 If you are currently suffering from pain in your knees, it might not occur to you to go and see a man about your ears. But it could be the first step to relieving your ills. The same might be said if you get migraine, premenstrual tension, or any number of other chronic conditions - including that very modern malaise of feeling generally exhausted and stressed-out.
According to Edinburgh acupuncturist Francis Cassidy, our ears are not just for hearing but can act as gateways to relieving pains in specific parts of the body - and as the starting point for getting our general well-being back on track.
Cassidy practices auricular acupuncture, a relatively recent offshoot of the 4000-year-old Chinese medicine practice, which has become one of the most popular alternative therapies in the west in the past decade. Practitioners of Chinese acupuncture believe inserting needles into specific points of the body stimulates the flow of chi energy which flows though ‘meridians’ - the body's ‘energy channels’ - and that if blockages occur in these channels, pain or illness occurs.
Auricular acupuncture uses the outer ear as a switchboard to the brain. Our cars have as many as 200 acupuncture points, each of which is linked to an area of the anatomy such as the liver, stomach or knees. The shape of the average ear resembles an inverted foetus and the acupuncture points on the ears are in similar positions to the anatomical areas of the foetus.
Cassidy uses an electro-acupunctoscope - a handheld probe - to trigger electrical impulses: from the ear, via the brain, to the specific area of the body that requires treatment. So if you have a painful knee, the acupuncturist would treat the "knee" acupoint on your ear in order to alleviate the pain in the leg joint. This might sound an unlikely remedy but there is no doubt that acupuncture has admirers in very high places. Four years ago the British Medical Association recommended that the therapy should me made more widely available on the NHS, following scientific evidence of it’s effectiveness in treating a host of conditions as varied as back pain, toothache and nausea. Cassidy says he has seen particularly good results recently with patients who have ME, migraines, stress and PMT. One patient had tried various treatments, including steroids, to try and relieve psoriasis on her face – which cleared up after a few of his auricular acupuncture treatments. Some are even more dramatic: “One patient with arthritis so severe she couldn't get on a bus when she started coming, told me recently that she’d been out dancing,” says Cassidy, a straight-talking Fifer with an incredibly gentle and perceptive approach. “It won’t work like that for everyone, but it can have an amazing effect. Many people come to me as a last resort – nothing else has worked for them and their condition is chronic.”
While relief from pain and other symptoms is often the immediate desire of many of his patients, Cassidy says his treatment goes further than that. “Stimulating these points ultimately encourages the body to help itself,” he says. Following an initial course of treatment, which varies depending on the condition, most patients only return for a top-up or booster session every few months. Because it focuses on the ear, auricular acupuncture is non-invasive, and patients do not have to lie down or remove clothes, which makes it particularly useful when dealing with vulnerable clients. But Cassidy’s therapy is not only suitable for those with pain and chronic conditions. Following a request from one client who felt generally run-down, he developed the Acu-rejuvenation Programme, below. This six-week physical and emotional detox course can focus on weight-loss, stress relief ort other aspects of health but is designed to improve overall well-being.
Cassidy’s is a truly holistic approach and he does not believe in the quick-fix. Instead he wants to encourage a “virtuous cycle” whereby clients become increasingly aware of their own habits and gradually improve them. With the Acu-rejuvenation Programme he encourages patients to exercise, recommending a pedometer and 10,000 daily steps for most. Each programme is adapted to suit individual conditions, but all start with a two-week detox, which means no alcohol for the first week, and the drinking of a special detox tea three times a day. Weekly acupuncture sessions with Cassidy offer a chance to assess the effects of the previous treatment and to work on areas that need it most. These points are reinforced with a little needle in the ear. By the end of six-weeks, there should be a real difference. Keen to rid myself of my fondness for Diet Coke and improve my sleeping habits, I tried the programme out – with interesting results...
Week One
Francis Cassidy asks what I'm hoping to achieve. When I reply: "to reduce stress, boost my energy levels, generally feel better and to wean myself off Diet Coke," he's unfazed. Initially it's painful - until Francis reminds me I simply have to let him know when I can feel the current. It is an unusual sensation and different on each point. Francis works on both ears. I have two press-stud needles inserted, one in each ear, so my treatment is not completely needle-free. This first session ends with work on the face, just between the eyebrows. I am prescribed three cups of detox tea per day for a fortnight. |
Week Two
Still enjoying the detox tea. The ritual of having three cups a day is good in more ways than one - It reminds me to take a break from my computer screen and the walk to the canteen adds extra steps to my tally. It also means I avoid Diet Coke. Now down to one a day. I have friends staying who just love Edinburgh and want to walk all over the city. Do I mind? Not at all. Rushed and frazzled at the end of a very busy week, I arrive late to my acupuncture appointment. Francis is patience personified and I leave feeling relaxed and energized. Bumped into a friend - she asked if I'd just been for a facial. |
Week Three
Not a good week. Energy levels are low and am feeling tired and a bit run-down. I am no longer on the detox tea and find I'm missing it. Feel myself slipping back into the old Diet Coke caffeine habit, though it's not as bad as it used to be. Foul winter weather means that my step-total is well down for a couple of days, and I mourn the loss of all those wasted, healthy steps when weather forces me into taxis and buses. I force myself to go for a walk in the mist at the end of the week and find that half an hour's walk a day easily brings the step total up to a respectable 10,000. |
Week Four
Things are recovering from last week's dip and I can appreciate the fact that this is a six-week programme. As well as the treatment itself, the weekly appointments help me to stay on track. I'm still addicted to totting up steps and find myself opting for the long way round when I hit the streets. Overall, stressful days seem a bit less so, and there is a definite improvement in skin tone and brightness. I tell Francis this detox programme would prove lucrative for him as a beauty treatment. He regards the improvements in my skin as an outward sign of better circulation and reduced stress. I am getting used to the needles. |
Week Five
I am beginning to appreciate the cumulative effects of the treatment and I do see my habits changing. For instance, I notice that I no longer absent-mindedly demolish Kit Kats or reach for the Diet Coke quite so often as I did before. I am definitely beginning to feel lighter and much less stressed. |
Week Six
At the end of the treatment I can really see a difference in sleep quality and in tone of the skin. The first two weeks are most dramatic in terms of improved sleep. Overall, the most profound effect is on my stress levels. Each treatment has an immediate calming effect - maybe that's due to Francis's approach-and there hasn't been a single session when I've not left feeling much better than when I arrived. I'm now hoping to maintain the good habits I've acquired over the six weeks. |
|
