Facial Rejuvenation
Facial Rejuvenation is a very old story. Uniquely specialist in practise, it began with the concubines of the Empress and Emporers in the Chinese Sung Dynasty (96O-127OAD) ensuring the continuation of their highly-prized beauty. Now, in modern times, tired of aggressive, chemical-rich practises on the face, we are finally catching on to this well-kept ‘secret’.
In 1996, the International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture reported that among 300 cases of facial rejuvenation, 90% of those treated showed visible and obvious effects after just one course of treatment. This included facial elasticity, improved facial colouring, smoother surface and overall well-being. Based on the ancient Chinese use of meridian lines branching to and from the face, facial rejuvenation targets each client’s needs individually. These may range from:
• Puffyness
• Drooping Eyelids
• Dry Skin
• Large Pores
• Facial colouring
• Deep Wrinkles and/or Fine Lines
More than just an acupuncture ‘face-lift’, facial rejuvenation works to holistically revitalise the patient’s entire system, removing a build-up of toxins which add between 5 and 10 years to a client’s face. Because individual fine needles are inserted into the skin at precise points, the cause, rather than the effects, of the ageing process are treated and reversed, with benefits extending to the entire body. A course of 8-12 sessions is recommended, and for after-care, Juliet will personally tailor-build a bespoke care plan for each client according to their specific needs, extending the effects of the treatment and ensuring optimum long-term results.
Complementing the practice of Facial Rejuvenation, Juliet also offers Facial Massage, a technique achieving similar effects but without the use of needles, and useful for those clients for whom needles are a concern.
Byline: Rebecca Swirsky
Acupuncture to treat Insomnia
Do you or someone you know have sleep challenges? Sadly, this is an all-too common issue. Work pressures, home-life worries, racing thoughts, all play themselves out on the pillow, leaving us tossing and turning and frustratingly, clock watching.
. Sleep deprivation leaves sufferers desperate for relief. While it’s clear drugs (hypnotics) taken to induce sleep may provide relief from the symptoms of insomnia they do not treat the underlying cause. This means the actual root problem may continue for years, with foreign substances regularly taken into the body, and a pattern of dependancy established. Insomnia can be split into three main areas of concern, manifesting as: trouble falling asleep, continuing to stay asleep, or early wakening. Any one, or all three compromise daily mood and ability to function at the most basic of levels. Thankfully, sleeping tablet presciptions are not the only answer.
Acupuncture, with its earliest written record dating at around 200 BCE, offers a holistic approach. To this day, it continues to be globally respected as an effective, safe treatment, and in the UK, is one of the most widely-used complementary therapies.
Having comprehensively assessed her patient’s individual needs, Juliet will prescribe a minimum of 6-8 sessions, alongside a bespoke out-of-clinic treatment plan. Viewed in Acupuncture as an imbalance or disharmony in the flow of energy, insomnia’s root causes will be addressed by inserting fine, sterilised needles into pre-determined points along the patient’s body. Meridien lines will be activated, fine-tuning the bodies Qi and realigning energy to aid and restore sleep. Instead of releasing toxins into the body through the use of hypnotics, the practise of Acupuncture seeks to enable the release of toxins out of the body through Qi realignment.
Surprisingly, one in five of us still don’t fully realise how effective Acupuncture can be for the treatment of insomnia. But with over 2,500 years backing Acupuncture, it’s a far healthier and more effective alternative than reaching for sleeping tablets.
Byline: Rebecca Swirsky
Infertility
In the UK, infertility is on the rise. Around a quarter of couples are having difficulties conceiving. What should be a personally fulfilling, sensitive time for growing a family can shift into an experience fraught with disappointment, frustration and despair. As the cycle of disappointment continues, stress kicks in, further adding to difficulties conceiving. Yet acupuncture can impact in numerous ways to improve fertility rates for members of both sexes, while working on general levels of well-being to induce a calmer, more positive state of mind.
Studies:
Study and research initatives repeatedly point to the effectiveness of acupuncture in human biology. Polycystic ovaries and endometriosis hormones are both conditions shown to be positively impacted by acupuncture. Through treatment, patients are empowered to activate their own fertility mechanisms without the use of drugs or chemicals, boosting overall levels of well-being and decreasing stress hormones.
In 2002, the Fertility and Sterility journal noted a 42.5% jump in patients receiving acupuncture, compared to 26.3% for those who weren’t, while in 2004, Colorado’s Reproductive and Fertility Medicine Centre conducted a study showing an increase of 51% in women who underwent acupuncture and IVF, as compared to 36% who solely underwent IVF. Having acupuncture treatment also impacted on statistics for stillbirths and miscarriages, showing a 12% decrease. Finally, Shanghai University conducted a study in 2005 showing men’s sperm structure and morphology to have been significantly boosted by acupuncture treatment.
How may Acupuncture Treatment help?
Acupuncture Treatment has been shown to enhance/regulate the areas of:
Menstrual cycle and ovulation
Ovary function (subsequently impacting on egg quality)
Sperm vitality
IVF side-effects
Uterine lining thickness
Hormone regulation
Possibility of miscarriage
Relationship between patient and pracitioner:
For change to be enacted, a trusting working relationship must develop between client and accredited practitioner. This involves the client being fully listened to and heard, and the practitioner having a thorough understanding of each clients individual needs. Juliet will holistically assess each clients needs, in order to understand how they may best attain their goals, whether it be in the areas of general well-being, sleep, stress, menstrual difficulties or fertility. Quality of care is vitally important, and Juliet will take every effort to ensure her clients needs come first.
Stress Relief
It’s fair to say stress and Acupuncture are not natural bed-partners. When Acupuncture moves in, stress moves out!
While anxiety levels are nearly always reported as decreased following Acupuncture treatment, it’s important to acknowledge how invasive and encompassing stress can feel. In fact, prolonged stress in our system can make us question whether we’ll ever find our way to the sunnier side of the street.
Whether you have experienced stress in the past, or are presently stressed, you’ll recognise how acute levels of stress profoundly affect the nervous system. Deep anxiety alters our perceptions, the manner in which we experience the world, our ability to sleep, eat, work and play. As each of us is unique, how our bodies and minds process stress and acute anxiety is also variable. (NHS Choices 2011).
Sadly, work-related stress is rife, a phenomenon affecting up to half a million people in the UK (Health and Safety Executive 2011). Stress levels may be additionally impacted by alcohol, nicotine, pregnancy, bereavement, narcotics use, joblessness, poor eating habits, and general lifestyle. The impact of any one can result in illness, tiredness or lethargy, depression, mood swings, anger, frustration, confusion, paranoid behaviour, jealousy or withdrawal.
Acupuncture flushes out this overloading of toxicity, leaving those treated calmer, happier and more in control.
How Acupuncture Works:
Altering brain mood chemistry, regulating levels of neurotransmitters (or their modulators) and hormones such as serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y and ACTH, acupuncture works in specific and varied ways on the body, to ‘soften’ or ‘deregulate’ the analytical brain driving the anxiety or worry (Hui 2010; Hui 2009) and increasing AchE reactivity in the hippocampus (Kim 2011). Areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress are also positively affected, while stress-induced memory impairment is improved (Arranz 2007).
Essentially, Acupuncture treatment invites the body to ‘regulate’ and look after itself by activating neurochemical messenger molecules. These ‘messenger molecules’ alter the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, engendering a physical and emotional well-being.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when stressed is to be Kind To Yourself! Think about what would nourish your body and mind. Take regular exercise. Laugh a lot, whether this is putting on a ‘happy’ DVD or comedy show. Brain chemicals are shown to change when laughter takes place. Write down a list of achievements and think about working towards positive goals, rather than focusing on all the things you haven’t done. Breathe deeply and mindfully, aware of how our diaphragm moves as we take in and release our oxygen (this really does make a difference). Finally, stay in the present. Happiness and contentment lies not in the future or the past, but in the ‘now.’ If you can bring a sense of awareness to each action you take, you’ll feel more rooted in what’s happening around you.
Byline: Rebecca Swirsky