UK born and educated in Taunton, Somerset, I worked for IBM for many years before studying 5 Element Acupuncture with JR Worsley in Leamington Spa (1989 - 1991) and ran a successful Acupuncture and Massage clinic near Windsor on Thames. I moved to Australia in 2005. England is beautiful on a sunny day but sadly there are just not enough of them.

I studied and practise 5 Element Acupuncture with dry needling and remedial massage as it focuses on balancing the whole body by releasing blockages and subtle imbalances of energy, which cause symptoms, pain and illness.

I specialise in and use 5 Element Acupuncture, Dry Needling and Remedial Massage for stress, anxiety, depression and muscle and joint pain.

It is important to find the root cause of the issue and to treat that first. If you only treat the symptoms they may go away, but what is causing them is still there, so other symptoms will keep popping up.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Traditional Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture (TCM) and Classic Chinese Acupuncture or Five Element Acupuncture

Way way back 2000 years ago, the Chinese saw the body as being a microcosm (works on the same principles) as the natural world we live in. This is still true today.

Nature has seasons, Spring is a time of growth, new growth.  Summer is a time of blossoming, flowering. Late summer is a time when fruits develop and ripen. Autumn is a time of harvesting and gathering. Winter is a time of rest and recouperation getting ready for the spring.

Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, Winter

We aslo go through these stages, birth, adolescence, adult hood, middle age and old age. 

So do our actions in life, idea’s grow, the mature and begin to blossom, and then we can harvest the fruits of our work, Spring growth, summer blossoming, Late Summer ripening and Autumn harvesting.

Just way back, about 70 years ago, in China at the advent of the Peoples Republic of China, (1940-1950’s, Chairman Mao etc) everything was done for the good of the Party. The more spiritual or artistic activities were dropped in favour of more materialistic activities. This also led to the loss of the classical acupuncture skills. Traditional Chinese Medicine came about as it was more concrete and structured, and fitted the establishment’s ideals better. This excerpt from Moa’s Last Dancer sums up how the Party was everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tVoPKwyFUc

Meanwhile Classical Chinese Acupuncture flourished outside China, migrating to Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Then via JR Worsley to the UK and on to Me.

What is the difference between Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, Japanese Acupuncture and Classical Five Element Acupuncture

All forms of acupuncture are based on the idea that energy flows around and through the body. It is often called Qi, Chi, Vital energy, life force. It is that something that an Alive person has that a dead person does not, as someone dies something goes.

The main difference between Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, Japanese Acupuncture and Classical Five Element Acupuncture is simply the lens through which the client is looked at and that dictates the treatment method.

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture practitioners look at the tongue and feel pulses to diagnose and then needle using a formulae/protocol to assist in restoring balance to the energy. The needle technique may be quite active to attract the energy (deqi)

Japanese Acupuncture practitioners rely more on palpation of the points along meridians identifying tender (Ashi) points and use Moxa (a piece of bundled herb burnt near the skin to provide warmth and its herbal properties) and gentle needling to manage the energy change

Classical Five Element Acupuncture practitioners use finely honed skills to look for changes in skin Colour, voice Sound, body Odour and the clients Emotion. These changes point to the cause of the energy imbalance and from there they select special acupuncture points to restore the energetic balance. A good energy balance means harmony which brings good health

I work with Classical Five Element Acupuncture as I believe that is best but…. It’s like music.. there is Classical music, Rock Music and Pop Music,
Rock music can be heavier, Pop can be more upbeat, Classical can be subtle and deep.
Not all people get on with Rock music and may prefer to listen to Classical music.

Why does acupuncture claim to fix so many ailments ? Arthritis, Smoking, Depression, Insomnia etc

That is because acupuncture is looking not at the symptom, the Arthritis, Smoking, Depression, Insomnia etc but it is looking at the energy flow, if that is disturbed then there is no longer a smooth flow, this causes symptoms, inflammation, aches and pains etc. which symptom manifests depends upon the person and their “weak link” and that’s where the symptoms appear.

Alternative thoughts