Jonathan Clogstoun-Willmott - Classical Acupuncturist
BSc LicAc BAc DipAc(China) MBAcC MABP DipCHM LCH MCH PCH MBTER RSAPH

Edinburgh Natural Health Centre

E-mail: info@enhc.co.uk
Telephone
Mobile 07950-012501
Otherwise (+44) 131 346 8186

Acupuncture is one of the main methods of treatment in Chinese Medicine (click on the link to find out more about the theory of Chinese Medicine and why acupuncturists needs such a long training.)

Chinese medicine has evolved many different ways to treat disease and to maintain health. Some you might not have heard of, for example, moxibustion and cupping. Still others come from a tradition that grew out of the Chinese Medical theory but then developed along its own path, such as Shiatsu.
Another is Nutrition, which you might think is irrelevant, since it is also a subject of such interest in the West. But the Chinese attitude to Nutrition is quite different and has insights that complement our Western Scientific tradition. When you visit us we shall almost certainly ask you about our diet and may be able to make suggestions that will help you stay well. So powerful is nutrition that the right foods can keep you calm too!

What is Acupuncture?
Thin, flexible, non-hypodermic, usually steel needles, sterilised before use, are swiftly and almost painlessly inserted into what are called acupuncture points on the skin. For most people the sensation of insertion is minimal. The needle is inserted to whatever depth is necessary to obtain what is called 'deqi'. Once obtained, this needle 'sensation' shows that the treatment has begun, and the 'energy' is then 'dispersed', reinforced', tonified', or directed along the meridian of acupuncture on which the point lies.

Some acupuncture points do not lie on meridians but are important because of their effect locally at that site or elsewhere in the body. Most acupuncture points on meridians have been found to have a number of functions additional to whatever effect they may have locally, and are often used for their effect somewhere else in the body rather just than for their local effect.

The needle is left in position for anywhere between a few seconds and half an hour. Acupuncture points are often used in combination, together achieving far more than could a single point on its own. After use, acupuncture needles are discarded. Acupuncture is based on the theory of Chinese Medicine, so that, in principle, someone who received a diagnosis from one practitioner of Chinese medicine could attend another practitioner of Chinese Medicine who would be able to proceed with treatment without further questions, if he or she trusted the diagnosis.

Traditional acupuncture relies on a theory of meridians and collaterals along which qi is said to move. When qi moves steadily and without constraint there is health. When there is too little, or too much, or the wrong kind of qi, disease arises. Acupuncture treats this by influencing the flow of qi along the meridians, but also by its effect on the zang-fu, blood and fluids.

Ear (Auricular) Acupuncture
Within only the last 50 years has ear acupuncture become well practised, although certain limited uses of it were recorded in ancient China, Egypt, Rome and Persia. In the period starting 1600 AD, Dutch traders brought Chinese acupuncture practices to Europe. In 1957 a French doctor, Dr Paul Nogier presented his ideas on auricular acupuncture, since when not only has its use developed widely in the West, but the Chinese have also taken notice and developed it in China, leading to parallel traditions, East and West, similar in many ways, but with some specific differences.
Nowadays, special needles are mostly used for ear acupuncture, or small round seeds can be pressed into acupuncture points on the ear. Some practitioners use ear acupuncture on its own, others find it complements acupuncture used on the body. It has become widely used for treating people trying to come off drugs, because no clothes need to be removed, and the treatments can be done in a group setting. We often use it to help people stop smoking, although acupuncture points used on the body are often even more powerful.
We use whichever - body or ear acupuncture - seems best for the patient.