Acupuncture

Back Pain

Migraine

Stress Acupuncture

Headache

Joint Pain

Female Fertility

Anxiety Acupuncture

Anxiety Disorder

Birth Preparation

Fertility Acupuncture

Fertility and Menopause

Hearing Loss

Hot Flushes

IVF Acupuncture

Insomnia

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Lower Back Pain

Neck Pain

Pregnancy

Sinusitis

Wheezing

Many thanks for your review.  I'm very glad that you found your treatment – and my explanations of Chinese medicine – to be helpful.  I look forward to seeing you again soon.  Best wishes.

Felt really comfortable from the start - great bedside manner. Really thorough and interesting explanations. Felt like we covered a lot in the time. Will definitely return. 

Many thanks for your review and recommendation.  I'm very happy that you found your treatment to be beneficial.  Of course, it's completely understandable to be a little bit nervous before an acupuncture treatment – particularly in pregnancy and/or if it's your first time.  However, I'm delighted that you found it to be relaxing and helpful.  I look forward to seeing you again soon.  Best wishes

I can’t recommend Ben enough. I’m pregnant with lower back pain and Ben’s treatment really helped alleviate my symptoms. I was a little bit nervous before we started (i.e needles and baby!) but Ben was really patient and talked me through everything, making me feel totally at ease. The whole experience was great and I’m feeling a noticeable benefit. Will definitely be going back!

Many thanks for your review and recommendation.  I'm very happy that you have found and continue to find your treatments to be so beneficial.  Best wishes.

Ben has helped me a huge amount with my allergies and also helped me to get back on track after a very stressful time.  He is very professional, kind and calm as a practitioner. I can’t recommend him highly enough. 

Many thanks for your review.  I hope you found the treatment to be beneficial and also to see you again soon.

I found my treatment with Ben very thorough, well explained so that I understood what he was doing. His manner was kind and professional.

General Medical

health-on-line

Bupa Fee Assured

April

Groupama

Simply Health

Healix

Saga Insurance

Allianz Worldwide Care

Four Points Assistance

Bupa

CS Healthcare

Legal & General

The Exeter

Freedom Healthcare

Cigna

Norwich Union

Aviva Health

Aetna

Vitality Health

AXA PPP Healthcare

The PHC

Benenden

Bupa Platinum

English

I was thrilled to come across Ben in my search for health support. He's not only amazing at addressing my specific health issues, but he also makes me feel completely at ease in his welcoming space. Ben's attentiveness and willingness to listen really stand out, and he offers valuable guidance beyond just the acupuncture session. I can't recommend Ben enough.


Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a debilitating neurological condition characterised by intense facial pain. The trigeminal nerve, responsible for transmitting sensory information from the face to the brain, becomes hypersensitive, resulting in severe, sudden, and recurring facial pain. But can acupuncture help?

Acupuncture for Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trying anything for the first time can be unnerving—even for the best of us, and acupuncture is no exception. With this in mind, we thought we'd answer 18 of the most common questions about acupuncture.

18 Common Questions about Acupuncture |

While acupuncture has gained popularity and recognition worldwide, it still often encounters scepticism within the framework of Western medicine (WM) research models. This disparity arises due to several factors that challenge the conventional scientific approach.

Acupuncture Within The Western Research Model

Research shows that acupuncture performs at least as well as, and potentially better than, standard medical care for back pain (Cherkin, 2009; Haake, 2007; Sherman, 2009a; Witt, 2006). It is particularly beneficial as an alternative to conventional care for patients with more acute symptoms...

Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Neck, Shoulder and Back Pain

Within Chinese medicine, moxibustion is used frequently to turn a baby from a breech position to a head-down position in the uterus. The technique works by stimulating specific acupuncture points by burning mugwort (artemisia vulgaris) near the skin to generate heat.

Moxibustion for Breech Position Pregnancy

Did you know that an estimated 1 in 10 women in the UK have endometriosis, with the average time for a diagnosis following the onset of symptoms currently eight years?

Acupuncture for Endometriosis

"There's no real evidence to suggest that acupuncture really works." Let's evaluate how statements like this are inherently flawed and point to a continued lack of awareness of and potential bias against research showing the efficacy and effectiveness of acupuncture.

Acupuncture: An Evidence-Based Medicine

What's the difference between acupuncture and dry needling? It's an excellent and essential question for anyone looking to try acupuncture and find the right practitioner. Let's explore them both.

Acupuncture vs Dry Needling | Acupuncture West London

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the World Health Organization recommend acupuncture in the treatment of migraines. Find out why?

Acupuncture for Migraines and Headaches

St-36 is located on the lateral side (outside) of the lower leg, three cun (or one hands' breadth) below the knee crease, and one finger's breadth lateral to the tibial crest or shin bone.

St-36 is a powerful acupuncture point. Its name in pinyin is Zúsānlî, which translates as 'Leg Three Miles'. Legend has it that it found its name by enabling ancient Chinese soldiers to go the extra three miles. Traditionally, Zúsānlî strengthens the legs, fortifies the whole body, tonifies Qi, Xue (blood) and Jinye (body fluids), and eliminates fatigue. Li may be interpreted within this context as a 'mile' or as a homonym for 'to rectify'. For this reason, Qin Cheng-Zu of the Song Dynasty declared Zúsānlî to be the 'point of one hundred diseases'.

POINT LOCATION: ST-36 足三里 (Zúsānlî or Leg Three Miles)

Sp-6 is located on the inside of the lower leg, 3 cun (or one hands’ breadth) above the prominence of the medial malleolus (ie. the highest point of the ankle bone). It is located in a depression on the medial side or inside of the tibia or shin bone.

Sp-6 is a powerful acupuncture point. Its name in pinyin is 'San Yin Jiao’, which translates as ‘3 leg crossing’ and highlights its primary function as a meeting point of the three yin channels of the leg: kidney, spleen and liver. It is this connection that makes Sp-6 a primary point for tonifying the kidneys and spleen, and harmonising the liver—all key components in the creation and movement of qi and blood. Within this context, Sp-6 is said to regulate menstruation, and invigorate, cool and nourish the blood. However, its actions and indications are broad, and it is a primary point in the treatment of many digestive, gynaecological, sexual, urinary and emotional disorders as well as being indicated for skin conditions; for example, eczema and urticaria (hives). Finally, as a local point, Sp-6 can be used in the treatment of atrophy disorder and painful obstruction of the lower limbs.

As it facilitates a strong downward movement, Sp-6 is contra-indicated during pregnancy but is indicated, along with other acupuncture points, in the induction of labour for this very reason. It is also this downward movement that indicates Sp-6 in the treatment of difficult urination, anxiety, insomnia and more.

POINT LOCATION: SP-6 三阴交 (Sān Yīn Jiāo or Three Yin Crossing)

Classical Chinese philosophy, Chinese medicine and acupuncture – for those who wish to deepen their understanding of the very concepts that inform our practice.

In today's special introductory episode, we discuss the following:

• What is Acupuncture West London – The Podcast, and who is it for? 
• What is the focus of this podcast?
• What makes us different from other Chinese medicine podcasts and why did I decide to create it?
• What’s the format for the show?

An Introduction | What is ‘Acupuncture West London – The Podcast’?

Yin and Yang (Part 1) | The Balance Of Two Opposing Forces

Yin and Yang are representative of a cosmic duality that governs the universe. But what does this actually mean, and, as practitioners, how can we best put these concepts into practice in the treatment of our patients? 

In today's episode, we discuss the following: 

• Yin and Yang as a static concept, and within numerology 
• Yang, Qi and Yin: motive force and the relationship between Yin and Yang 
• The Laws of Yin and Yang 
• The Tai Ji Symbol 
• The Four Seasons and Five Phases 
• Quality vs. Quantity 
• The Three Yin and Three Yang 
• The Eight Principles 
• Yin and Yang within the clinic 
• Yin and Yang within pathology

We also answer listeners' questions on Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang (Part 1) | The Balance Of Two Opposing Forces

Within Chinese philosophy, numerology describes a journey from the unmanifest to the manifest; a journey from the universal spark to the manifestation of Heaven and Earth, space and time; a journey that documents the creation of the five elements in Heaven, on Earth and within Man as we know and use them in practice. Today, Deborah Woolf takes us on a fascinating journey through numerology, space and time, and Wu Yun Liu Qi (Stems and Branches) – the root of five element acupuncture.

In today's episode, we discuss the following: 
• Yang and Yin – expansion and contraction; the clear and the turbid; spirit and form. 
• Numerology within Chinese philosophy. 
• Li Qi Shu – the universe moves with number, rhythm and proportion. 
• The importance of the words that we use in practice and the problems that we encounter in translating the classical texts. 
• Yi (oneness) and Qian (one). 
• Heaven, Earth and Man vs. Heaven, Man and Earth – prenatal vs. postnatal. 
• Si Fang – The Four Directions. 
• Si De – The Four Heavenly Virtues. 
• The Five Elements on Three Levels – Heaven, Earth and Man: the five archetypes of the five elements (Heaven); the five heavens (Earth); the five elements (Man).
• Wu Yun Liu Qi (Stems and Branches): the root of five element acupuncture; space and time; spirit and form – treating at a constitutional, emotional and/or physical level.

Mr Ben Carrigan

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