Traditional Acupuncture

 

Josephine Clegg, Lic Ac., B.A. Hons, MBAcC

 

 

I am a professionally qualified acupuncturist. I obtained my Licentiate in Acupuncture and first class honours degree in Traditional Acupuncture at the College of Traditional Acupuncture in Leamington Spa, in affiliation with Oxford Brookes University. I am a full member of the British Acupuncture Council and am NHS registered. I am also a member of the Acupuncture Fertility Network.

After qualifying in 2001, I presented my dissertation on diagnosing and understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder according to Chinese Medicine principles to the Acupuncture Research Council (ARRC).

I have attended many post graduate courses on acupuncture, including:

Japanese acupuncture;
Acupuncture for Fertility, assisted conception, pregnancy and labour;
Acupuncture for treatment of pain;
Facial Revitalisation Acupuncture;
Acupuncture for mental and emotional issues;
Advanced Five Element acupuncture;
Diagnostic skills;
Veterinary acupuncture;

I also qualified as a Reiki Master, a non-invasive way of using energy to restore balance and harmonise all of the systems of the body, mind and spirit, so accelerating the healing process. I integrate Reiki into my acupuncture treatments where appropriate, to provide the ultimate in a relaxing, rewarding, healing experience, exclusively tailored to your individual needs.

 


How I became Involved With Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been an important factor in my life since the mid 1990s. Having practiced as a solicitor for many years, I had been unhappy for a long time and my health and family life were suffering as result. So, I finally decided it was time to get off the treadmill and change my life. I had already started having acupuncture treatment and it helped so much that I wanted to help people as I had been helped.

I established Sleaford Natural Health Centre in 2003, a multi-disciplinary health clinic providing a comprehensive range of professionally qualified and insured complementary medical practitioners together to meet your health needs. The Centre is a harmonious, supportive, healing environment for the Lincolnshire community. We provide lifestyle and diet advice and assistance to involve our patients as much as possible in their own healing process.



Our Team of Acupuncturists


Our team of acupuncturists at Sleaford Natural Health Centre includes Denise Rainford B.A (Hons), M.B.Ac.C.

Denise is an accredited member of both the British Acupuncture Council and the Toyohari Association UK Branch and the Acupuncture Fertility Network.

Since originally training as a Five Elemental Traditional Chinese acupuncturist, Denise has also developed a deep interest in Japanese Acupuncture. Toyohari, founded by Kodo Fukushima, was originally practiced by mainly blind acupuncturists. Sensitivity and palpation therefore play a major role in this style. In theory and practice it stays close to the classics of Chinese Medicine, for example, the Nan-Ching.

Treatment is very comfortable for patients as most needles are not inserted. If needles are inserted it is very superficial and the needles are very fine and thin. The range of health complaints that can be treated with Toyohari is the same as with Chinese acupuncture.

Our team work together or with our other practitioners of Osteopathy and Massage at the Centre or with your doctor or consultant (with your permission) as appropriate to ensure the best possible health care for each patient.

We are concerned with treating our patients as individuals and being responsive to your uniqueness. We have established a high quality and professional centre with excellent patient care. We work with nature to bring out the best in your potential. Our aim is to create a professional, relaxed and friendly environment that you will enjoy being a part of.



The Aim of Traditional Acupuncture

There are many traditions within Traditional Acupuncture. They all stem from the same roots over 2000 years ago that developed throughout the different dynasties in China and Asia. In the west, the main traditions that are practiced are Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Five Element Classical Acupuncture, and Japanese Acupuncture, all known as “Traditional Acupuncture”.

My core training is in Five Element Acupuncture and I have studied further in Japanese Acupuncture and TCM. However, the 5 Elements style forms the basis of my work. Principally, it treats who you are, as a person, and how and why you have become who you are today, taking full account of your family and medical history, lifestyle and diet, stresses and relationships.

We are all part of nature, and are affected by it in the same way that the smallest creature or any plant is. Chinese medicine is founded upon the study of Qi (energy); its flow, rhythm, cycle, changes, movement and balance. Qi affects the whole of life and all its processes. The Daoist philosophy behind all acupuncture is concerned with the importance of living in harmony with our path in accordance with nature and the passing of the seasons. We need to live a life that is authentically ours and a true reflection of the people we are, so we can be the best version of ourselves that we can be; physically, mentally and spiritually.

The Five Elements and their relationships are at the core of Chinese Philosophy and Medical practice. When we are out of balance with our true nature, illness arises. By restoring balance and harmony, a wide range of conditions can be effectively treated.

 


What Can Acupuncture Treat?


Traditional Acupuncture treats an endless list of health issues including:

•  Allergies, asthma and hay fever

•  Anxiety, depression, stress, sleep disturbance

•  Arthritis and rheumatism

•  Back pain (acute/chronic)

•  Carpal tunnel syndrome

•  Eczema and skin complaints

•  Endometriosis, Fibroids, PCOS

•  Fibromyalgia, tiredness, ME

•  Headache, sinusitis and migraine

•  Hip and knee problems

•  Irritable bowel syndrome

•  Infertility, assisting reproductive technology

•  Menopause

•  Menstrual problems, PMT

•  Morning sickness, minor pregnancy conditions and labour

•  Neck pain

•  Joint or muscle Pain

•  Sciatica

•  Shoulder pain

•  Stroke rehabilitation

•  Tennis or golfers elbow

For further information on how Acupuncture can help these conditions, please see the articles in our News section.


The Chinese diagnosis is a constitutional one. This means that the practitioner is able, through your history, pulse and tongue diagnosis, through palpation and by looking at your presenting symptoms, to diagnose the status within the whole system.

Acupuncture is a process, and a course of treatment is recommended to give the best opportunity to fine tune and balance your system as we would expect to receive a course of medication. Ultimately, acupuncture can be used preventatively or as maintenance to sustain us through our increasingly busy and stressful lives.



What to Expect

The first consultation involves a detailed and comprehensive history, light palpation, pulse and tongue taking to diagnose your constitution and treatment required.

Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of very fine, stainless steel, sterile, disposable needles into points in the body where Qi can be accessed and directed to restore balance and harmony. A herb, known as moxa may be burned (moxibustion), cupping or tui na (Chinese massage) used if appropriate.

The aim of treatment is to restore the patient's energy, thus allowing healing. The techniques used are very gentle and relaxing. Traditional acupuncture is about much more than pain relief by treating the root cause. It is quite usual to achieve a great sense of stress relief through treatment, an overall sense of wellbeing and greater confidence in one's ability to cope with every day life and situations. As I found, it can quite literally, change your life.