Chris Davies returns to tell us about one of his passions; Cosmetic Acupuncture.
He explains what the difference is between "Cosmetic Acupuncture" and "Facial Acupuncture", it's history, what it can do and talks about what a good Cosmetic Acupuncturist will look for and take into consideration when you go to see them. He also talks about his experiences with using it and the results he and his students have got with this fantastic modality and also compares it to Botox and other treatments.
Sarah asks his how to knock 10 years off your appearance, and he gives a very detailed answer! Listen to find out.
Lily is back and is here to let us know about the work she does in the community acupuncture clinics she works in. She talks about her clients results and the difference the clinic makes.
Nicola from Pointz of Interest has come along to speak to us about the life an an Acupuncture Influencer, how she approaches her treatments in clinics, and how she deals with autism as an acupuncturist. We met Nicola on a CPD course, and immediately knew she had lots to convey about acupuncture, and we really do admire her commitment to spreading the word about TCM.
Sarah talks to Philip about various things that have come up in previous podcasts, including questions such as "What is Yin and Yang?" and "What is a Meridian really?".
After this, Philip talks to Sarah about how he treats his patients with mixed modalities, including therefore picking the best test method and treatment for the person in front of him. Philip also explains how he can use eastern and western methods, in order to diagnose and treat health issues.
Claire Hurst is back again to talk about the menstrual cycle and how TCM relates to this. We wanted to give you this episode as there is very little open talk about menses and there are many people who hide their worries about their menses and young people can be confused and worried about menses also.
Claire explains about cycles and what affects them, and if there is something which doesn't seem right, how TCM can help with this.
Claire tells us about her views on Acupuncture for menopause, and how she came to start on her journey into TCM via a bit of a wake-up call at a train station. She explains how women have struggled and how Chinese Medicine sees and treats menopause, and why she feels that Acupuncture will play a bit part in helping menopausal women in the UK. She also explains what menopause is and why it's been historically such a problem.
Acupuncturists available here (Ask for menopause on booking) : https://www.acupunctureassociation.org.uk/clinic-locator/
Claire's Clinic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therebalanceclinic/
Book in with Claire here: https://therebalanceclinic.simplybook.it/v2/
Lily came to Total Therapy many years ago for a treatments with a Total Therapy practitioner, and came back in 2020 to start her own Acupuncture course, as she wanted to see how we did it in the west. Lily is training under both eastern and western teachers and wanted to let us know her experiences.
Brian talks about his journey starting in Chinese Medicine and how he mixes his therapies and helps his clients with mixed modalities. Brian has a clinic in Alderley Edge in Cheshire East, has trained in Acupuncture, Tuina and various other modalities.
Although most of us know Chris Davies as the CEO of the British Acupuncture Federation, many don't realise that he is also a Trustee with the Federation of Emotional Therapeutic Counselling and Emotional Therapy is one of Chris's Passions.
**Apologies for the sound quality, especially near the end but it's just Sarah's voice that is a bit quiet. Beth's voice is fine. Sarah had technical issues and has done her best with the recording and assures us that the issue is now fixed so the next episode should be fine.
Beth works with massage as well as some of the more traditional Chinese methodologies. She is a studying Acupuncturist and practices Spirit and Energy Facilitation.
Her story starts when she was diagnosed anxiety issues, gaining her Psychology degree and travelling to China to work as a teacher in English as a Second Language. While in China she continued battling her "mental health issues" which turned out to actually be spiritual issues. She talks about some of the things that aren't formally taught in the UK, but many of the things that she talks about (e.g. the Kidney issue treatments) we do teach about.
Beth's story is incredible, and she didn't believe in TCM herself until she was forced to pay attention when her kidneys failed and was faced with absolute proof.
Beth's qualifications include Massage, teaching English as a Foreign Language and Phd in Educational Psychology. She is in her final stages of a TCM Acupuncture Diploma.
Philip Wheeler is one of Total Therapy's TCM Acupuncture teachers and is an expert in Electro-Acupuncture, using it daily in his clinic in Milton-Keynes.
He has so many good results and happy stories around Electro-Acpuncture that he has trouble picking which ones to talk about but does pick a favourite story of ours which is about an epileptic client. This episode is well worth listening to and in fact, Philip is really interesting to get chatting about acupuncture so we are lucky to have him on this show.
Hopefully we will be able to hear more from him, but for now enjoy the episode.
Tony gets referrals from GPs at his Acupuncture practice regularly and he talks to Sarah about how it is best to talk to GPs about your clients to get the best results from a letter to them. If you have a client who is already a patient with a GP or hospital specialist, and you need to ask if you can treat them with your complementary therapy, what are the best types of words to use in a letter and what sort of letter is the best to send.
Tony has 50 years experience in Traditional Chinese and Western Medical Acupuncture, he is a prominent member of the British Acupuncture Association as well as other organisations. He was one of the earliest students of Acupuncture in the UK and has lots of experience in the field.
Tamsin has come to talk to us about cupping and how it removes stagnation and encourages healing. She also talks about her love of TCM and how she has grown up with TCM as being part of her life without fully realising. She also talks a little about TCM and how it's evolving using modern techniques alongside traditional techniques, how powerful and amazing she finds it and how it's changed her life.
Tamsin entered the beauty industry because she felt she wasn't able to move into healthcare when she was young, however when she found that she could train to be a TCM practitioner she was really happy. She is now one of the Total Therapy teachers and loves working with them as well as teaching her own subjects too.
Martina tells about her early life in Slovakia and how medicinal herbs was a normal thing to the villagers in her home town. She talks about having food as medicine to catch illness early, making herbal teas for things like acne and how she picks and uses herbs and foods around the house.
Martina uses herbal and food remedies in her life on a daily basis and advises on cooking equipment, washing your food and eating for health rather than sickness.
Jamie talks about how he found acupuncture, his early journey and what he loves about acupuncture. He talks about some of the great acupuncturists he's met and he gives advice to people who want to study acupuncture and also to those who want to try acupuncture as a treatment. He talks about why it's important to find the right acupuncturist and how they aren't all the same. He also says why his opinion is to always try acupuncture before more invasive methods like surgery.
Andy tells us about his journey of finding Tuina through, a fateful meeting, a painful neck problem and a conversation about martial arts. He tells us what Tuina is, how it works and where it fits into the therapeutic world. He describes the movement excercises he has devised to teach the students to efficiently use their bodies and their energy in order to be able to treat clients for long periods of time without hurting their own bodies from physical stress, how Tuina can treat emotional issues and some great anecdotes from successful treatments he has done with Tuina.
Andy is the Tuina trainer for Total Therapy Training in Cheshire and the West Midlands.
When Fang came over to the UK from China, she didn't expect to find that TCM is taught here so much. She expected to have to go back to China to get authentic teaching in Fire Cupping. When she found a course on authentic Chinese Fire Cupping in Cheshire she joined and went along thinking that it would be a very small and intimidating place but instead found a warm, friendly and supportive environment. Years later she is now on a TCM Acupuncture course with Total Therapy and helping change the lives of the people around her for the better, including her own husband's recovery from a nasty Covid infection.
Fang gives us insight on how Cupping and Acupuncture is in China as compared to how it is in England and tells us about some success stories with her own TCM clients.
Paula tells how she started out as a teacher in a school and through being helped by TCM herself, decided to become an acupuncturist and now does this from her own clinic in Wigan, Manchester. She tells us how she helps couples increase their fertility which in turn aids conception and ends in healthy babies.
Paula is an amazing acupuncturist and is another one of those people who have been helped by something so much that they develop a passion for helping others using that method. She is so well respected in her community that she was offered a position as an Acupuncture examiner becoming one of the examinations team at Total Therapy Training.
If you are interested in contacting Paula about fertility issues, you can find her on her website here: https://enpointeacupuncture.co.uk/
In this podcast Michelle talks about where to start training in Chinese Medicine if that is what you want to do, and some things to consider before booking your first course.
Michelle is the UK head examiner for Yanagi Healing Arts and Clinics UK, a board member of the Acupuncture Association and is their representative on the board of the British Acupuncture Federation. Because of her wide range of skills in TCM and her experience in customer services and marketing, she is also the Sales and Marketing first line contact for Total Therapy Training and you will find her posting on Facebook, Linkedin, Tumblr, Instagram and Reddit as well as being Admin on various forums including the members forums for Total Therapy and the British Acupuncture Federation.
The amazing Chris Davies is our first guest, he explains what TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is, what it can help us with and where it fits in today's medical world. He talks about how Chinese Medicine is misunderstood by some and how that can be due to the old traditional language used rather than the updated words for processes. He discusses how we diagnose clients issues, what can cause these issues and how TCM can help people in the modern world.
Chris is the CEO of the British Acupuncture Federation and is involved in other organisations in the therapeutic world. He aids the member organisations of the BAF with government compliancy and is one of the key people that advise on documentation and standards.
