30 Christmas In South London, Friday, November 18, 2011
Get the needle -but I
By Kate Whiting
’M LITERALLYpinned to the bed. Thin nee- dles are sticking up out of my entire body –all the wayfrom my right ear to the gaps between
my toes, with acouple in my hands and tummy for good measure. I’m scared to move in case I dislodge them. It’snot some bizarre horror movie-style night-
mare, I’m in aHarleyStreet clinic having acupuncture and the good news is, it’spain-free. Formany, acupuncture has nowbecome aregu-
lar partoftheir lives, as natural as having ahair- cut or going for afacial. Its celebrity fans are legion, and include super-
model Elle Macpherson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jen- nifer Aniston and Sheryl Crow. In the past 30 years, it’sbecome awidely accepted complementarytreatment, integrated into general medicine, with some GPs nowrefer- ring patients with chronic pain conditions. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines gave the therapya boost in 2009, when theydecided it should be available on the NHS to treat lowerback pain. “We’re beyond the point of asking whether it
works or not,”said Maureen Cromey, my acupuncturist and aBritish Acupuncture Council- affiliated practitioner. “The mechanism isn’talwaysclear,sowedon’t understand exactlywhy it works, butnow we def- initelyknowit’seffective.” Based on 2,000-year-old Chinese healthcare principles, acupuncture is an holistic approach that sees pain and illness as signs that the body is out of balance. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practi- tioners believe symptoms occur when the body’s qi (vital energy) is blocked due to acombination
of emotional, physical and mental reasons, such as stress or poor nutrition. In an acupuncture treatment the fine sterile needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points to re-establish the free flowofenergy, restore balance and trigger the body's natural healing response. In Westernmedicine, it’sunderstood that the needles stimulate nerve endings and alter the way your brain responds to pain. “Weall lead such busy livesthat it’seasy to get
tired,stressed,overwhelmed and ill,”explained Maureen. “Acupuncture reduces cortisol levels so the ill
effects of stress are modified. It soothes over- thinking and anxiety,sowefeel relaxed and opti- mistic and it promotes immunity and balances our internal environment.” Ifrequentlyfeel runragged by the end of the
dayand can reel offmysymptoms likeashop- ping list: fatigue, lowerback pain, headaches, spots, trouble sleeping, general low-levelanxiety. Acupuncture’sbeen recommended to me time and again to treat stress, butI’vealwaysbeen
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