Oriental Tune-up with Acupuncture
A Chinese inspired health MoT at The Hatfield Practice complete with acupuncture can prepare us all for the challenges of the year ahead and leave us feeling well again.
We are all used to taking our cars to the garage for their annual MoT’s ? why dont we give ourselves the same care and how much more important is it to ensure that our bodies are up the challenges of the next 12 months ahead ?
Our acupuncturist Helen Taylor - Weekes has taught and practiced acupuncture for over twenty year and has helped devise our particular MOT.
”It goes back to the time of the Chinese emperor. In those days he had lots of “physicians” whose personal health depended on the emperor being well.”
“If he became ill, they were likely to suffer so of course they did everything possible to keep him alive and well. This meant a full health MOT every day.” In China acupuncturists would get paid each week by his patients . While his patients were healthy and able to pay for his service so it was always in their interests to keep everyone well.
“While a daily MOT may be a lovely idear it is slightly excessive” Helen believes a quarterly check can help fend off most problems.
According to Chinese medicine each of us has a dominant element – wood, water, earth, fire and metal – which can determine the health problems we are most likely to suffer.
This involves a tongue inspection and checking skin colour and pulses. Diagnosis continues with Helen checking your back’s acupuncture points for signs of imbalance. According to Chinese medicine, the body is a field with energies known as chi and blood and if either of these are out of balance it can lead to a host of health problems.
By placing acupuncture needles into the various points on those energy channels, Helen and Eva are able to restore balance.This is done by inserting needles at the various pressure points.
Acupuncture needles are incredibly fine and nothing like the heavy needles we are used to for injections, so the treatment is pretty much painless. In each case when the needle is inserted you may begin to feel it tingling. This means it has hit its treatment point and can stay. This can then be given a helping hand by moxibustion – burning ( mugwort) stick close to the needle this has a high latent heat and is quickly able to warm up a particular spot to improve blood flow. You will know you are having acupuncture but it certainly isn’t uncomfortable.
The MOT is really Aiming to instill a bit of peace and balance into the hectic nature of our lives but can also work as a specific treatment. Helen also recommends checking out details on the Hatfield Practice’s ” stress clinic ” which involves an relaxing mix of massage and acupuncture to help you wind down and rebalance yourself.
Generally this will leave you in good health although your acupuncturist will often give you some recommendations to help you build up that energy channels and feel on top of the world.
* A Chinese Health MOT with Helen or Eva costs £40 for a first session and £38 for follow up.
