Therapies

I offer acupuncture, massage, herbs, and my speciality of mitochondrial consultations, combining traditional wisdom and modern research. This provides you with a complete range of traditional therapies with modern scientific insights

Herbal Medicine

Substances found in the environment have been used medicinally ever since we learned that what we ate, drank or applied to our skin affected our bodies. The majority of these have been derived from plants.

Chinese medicine is one of the most advanced herbal medicine traditions in the world. It uses combinations of herbs whose combined effects are more powerful than single herbs alone. These precisely formulated prescriptions support a person at the individual level based on their strengths, weaknesses, and careful differentiation of their symptoms.

Many herbs are packed with antioxidants, polyphenols and other substances that have adaptogenic properties which protect and stimulate our mitochondria, as well as prebiotics and inhibitory compounds that alter our microbiome, influencing metabolic, inflammatory and senescence associated pathways.

Herbmark is a kite mark of quality that enables members of the public to choose a herbalist who meets the strict criteria of the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association, ensuring safe, professional advice and supplies in an industry that is largely unregulated in the UK.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture (针刺术, Zhen Ci Shu: lit. the needle pricking art) has occurred in some form in almost every human civilisation around the world but none reached the level of refinement found in China. By focusing on stimulating the nerves with very fine needles to generate sensations while minimising bleeding, it was millennia ahead of the rest of the world.

Acupuncture usually includes moxibustion heat therapy to stimulate points in the combined term 针灸, (Zhen Jiu - Needling & Burning).

Manual Therapy

Tui Na (推拿: pushing and pulling) is the name given to Chinese medical massage and manual techniques. It focuses on diagnosing through palpation, pain or restricted movement and using appropriate techniques to correct it, including:

• Massage and soft tissue manipulation
• Joint mobilisation, traction and stretching
• Head, face, hand and foot routines (reflexology)
• Abdominal massage
• Stimulation of acupoints without needles

Moxibustion (Heat & Infrared Therapy)

Moxibustion (艾灸, Ai Jiu) is the use of burning herbs to apply heat to points. It is still practised using this traditional form, as well as a wide range of modern tools and developments such as smokeless moxa, infrared lamps, heated massage rollers and baskets that can be placed on top of needles to direct heat deep into the points. It is such an integral part of acupuncture in China it tends to be referred to as 针灸 Zhen Jiu, meaning "needle & burning" therapy.

Indirect Moxa

Warm Needle Moxa

Moxa Roller

Infrared Lamp

Electroacupuncture

Electro-acupuncture, sometimes called P.E.N.S. (Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), is where a mild electric current is pulsed through the needles as a means of stimulation. It is primarily used for pain conditions but can be used to deliver additional stimulation to needles for any condition.

Cupping

Cupping (拔罐, Ba Guan) is when suction cups are placed on the body, acting like a reverse massage, often leaving dark, circular marks that fade over time. It has become popular among sports professionals who feel that it reduces pain and improves their recovery time, and has attracted attention and controversy in the news when they appear on the bodies of celebrities and Olympians. Cupping can be fixed in place, or moved around on oiled skin.

A Chinese Olympic athlete with cupping marks on her back

Traditional "Fire Cupping" where a flame creates the vacuum

Gua Sha

Known in physical therapy as instrument assisted soft tissue therapy, Gua sha (刮痧 lit. "scraping rash") has also recently become popular on social media. Its use in China may predate acupuncture, when stone tools were used before the invention of metal needles. The most common technique involves using a blunt edge to scrape the skin, after oil is applied, resulting in red or purple marks similar to cupping, but in lines that fade over a few days, with the intention of triggering a healing response.

A Gua sha tool

Gua sha marks

Therapeutic Exercises

The use of mental and physical exercises has been a part of Chinese health preservation since the earliest written descriptions. With over 12 years experience in Tai Chi (太極), 15 years of working with musculoskeletal disorders and my PhD in mitochondrial biology, the main mechanism that triggers adaptation to exercise, I can offer advice on exercises that can facilitate improvement between sessions and aid self-management. As ability increases, the exercises can be refined, modified or advanced.

Philosophical Advice

One of the most profound aspects of Chinese medicine is its view of the world as a complex web of interconnections. Its ability to tease apart these relationships and plan strategically form the core of Chinese medicine, by which it is possible to uncover the roots of disease and correct them at their source with appropriate lifestyle advice. The main schools of Chinese philosophy are:

• Confucianism that focuses on cultivation of personal virtues to achieve social harmony
• Daoism that promotes a healthy relationship with nature and the environment
• Buddhism that centres on the alleviation of suffering and the role of the mind

These have formed the basis of many western psychological and social therapies, and a thorough exploration of the issues from these perspectives can form a therapy in itself.

Mitochondrial Consulting

Mitochondria fuel our body's cells, making them essential for our health, but as a byproduct, they produce free radicals which can be damaging, but also trigger adaptive changes to help us cope better with future stress. Using controlled stressors to improve our vitality, resilience to disease and longevity has been a key concept in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Recent research suggests many of these effects are due to mitochondrial adaptation.

These techniques include:

• Exercises (physical, mental and physiological)
• Diet (energy sources, antioxidants, adaptogens, fasting)
• Herbs and supplements
• Stress management
• Resilience training
• Regulating circadian and seasonal rhythms
• Light and temperature exposure
• Various physical therapies (acupuncture, moxa, massage, cupping, gua sha)

While these can be done without professional help, my decades of experience in studying traditional and historical medicine, culminating in a PhD in how these interact with mitochondria, means I can offer advice on which steps are most suitable for your current situation and how to do it based on traditional wisdom and modern scientific evidence. This can be taught in person where you can receive direct instruction and treatment from me, or online where I can inform you how best to use your local resources and practitioners for maximum mitochondrial health.