I am an acupuncturist based in Bristol practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Naturopathy. I practice from the Bristol Natural Health Service clinic in Bristol in Horfield (BS7).
My main specialism is in treating women's health related issues. Having experienced some of these issues myself, I work to ensure others can experience relief in the way I did. My Continuing Professional Development is focused around this theme, ensuring I can give the best treatments possible. I have completed courses relating to fertility, perimenopause, the menstrual cycle and pregnancy and I am working on my Advanced Diploma in Fertility. Here is a brief list of some of the issues I treat. Please feel free to contact me to find out if I can help you with your specific problem.
In my experience, to get the best results, acupuncture treatments relating women's health should be scheduled at weekly intervals for the first 3 months of treatment.
Acupuncture treatments are based on the symptoms you are experiencing, from abdominal pain to back pain as well as emotional support. There is good evidence to show that acupuncture is very effective for reducing the intensity of menstrual cramps and the length of time the pain is experienced. Unlike painkillers it doesn’t just treat the symptoms as they occur, but has an effect to lessen period pain for future cycles.
Acupuncture is a safe treatment for PCOS, and studies have found it can help:
Increase blood flow to the ovaries
Reduce ovarian volume and the number of ovarian cysts
Reduce cortisol levels and reduce stress
Improve pregnancy rates in patients with PCOS undergoing IVF
Improve metabolic function of patients with obesity-type PCOS
Acupuncture has been shown to increase the rates of pregnancy in couples trying for a baby. Sometimes it is beneficial for the couple to receive acupuncture together.
When undergoing Artificial Reproductive Therapy (ART) (eg IVF, ICSI), acupuncture is best received for a few months before starting the ART and then during treatment. Regular acupuncture is recommended up until you are 12 weeks pregnant. As well as increasing the chances of pregnancy, it may also help to support you emotionally at this stressful time. Please see my blog post here for more information about acupuncture when undergoing fertility treatment.
Approximately 70% of women suffer from hot flushes during the menopause, not to mention emotional changes and other symptoms such as irritability and reduced libido. Treatment of hot flushes is the most common reason for taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, Acupuncture offers an alternative to HRT and can reduce the intensity and frequency of hot flushes and many of the symptoms which accompany the menopause. At a very simple level, Chinese medicine views the menopause as a time when the yin (cooling) and yang (warming) functions of the body become unbalanced. The picture is often complicated by other patterns of disharmony, but the aim of treatment with a combination of lifestyle advice, acupuncture and herbal medicine is usually to regulate the fluctuations in yin and yang and bring the body back into balance.
