There are very few models for creative ageing in western cultures. We seem to have lost the art of revering the elders, and the role of handing down wisdom through generations is fading as technology races ahead of us. Read More

A research paper published at the end of January this year (Internal Medicine, Univ of Washington, Oregon) links a number of prescription and over the counter drugs (Anticholinergics) with an increased risk of dementia in those aged 65 years and above. They include Nytol, Night Nurse, Benadryl, Piriton, Amitriptyline and Warfarin. When taken they block a chemical transmitter in the nervous system called acetylcholine. This chemical/neurotransmitter is known to play a key role in the treatment of Dementia.  In sharp contrast, some anti-histamines, anti-depressants and incontinence medicines actually inhibit acetylcholine activity. It is therefore not surprising that this new research identifies some of these drugs as contributing to an increase in dementia. Read More

Chinese philosophers and doctors recognise five seasons in the year. Late summer arrives early to mid-August, forming a bridge between the expansion of summer and the beginnings of contraction, of nature 'falling back' into the autumn, and later winter. Late summer is the peak, the harvest, of nature's reproductive cycle. Read More

I was called by my GP's surgery this winter to invite me to have a flu jab. I have never wanted to have one and I said I would think it over. Others I know find the flu jab helps them get through the winter. Read More

Below is a report written by one of our clients, of her experience of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs over the past seven months. They are her words.  Read More

Chinese Medicine has acupuncture and herbal treatments which specifically aim to remove damp, stickiness and phlegm from our systems. Living in a damp cool climate means that we have to take care to keep ourselves warm enough and to protect from 'invasions of damp'. These can lead to arthritic joints, bronchial asthma, digestive disturbances and other symptoms. Read More

In China, for many centuries it has been common prac­tice to give children, from seven years onwards, herbs to counteract the effects of difficult weather, a special diet to support their individual growth and development, and an acupuncture treatment once a season to maintain their health. A doctor, who looks for the individuals’ inherited areas of constitutional vulnerability, sees each child. This diagnosis then determines what diet, exercise programme, herbs and acupuncture they should follow during their growing years. Read More

One of the most important beliefs underlying the practice of Chinese medicine is that maintaining good health relies on us all being aware of, and becoming in tune with, the natural rhythms of the seasons. Read More

Women who are in menopause or just past menopause (this can be anywhere from early forties to late fifties), often ask me for help to manage this transition into the next stage of their lives.

Youth, or the Alpha stage of an adult woman's life, when we leave home, go out into the world, think about mating and reproducing ( if we choose to do so) is held in high esteem in Western cultures. Whereas the middle and later years of a woman's life are not. Phrases like '60 is the new 40' appear in the national press, and articles are written, often by 'celebrities' describing how they have stopped the age clock , and telling us that we are as young as we feel. Read More