Acupuncture is an ancient practice, involving the insertion of very fine, sterile needles into precise locations at a very shallow depth. Acupuncture needles are inserted into acupuncture points, points are located all over the entire person: on the face, legs, arms, neck, torso, feet, hands, - literally everywhere.
Acupuncture training in the U.K. is a minimum of three years, and is nowadays recognised as a degree. Study involves anatomy, physiology, acupuncture point location, Chinese Medicine theory, Western medical diagnosis, and exams must be passed in all these subjects.
There are two main schools of acupuncture training and practice;
- Five Element
- T.C.M., - Traditional Chinese Medicine
Five Element Acupuncture is based on the perception of there being five different element types of people, diagnosis is made using colours seen on the face, the odour emanating from each person, their voice , their symptoms and their psychology. Five Element does not have set points for an illness, it treats each person individually and points are chosen according to the fundamental elemental type - to treat the 'root' of the symptoms.
T.C.M. is more commonly practised in todays society, and focuses on analysing out illness and symptoms into syndromes , each of which is clearly identified by particular and precise signs and symptoms, and corresponding pulse and tongue signatures.
During the initial consultation, a lot of diagnostic information is asked for,12 pulses and 28 pulse qualities are read and noted, and the tongue is examined.A clear diagnostic picture and treatment strategy then emerges.
Susan Nelson-Sheldon is one of a small number of practitioners in the U.K. who has trained and qualified in both Five Element and T.C.M., she firmly believes that fusing the two systems together produces the strongest, most powerful elegant and precise results.