The year of the Dragon began on 23rd January 2012, and promises to be quite a year. In Chinese astrology it is a sign of good fortune and intense power. Dragon people are creative, fearless and often successful because of it. It is therefore a year full of opportunities for those able to take advantage of the dragons creative energy and risk taking tendencies. Decisive action in pursuit of clear goals will yield results and solo ventures are especially likely to flourish, as this is inline with the dragons big ideas and extreme ambitions.

Inherent in Chinese philosophy is the idea of living in line with the Tao, ie living with the energy of the moment. The 12 yearly cycles of the horoscope represent a certain energy but there is also the yearly flow of the seasons to consider.

Despite the variable weather It is still winter, which is represented by the water element and the kidney energy in Chinese medical wisdom. The kidneys store our jing, or vital essence and represent our constitutional strength. It is the basis for all the other organs and bodily processes. The emotion of fear is associated with the kidneys; and particularly in 2012 there is much external media-hype and panic around what that may bring. So, it is especially important to not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed with too much of this external bombardment; and to take sometime to sit quietly ,and breathe , and connect with our own inner wisdom and positivity. Keeping warm, sitting inside, and resting are all activities that are in keeping with the energy of January.

Inherent in the idea of winter is conserving and replenishing so that there is sufficient resources for the rebirth of spring. Acupuncture is an ideal way to balance and nourish the body so that this can happen. Remember, the beauty of acupuncture is that it can be used to prevent problems arising and ensure you are in tune with the flux of the seasons, and at your best to meet the growth of the coming spring.

Chinese philosophy provides us with a way to work with the energy of the universe to promote our health and fortunes, it is a way to get the best out of this moment and this life. Enjoy!

That seasonal shift allows a host of new coughs and colds to mutate and spread. In Chinese philosophy autumn is asscoiated with the metal element and the lung. The lung is the most external of all the internal organs; being exposed directly to the environment, it gets ill easily at this time of year.

So at this time of year what can you do to prevent getting ill? What makes one person catch a cold and yet not another person in the same room? How you look after yourself and how you prepare your immune system are all key ingrediants in staying well. Dosing on the echinacha and vitamin C now before you get ill is a good way to do this, as is of course eating a good balanced diet. Covering up and wearing appropriate clothing is a must, protecting your head and neck from the wind and cold is a good way to support your wei qi, or protective qi that stops pathogens invading into the interior.

Acupuncture is ofcourse a great way to strengthen the immune system, as it can be used preventitively to keep oneself strong before getting ill, giving patients moxa to self strengthen the immune system is another method, and many chinese people do this regularly at home.

I remember last year treating a fair few  people who had had  a particuarly nasty strain of  cough and cold that lingered on for weeks once it had passed the initial acute stage. I remember thinking at the time that this was a mutation of swine flu from the previous year only with a different name, and if only they had had a few immune strengthening treatments and some moxa to take home  previously they could have escaped all that suffering!

Remember, prevention is better than cure! Lecture over now go and play in the leaves!

We went to study with Master Lieu, who was also a student of Ma yeuh Liang, head of the Wu style family lineage. Every morning we would meet in the park and practice form and pushing hands with Lieu. He was a lovavble old charector, with a big laugh and a big heart, and quite a sense of humour. With over 50 years worth of practice his depth and ability in pushing hands were unsurpassed, he particuarlly liked to slip in chin na flavours and emphasis to his drills and routines. His body was a testiment to the internal power of tai ji chuan. He was able to pressurise and release his upper and lower body cavities at will, to rotate his tan tien as if there was a physical ball inside his belly, and to use this to dissipate and return your force during pushing hands practice. This was a special skill and quite unlike anything I have ever seen. 50 years of energy work, tan tien creation, activation and use had created such a physical manifestation of internal power that if i hadnt seen it and felt itwould be unbelievable.

China is an amazing country, rich in culture and deep in knowledge. As an acupuncturist and practictioner of chinese martial arts it is a must for understanding the Chinese mind, the medicine I practice and the path I follow. They have a deep belief in the connection of the mind to the body and controlling ones health through self practice. A westerners mind is often confronted with mistrust or disbelief at “energy” in the body and being able to control it. In China this is a cultural right and everyone understands, whether they practice or not. I love the parks for their rich variety in different types of practice. Not just the tai chi or qi gong, but the ball room dancing, the kite flying, the stretching, the slapping of trees, the walking backwards, all are in pursuit of health and happiness. If an old lady were to start slapping her body against a tree in England the police would be called and social sevices dutilly enformed, in China everybody understands she is just doing her morning exercise, stimulating her circulation and using nature to do so.

Our time with Lieu was instructive, not only in the pushing hands, or the tuina massage techniques he taught us, but in how transmission slowly seeps into your mind and body when in contact with a high level master. The methods, feelings and realisations that creeped into my body technology were natural and unassuming but very real. This is the slow groth of conciousness that is the tao, things happening at the right time in the right way. I learnt much that i am still not even aware of, and cant wait to go back.

Menopause is a time of change and transition, and is a common reason for women to receive acupuncture in my clinic.

Menopause can present with a whole range of symptoms, and these commonly include night sweats, hot flushes, mood swings, and digestive disturbance, but symptoms can  vary a great deal from one women to another.  For me this highlights how individual we all are, and how the blend of our constitution and how we nurture that with our diet and lifestyle, creates a unique blend of physiological and pathological strengths and weaknesses.

 This  is the inherent strength of Chinese medicine, in that it aims to understand the individual and how the problem is manifesting in this person. Each body will need something different to return it back to health, even with similar symptoms or problems. This is especially true with the menopause where a broad range of symptoms can present together.

The most common symptom associated with the menopause has to be hot flushes, and new research shows acupuncture can  help to reduce hot flushes in menopausal women. A study published in America found that women who received acupuncture twice weekly for 10 weeks had reduced hot flushes and psychological symptoms. This is great news for the acupuncture proffession, and although the study was small (27 women received acupuncture out of 53) it shows that its results are consistent and repeatable, and that acupuncture has alot to offer people.

In the last 30 years acupuncture has come along way, from a strange, new age idea shrouded in mystery, to a mainstream well proven and trusted therapy. Hopefully in my lifetime it will take its rightfull place within the mainstream healthcare system.

Most people will suffer from a bad back from time to time, moving house, overdoing it in the garden or playing sports are common ways people damage their back. Often with a little treatment acute back pain responds quickly and mobility is restored. Often unresolved back injuries,  trauma or poor posture result in chronic low back pain.

Chronic back pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than six weeks, and often in these cases there are specific changes  to the structures of the back that cause pain.

One of the  most common of these is sciatica, where the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated by surrounding structures causing charecteristic shooting pains down the back or side of the leg.

The other most common cause is known as a slipped disc. This is where the fluid in the inter-vertrebal disc leaks out, causing compression or irritation of the spinal nerve.

There are other causes of back pain such as changes within the joints, discs, muscles, tendons and ligaments. These are  generally classed as non specific causes of back pain, and acupuncture can be very effective at treating problems with no definite western diagnosis.

Whatever the cause,  living with back pain is extremely debilitating and can cause all kinds of other problems. It is estimated that 1 in 5 people will visit their G.P. in any given year suffering from back pain, and back pain has to be a major cause of days off work, poor sleep, stress and low mood.

 In May 2009 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended  acupuncture as an effective treatment for  non specific persistant lower back pain, and this has definately helped bring acupuncture into the mainstream medical proffession.

It is always good to have support based on properly done research, but acupuncture has been used to treat bad backs for thousands of years, and I am only concerned with my own results and my pateints health. It is very rewarding to see someone walk out of the clinic after hobbling in, or meeting a patient the following week and hearing their relief and wonder at how their back has improved. I am constantly amazed at the power of Chinese medicine and feel very privileged to be able to practice it.