Gloucestershire Acupuncturists: What we do

All the acupuncturists on this directory of practitioners are members of The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC).

The aim of this website is to promote the practise of local Gloucestershire acupuncturists, enabling the public to find practitioners who are located nearby with the aid of map tools as well as a filtering directory that can find practitioners by name and location.

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What is traditional acupuncture?

(The following description appears courtesy of the
British Acupuncture Council website)

Traditional acupuncture is an holistic healthcare system that regards pain and illness, whether physical or mental, to be a sign that the body is out of balance.

Because traditional acupuncture considers every bodily function to be connected and interdependent, it recognises the role emotions play in illness and disease.
The overall aim of treatment is to restore the body's equilibrium.

A traditional acupuncturist's main focus is on correcting the underlying cause of illness which will be different for every individual. Consequently, there are no 'off-the-peg' treatments or points prescriptions.

Traditional acupuncturists are trained to use subtle diagnostic techniques that have been developed and refined over thousands of years. We focus on the individual, not their illness, and see all symptoms in relation to each other. Because every patient is unique, two people with the same western diagnosis will each receive different acupuncture treatments.

The underlying principle is that illness and pain occur when the body's qi, or vital energy, cannot flow freely. The body's energy meridians can become obstructed, in much the same way as a trapped nerve or blocked artery. This can be for any number of reasons such as emotional and physical stress, poor nutrition, infection, or injury.

By inserting ultra-fine, sterile needles into specific acupuncture points, a traditional acupuncturist seeks to re-establish the free flow of qi to restore balance and trigger the body's natural healing response. A growing body of evidence-based clinical research shows that traditional acupuncture safely treats a wide range of common health problems.

For further details on the BAcC, visit their website:
www.acupuncture.org.uk