studied anatomy, physiology and pathology as well as medical research. Alongside this, we learned classical 3000yr old Chinese medicine teachings and philosophy, memorised 380 acupuncture point locations and their functions, learned how to diagnose patients according to Chinese medicine theory and create an individualised acupuncture treatment plan for each patient. After three exhausting years I proudly gained a BSC in Acupuncture and a licence to practice.

I now have a busy practice and am grateful every day for the chance to bring the healing gift of acupuncture to all ages and all people to help improve their health.