Conditions

Acupuncture for Anxiety

Acupuncture is very useful in the treatment of emotional conditions, and this aspect is one that has been celebrated over the millennia in China.

Fundamentally Chinese medicine views the mind and body as a coherent whole, with no obvious separation from one aspect to another. Treatment for emotional conditions consequently are very much part of the usual flow of Chinese medicine and I recommend in particular using acupuncture to address the condition of anxiety and its related feelings.

Anxiety is the most common emotional condition that I see in the clinic. Anxiety may also relate to feelings of not being able to cope with stressful situations, which at its most strong may come out as panic attacks. Acupuncture may help alleviate the feeling of distress often present with anxiety, may help improve sleep and give the person valuable self-help tools to allow them to manage their life, along with its usual stresses and strains.

Many people find that the treatment of anxiety and stress by acupuncture to be actually quite revolutionary in their lives, and may wish to make their acupuncture treatment a long-term thing which supports them as they go through their lives.

Acupuncture for Back Pain

Acupuncture has been shown to be clinically effective in the treatment of lower back pain in a 2009 study that then was adopted in NICE guidelines. The treatment of back pain with acupuncture is usually quite straightforward. Success is often linked with changes in lifestyle and posture. Some guidelines for exercise will be given if needed. As a rule of thumb the length of treatment is very much connected with the length that the condition has been present for. Back conditions usually split into two types.

The first type may be thought of as a long term condition usually not of an excruciating pain level but as a long-term discomfort. The second type is a much more short-term condition and often is characterised by quite extreme levels of pain. Often the first type of back pain was present first, indicating that there was a long time weakness in the area... but this may very commonly give way to the second type. Treatment of this second type of back pain (=acute) usually will require quite extensive treatment with acupuncture, (actually this would also be the case for any kind of treatment for instance physiotherapy) commonly with treatments twice a week for at least four weeks, then this giving way to treatments on a weekly basis for a few weeks then spacing out to once a fortnight and then once a month. Recovery will be gradual but in an overall positive direction.

For serious back pain I recommend an 8 week series of treatment, available on the booking page. For symptoms like sciatica the rate and type of recovery is very similar to the above description. the first type of back pain is usually due to long-term tiredness and poor posture. Long periods of sitting and other sedentary activities will usually contribute to this issue. Treatment of this long-term back pain (= chronic) is best thought of as a long-term approach, with a few weekly treatments giving way to fortnightly then monthly treatment.The benefits of acupuncture therapy can be grouped into three broad categories of action:

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Acupuncture for Depression

The second most common emotional condition treated by acupuncture is depression along with a range of related conditions: low mood, lack of motivation, low self-esteem.and difficult feelings following bereavement.

Fundamentally acupuncture can help add more energy into a person's system, giving them a boost of vitality that is felt in the body and subsequently in the mind and emotions.
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The link that Chinese medicine makes between the body and mind is very profound and results in a way of approaching this issue that is refreshing and can bring very real relief to the sufferer.An excellent piece of research has been conducted that shows that acupuncture is an effective means of treating depression, for an up to date link and version search for: Acupuncture and Counselling for Depression in Primary Care: A Randomised Controlled Trial by Hugh MacPherson

I have a particular interest in the treatment of bereavement. This is a very important area of health and well-being which is often neglected. Treatment with acupuncture can cover a variety of the complex range of feelings that arise from the loss of a loved one.  Do get in touch with me if you want to talk more about how acupuncture can help bereavement.

www.farnhamacupuncture.co.uk/conditions/depression

Acupuncture for Insomnia

Insomnia is a distressing condition for many. It affects people in ways that are hard to see outwardly, but manifest in varying difficult levels of tiredness during the day. It is often the case that anxiety accompanies insomnia,  so that people feel worried about their lack of sleep, and then this causes them to continue to have poor sleep as they worry more more about whether they will get enough rest to be to function during the day.

Added to this sort of problem one may find the use of quite strong sleeping medication, which may actually make their condition very much worse in the long term. I am not a medical practitioner in the conventional sense and can never make direct recommendations about patients reducing their conventional medication however many of my patients have managed to reduce their sleep medication by themselves in conjunction with treatments for insomnia.

Treatments for sleep problems nearly always include a careful assessment of the emotional condition of the person and the treatment will encompass helping the person feel more balanced emotionally. A standard course of treatment is to benefit insomnia will last at least six weeks.

In a way you might think that the idea of sleep needs no introduction – we have all had sleeping – like eating or breathing – as a basic reality and background to our day to day lives since we could think about our own lives. However – unlike eating and breathing – sleep occurs outside the range of normal waking consciousness; and as a result it possesses an enigmatic any mysterious quality. We are unable to consciously access most of our own experiences during sleep – and what we may recall are internally generated experiences of the dream state with their sometimes hallucinogenic quality. If we are awakened from sleep by an external trigger our“rational” perception of it will be profoundly affected by the experiences we were just having in sleep – however difficult it may be to remember them. So this chapter is more of a re-introduction – because by touching upon many of the characteristics of sleep and the problems we may have with sleep, I feel we are revisiting an on going experience that we all have – almost behind the qualities of our busy working and playing lives.

So sleep is our lifelong companion – and a commonly neglected one – both by the therapeutic community (conventional and complementary medicine alike) and by the sleepers themselves – who upon waking from perhaps a fitful dream disturbed night throw themselves into the waking routine without heeding their affected mood or cognitive abilities – or relating their experiences of well-being and disease to the quality of their sleep and rest-hours.

Whereas most of our lives – conscious lives that is – are about work and play, about doing things – sleep and rest are about re-creation and rejuvenation – and have less “doing” quality and more “being” quality. Consequently any therapeutic approach other than the disappointingly unimaginative approach of drowning sleep problems with tranquillisers – needs to involve the step of trust to let go and trust in the body’s natural ability to be, rest, recover and sleep.
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The interventions I give in the clinic all have promote essential letting go in them – and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t work – because the vast majority of sleep problems are solved when we get out of our own way and allow our own in-built healing programme to re-establish itself: that of natural sleep

Acupuncture for Female Fertility

I am a fertility acupuncture specialist, giving extended treatment courses to both assist with the IVF process and support natural fertility. I also treat recurrent miscarriage, PCOS, endometriosis and reproductive immunology. Chinese herbs for fertility are also available, making treatment all the more effective. As of August 2025 this is accessed via my colleague Damian Allegretti.



Male fertility is always considered as a vital part of the fertility equation, and I encourage treatment for both parts of a couple where this is an issue.

 It is really important to consider treatment as a long term investment. For couples considering acupuncture for IVF I always recommend a 4 cycle i.e. 16 week series of sessions.

I have taken extended specialist training in IVF and natural fertility training with the Zita West Fertility Clinic.



I have also recieved training with Ian Stones, a leading fertility expert on the specialist subject of male fertility, including interpretation of COMET sperm DNA fragmentation tests. Acupuncture provides excellent support for couples seeking to improve their fertility. It can give all important rebalancing to hormones and blood-flow in the body, ensuring the optimal development of ovaries, eggs, uterus and sperm. Emotions and stress are balanced and eased to allow a happier and healthier experience, whether following the natural pregnancy route or that of IVF.

Female Fertility
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine Is of course very well known in the treatment for female fertility. This is definately either with a view to a natural fertility support path or else as a special collaborative service of acupuncture for IVF.
To this end I know and collaborate with fertility servies in Surrey and can provide vital extra understanding and support when is comes to reading and interpreting hormone results.

Acupuncture
For at least the last 20 years acupuncture has had a proven track record in fertility. Acupuncture for IVF is the most studied area scientifically, which gave rise to a number of standard protocols like the Paulus protocol. I don't follow protocols per se, as I always think it is best to treat women individually on a case by case basis.

Pre-Conception Plan
This time is of immense importance to the process of conception within both eastern and western approaches, when preparation for the process of conception, whether natural or assisted take place.It allows the energy and physiology of the body to be balanced and useful dietary and lifestyle approaches to be implemented before the time of conception starts. Remembering that it takes 3 menstrual cycles for a follicle to develop into a egg in the ovary, I recommend expecting ideally this time to last 3 months.

Conception Plan
This time uses the very latest scientific research of both western and eastern approaches to support the process of conception. Weekly treatments provide close harmonisation of the body’s energy and physiology. Depending on the patient we will be using either an assisted conception (IVF) acupuncture set of treatment principles or else a natural conception set as the basis of treatment.
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PCOS
If you have been given the diagnosis of PCOS you are no doubt interested in methods that can make a real difference. I have had a number of PCOS patients and had really good results from them, resulting in a number of successful pregnancies.PCOS fits a certain Chinese Medicine syndrome (called Internal Rheum or Dampness) very well... and the treatment for that syndrome is usually very effective indeed.Endometriosis
This is actually very well understood in Chinese medicine and treatment is quite straightforward.

Endometriosis is usually diagnosed in Chinese Medicine as Blood Stagnation, and with a good set of treatment approaches to match.

Regular acupuncture sessions are the key to sucess, which aim to imporve the flow of blood, reduce adhesions and ease pain and stress.

Pregnancy
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First Trimester Plan
All fertility patients and specialists know that successful treatment for fertility do not just encompass the time up to a successful pregnancy test. It is vitally important to see the process of early pregnancy to the end of the first trimester through with weekly treatment designed to stabilise and enhance the health of the growing baby and the mother alike.
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Second Trimester Onwards
After the second trimester the pregnancy is considered stable and working well. Unless other health or pregnancy issues are coming acupuncture treatment can still be of use on a occasional basis to assist the health and wellness of the pregnancy.

My transfer is next week, can you still help me?
Basically the more treatments you have, the better things will be. Time is a great asset when it comes to fertility treatment. BUT sometimes circumstances mean that a client become aware they want / need acupuncture right at the last minute. So in that case, it is fine to still come for treatment. In these unique cases a single standalone treatment is the right choice.

As I just said to a recent client: it is important to just look forwards in terms of planning. There are still significant steps we can make in a week of treatment to make it worthwhile.

Acupuncture for Male Fertility

If you have made it this far in investigating male fertility well done! There are two ways in which male fertility matters. First and foremost it can in many cases be just as important than female factors, which is obvious when there are specific problems with the male system e.g. DNA fragmentation. For this acupuncture treatment for the man is of course, important, or essential for optimising the outcome of fertility treatment.



The second reason is much more subtle, and is to do with harmonising the energy of the male partner to all him to better resonate with his partner. That might sound far-fetched, but to be "well matched" is more than looks and personality of partners: it is also about allowing the energy of both sides of the partnership to flow better, be better, and thus enable what is sometimes termed, "the fertile fizz".

Male infertility has been successfully treated with acupuncture for many years. The acupuncture points for male fertility are chosen to specifically enhance the functioning of the reproductive system. But don't worry, no needles need to be placed on those actual organs! The points chosen are usually on the lower arms and legs, some on the abdomen, occasionally on the back.

Acupuncture for General Pain

Acupuncture is a well proven path to treat all manners of pain, be it muscular, arthritic or internal (for instance digestive pain). It is also useful for general pain syndromes where pain is felt throughout the body.

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For most conditions I am able to add the wonderfully soothing effect of a heat lamp for the area affected, and with that the use of a special warming balm that I actually make right here in the clinic called Bio-Botanicals Pro Salve this is also available for use at home and can be purchased in the clinic shop online or actually physically at the clinic when you attend your session.



Many sorts of musculoskeletal pain, such as plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow and sciatica are  often referred to an acupuncturist, very often by general practitioners and hospital consultants. Indeed acupuncture has so well embraced by the medical community that doctors and physiotherapists are learning this healing art for themselves. However, as degree educated traditional acupuncture practitioners, we feel that we are best placed to give this treatment form.