What’s the point of acupuncture? Are you interested in the understanding of health that the theory behind acupuncture points towards? – ideas very different from those of modern medicine?

And if you're having treatment, what don't acupuncturists tell you?!

Let me tell you how I got into acupuncture. When I was 30 I was working very hard. I had two jobs, one during the week (very long hours) and one every weekend. I got a cough. After some months of it I went to my doctor. His prescription made me ill, and his next one was worse. He may have been a good doctor but his medicine didn't suit me.

Eventually I went to an acupuncturist. She said she could certainly get me 70% better. “Only 70%? I was hoping for 100%”.

“Well in that case you'll have to change your job. It's killing you!”

I remember the treatment she gave me. I'd been feeling blocked up in my chest, stuffy nose, tight cough, itchy skin.

I remember one of the acupuncture points in particular. It had a transforming effect. As she inserted the needle, (I hardly noticed it - she had fantastic technique!), my blocked chest feeling suddenly disappeared - like pressure escaping from a balloon, or clouds clearing from the sky. I could lie on my back and breathe again.

Apparently I fell fast asleep for 20 minutes. When I got up, the cough was much looser and two days later it had gone.

How had she done it - treated my cough?

She said she hadn't treated my cough!

“Cough” was just the name I'd given it.

From her point of view she was treating what in Chinese medicine is called 'stagnant qi' with 'cold and damp in the lungs'. (Don't worry - all will be explained!)

So I started training in acupuncture. Along the way I learned a whole range of other alternative therapies too, and eventually I got qualified, gave up my job and started seeing patients myself. (Many of the best acupuncturists aren't doctors, though they've acquired a considerable knowledge of Western Medicine as part of their training.)

There are at least 360 acupuncture points along meridians on your body and hosts of others which aren't on any specific meridian. They all work differently and I've used all of them. Each has a different action and, dare I say it, almost a different personality. (Acupuncturists still argue over where some of them are!)

But there's much more to it than that - how do Shiatsu, Acupressure, Reiki, EFT (emotional freedom technique), and AK (Applied kinesiology) get their ideas from acupuncture and its points?

And what about acupuncture side effects and safety? ... Acupuncture effectiveness ... or could it be just a placebo? Self acupuncture? Acupuncture and history? What should you never tell your acupuncturist to do? And how can you help your acupuncturist? It's all here!

I've watched acupuncture in action for 35 years and used it with thousands of my patients. Even so, I'm still a student, but my clients testify to its success for their health and in their lives.

Join me in exploring this ancient system of medicine. Enjoy finding out the thinking and even theory behind acupuncture, what acupuncture points do, how they work, who you can trust to use them, when to get treatment, where the ideas came from and whether they can help you.

Little known fact: did you know? - people may have used acupuncture points in Europe 5000 years ago - probably long before the Chinese: perhaps not really vital information, but you'll find more about that here too!

Want to locate a point, or find out what it does? Click here and read about it in our growing encyclopedia of acupuncture points!