Whole-body Wellbeing
Health is more than the absence of illness. The World Health Organization describes health in terms of physical, mental and social well-being, while its Ottawa Charter also recognises our ability to adapt to and cope with a changing environment as part of health.
Traditional Chinese medicine similarly understands health as a dynamic state of balance. Our bodies and minds are continually responding to changes in our lives and surroundings. From this perspective, acupuncture and individualised lifestyle advice are not only concerned with an isolated symptom, but with supporting the person as a whole.
What does wellbeing look like?
Wellbeing can be seen in the way the whole person feels, functions and responds to everyday life. In Chinese medicine, good health is reflected not only in the absence of symptoms, but also in balanced physical function, comfortable and proportionate body composition, a healthy complexion, smooth and well-nourished skin, sufficient energy, restful sleep and a calm and settled state of mind.
These signs are not treated as separate goals. They are considered different expressions of the same underlying state of health. This is why acupuncture is approached holistically: the whole body is considered in treatment, while additional attention can be given to the areas that matter most to you.
Your Wellbeing Plan
Your wellbeing plan begins with understanding you as a whole person. We will discuss your current concerns, general health, sleep, digestion, energy, emotional wellbeing, lifestyle and other factors that may be relevant to you. Pulse and tongue examination, together with examination of relevant channels or areas of the body, may also form part of the assessment.
Treatment is then tailored to what we find and to what you would like to achieve. Acupuncture forms the core of the treatment and may be combined, where appropriate, with moxibustion, cupping, gua sha, heat therapy and individualised lifestyle or dietary advice.
Your response is reviewed as treatment progresses. Changes in symptoms, sleep, energy, physical function and other agreed goals help us decide whether to continue the plan, adjust it, or reconsider what would be most useful for you.
The frequency and duration of treatment will depend on your individual needs and goals and will be discussed after your initial assessment.
Natural Beauty
Natural beauty is beauty that grows from your own health — and our aim is to make it sustainable. Rather than focusing only on short-term changes to the face, we look at the health of the whole person and the conditions that support a healthy complexion, well-nourished skin, vitality and a balanced sense of wellbeing over time.
Beauty, in this broader sense, is more than facial appearance. It includes the complexion and skin, hair and body, as well as the energy and emotional wellbeing that influence how a person looks and feels. It is beauty built on health, rather than appearance considered separately from health.
Chinese medicine approaches beauty from this whole-person perspective. The condition of the face, skin and hair is understood in relation to Qi and Blood and the functional balance of the internal organs. Treatment therefore considers the changes you would like to address alongside your general health, with targeted facial or local treatment added where appropriate.
Your Natural Beauty Plan
Your natural beauty plan begins with your whole health, not only your face. Your initial assessment considers the changes you would like to address alongside your skin, sleep, digestion, energy, emotional wellbeing, lifestyle and other relevant aspects of your health. This helps identify where whole-body treatment and more targeted treatment may be appropriate.
Treatment may combine whole-body acupuncture with targeted facial acupuncture and other appropriate techniques. The emphasis is on supporting your overall health while giving additional attention to concerns such as complexion, skin condition and visible signs of ageing. The treatment plan is adjusted according to your individual response rather than following the same facial protocol for everyone.
What to Expect
A typical initial course is 1–2 treatments per week for 6–8 weeks. Progress is reviewed during the course, and the treatment plan may be adjusted according to your response and goals.
After the initial course, treatment can usually become less frequent. Where you would like ongoing support, a maintenance treatment every 1–2 weeks may be considered according to your individual needs and response.
Weight Control
Weight control begins with understanding why excess weight has developed, not simply with trying to reduce the number on the scales. The acupuncture guideline underpinning this programme focuses on simple obesity — excess body fat where neurological, endocrine or other secondary causes have been excluded — rather than obesity caused by another underlying condition.
If your weight gain is unexplained, or there are signs that an underlying medical condition or medication may be contributing to it, appropriate medical assessment should come first.
The goal is to improve health as well as weight. We look beyond body weight alone. BMI, waist circumference and other agreed measures can be recorded so that progress can be objectively reviewed.
How Chinese Medicine Understands Weight
Chinese medicine has never regarded everyone with excess weight as having the same underlying pattern. Classical medical texts described different body constitutions and linked the development of obesity to factors including constitution, diet, phlegm and dampness. The Huangdi Neijing, compiled more than two thousand years ago, contains discussions of different larger body types and their differing clinical characteristics.
This is why your weight-control plan is individualised. Two people with a similar BMI or waist measurement may not receive exactly the same acupuncture treatment. Your health history, eating pattern, digestion, sleep, activity, emotional wellbeing and Chinese medicine pattern are considered together before the treatment plan is made.
Your Weight Control Plan
Weight control is planned as a structured course rather than a small number of isolated treatments. The acupuncture guideline describes treatment for simple obesity as a relatively long-term process, with approximately three months of treatment generally required to achieve a more stable response.
Your programme begins with an individual assessment and measurable baseline. In addition to your health history and Chinese medicine assessment, we can record measures such as body weight, BMI and waist circumference, together with relevant lifestyle factors. These provide a starting point against which progress can be reviewed.
Treatment is individualised according to your Chinese medicine pattern. The guideline places particular emphasis on regulating the Spleen and Stomach and commonly uses points from the Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine channels and the Ren Mai. Your actual point prescription is determined by your individual presentation rather than by a fixed weight-loss protocol.
What to Expect
Initial programme: approximately 12 weeks.
Treatment frequency: 1–3 sessions per week, depending on individual assessment, treatment stage and response.
Progress is measured and reviewed throughout the programme. Changes in weight, BMI and particularly waist circumference can be tracked alongside other agreed health goals, allowing the treatment plan to be adjusted where necessary.
After the initial programme, treatment can be reduced where appropriate. For people who would like continued support, maintenance treatment may be considered every 1–2 weeks according to individual needs and progress.
What Does the Evidence Say?
Acupuncture may provide additional support for weight reduction when it is used alongside appropriate lifestyle measures. Research has reported measurable changes in body weight, BMI and waist circumference, including studies of electroacupuncture. Results vary between studies and should not be interpreted as a guaranteed result for an individual patient.
For this reason, progress in your programme is measured rather than assumed. Body weight and BMI are recorded, but particular attention is also given to waist circumference because changes in abdominal fat are relevant to health as well as appearance.
Is This Programme Suitable for You?
Acupuncture for weight control is intended as part of the management of simple obesity, not as a substitute for medical assessment or treatment where another condition may be contributing to weight gain. The guideline on which this programme is based applies to people with simple obesity and a BMI of 40 or below.
If your weight has changed unexpectedly, your BMI is above this range, or there are reasons to suspect an endocrine, neurological or other underlying condition, medical assessment may be recommended before — or alongside — acupuncture treatment.
Weight control should also support your wider health rather than focus on a target number alone. Your treatment plan and goals are therefore agreed individually and reviewed according to both measurable changes and your overall health.