Acupuncture is a system of healing developed over thousands of years as part of the traditional medicine of China, Japan, and other eastern countries. The earliest records of acupuncture date back over 3,000 years.

Currently there are over 3 million practitioners worldwide, with it now being widely recognised by western medicine as a viable course of treatment for many conditions Acupuncture is performed not only by professional acupuncturists, but also some GPs, physiotherapists and nurses. There are different styles of acupuncture and various levels of training. The British Acupuncture Council is the leading body for professional acupuncturists and membership demands a very high level of training.

According to traditional Chinese philosophy, our health is dependent on the body's life force energy - known as Qi - moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin.

When the life force energy is disturbed, illness can arise and a varied array of symptoms can manifest.  The flow of Qi can be disturbed by a number of factors.  These include emotional states such as anxiety, stress, anger, fear or grief, poor nutrition, weather conditions, hereditary factors, infections, allergies and trauma.

Using very fine sterilised needles acupuncture aims to correct the flow of energy and by doing this the symptoms will be resolved.

The principal aim of acupuncture in treating the whole person is to recover the equilibrium between the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual.