Acupuncture is an integral part of the rapid growth of complementary therapy in the UK, and with an increasing number of people seeking acupuncture treatment it is important for patients and healthcare professionals to understand the difference in the two styles most commonly on offer.
Acupuncture as practised by members of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) is an holistic approach to health based on over 2000 years of developments and refinements in the Far East. Western-style or medical acupuncture is a more recent development practised predominantly by doctors and physiotherapists which uses a more limited range of acupuncture techniques on the basis of a western medical diagnosis. Traditionally, acupuncture is an holistic approach to the management of disease as well as the maintenance of health. The skill of an acupuncturist lies in their ability to make a traditional diagnosis from what is often a complex pattern of disharmony. The exact pattern and degree of disharmony is unique to each individual and with traditional acupuncture will be treated as such with a personalised treatment plan.
Acupuncture is a system of healing which has been practised in China and other Eastern countries for thousands of years. Although often described as a means of pain relief, it is in fact used to treat people with a wide range of illnesses. Its focus is on improving the overall well being of the patient, rather than the isolated treatment of specific symptoms.
Practitioners:
The Southdown Clinic 