Healing Matters

BBC’s Countryfile programme recently featured Debbie Vernon, a farmer who attempts to keep her animals as drug-free as possible. Footsie, one of the goat herd, was shown being given acupuncture for arthritis and the vet said Footsie is obviously in less pain after treatment. So, as animals have no tangible expectations, acupuncture obviously works for this patient.

The approach is no less valid for those humans who want to avoid the prolific use of medication. It is interesting how age old treatments such as acupuncture have such a crucial part to play in treating illness.
As Dr A T Still said ‘The goal of the true healer is to find health, anyone can find illness.’

This echoes the principal of treating the cause, not just a symptom. The remit of the therapist should be to facilitate health in as natural a way as possible and to support the body’s innate ability to improve and maintain health.

During this week, British Acupuncture Council member Martin Grasby will donate proceeds from all acupuncture treatments with him – new & existing clients – to Amnesty International.
John Cleese sums up the reason many people support Amnesty; “I suddenly realised how nice it was to live in a country where people didn’t come to your front door at 2am & take you away & hand you over to people who’ve been specially trained to hurt you as much as possible.”
For over 50 years, Amnesty has fought for human rights which, living in the UK, we take most for granted . It is incomprehensible that every minute of the day & night someone is being tortured or just disappears & no one knows what’s happened to them. In some countries you could be imprisoned for writing an email not in accordance with government directives.
Martin works in Shipston-on-Stour & Leamington Spa. To discuss if acupuncture is able to help you improve your health or to book an appointment for a further chat or treatment call 01608 664664. Thank you for supporting Amnesty International.

The Summer 2011 issue of Anxiety UK’s ‘Anxious Times’ magazine identifies the essence of the acupuncturists’ approach.
‘Every patient is considered to be unique and this means that the practitioners (acupuncturists) will be looking and listening very carefully to everything that the patient says to establish a diagnosis and find the specific keys to unlocking the patterns of the symptoms the patient is suffering. They will aim to identify the imbalances which cause the symptoms of anxiety, not just treat the symptoms themselves.’

30th May 2011, The Telegraph reports Acupuncture has a ‘significant’ effect on patients with mystery symptoms.
One in five patients has symptoms which are undiagnosed by medicine, and the cost of treating them is twice that as of a diagnosed patient.
A team from the University of Exeter examined 80 patients, and investigated the benefit of acupuncture being added to their usual care.
Of the 80 patients, nearly 60 per cent reported musculoskeletal problems, and in the three months prior to the experiment had accounted for treatment including 44 hospital visits, 52 hospital clinic visits, 106 outpatient clinic visits and 75 visits to non NHS workers.
Those treated with acupuncture had a ‘significantly improved’ overall wellbeing, reporting further benefits such as new self-awareness about what caused stress in their lives and better diet and exercise.
At 26 weeks the control group also underwent acupuncture – and reported the same benefits.
Dr Charlotte Paterson, who managed the trial, said: “While further studies are required, this particular study suggests that GPs may recommend a series of five-element acupuncture consultations to patients with unexplained symptoms as a safe and potentially effective intervention.”
She added: “Such intervention could not only result in potential resource savings for the NHS, but would also improve the quality of life for a group of patients for whom traditional biomedicine has little in the way of effective diagnosis and treatment.”
Both articles confirm acupuncture has a vital part to play in healthcare and this is true of many other therapies available at Shipston Therapy Centre.

2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of E F Schumacher, author of Small is Beautiful. This is a resource for those interested in their and society’s well-being and ultimately that of the planet they live on.
 Subtitled; ‘A Study of Economics as if People Mattered’ his writing identifies the folly of widespread, unabated commercialism and a profit-orientated society.

Science also comes under scrutiny – 
Schumacher argued that if materialistic scientism grows to dominate science even further then there will be three negative consequences:
    1.  Quality of life will fall, because solutions of quantity are incapable of solving problems of quality.
    2. ‘Science for understanding’ will not develop, because the dominant paradigm will prevent it being treated as a serious subject.
    3. Problems will become insoluble, because the higher powers of man will atrophy through lack of use.


The result of materialistic scientism is that man becomes rich in means and poor in ends with consequential chaos. Present day science continues to be the benchmark by which many endeavours are measured, not least of which is the pursuit of health. ‘Proof of efficacy’ has become the holy grail whilst ignoring the body’s innate, natural intelligence and individuality. Viktor Schauberger, a contemporary of Schumacher, proposed: ‘Man can only imitate nature and, although he attempts to, he cannot ultimately control it.’ Again, the implication is disruption as a result of man’s attempt to manipulate natural forces.
 It’s time to return to the wisdom of Schumacher, Schauberger and other visionaries whose insights have been sidelined in the pursuit of individual or commercial gain.
We owe it to ourselves and to the planet we live off.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with so much negativity around us – globally there are wars, oppression, famine, disease. In the UK the financial crisis lingers on with redundancies, a creaking NHS, ever-fatter cats in finance contrast with the spiraling debt of many followed by repossessions and, for some, homelessness and poverty,

Whilst certainly not making light of what can be desperate circumstances, there are also good things happening – often initiated by a committed few.
The newspaper Positive News reports on UK and International events highlighting the recognition that we’re all in this together. The ethical and indeed moral view is gaining credibility and people are choosing to support the future in more positive, sustainable ways.

Charities, often low key, small scale, do amazing work – Prison Phoenix Trust helps transform the lives of many prisoners and consequently society as a whole. Moxafrica is helping combat drug resistant TB in Africa using low tech and, compared to pharmaceuticals, unbelievably low cost procedures. Practical Action, based on Schumacher’s principals, enables local, low cost, sustainable projects to flourish where costly, hi-tech has failed.

This being Shipston Therapy Centre’s blog it’s timely to mention the benefit so many people gain by choosing to look after their health, naturally. There is an increasing number who prefer to avoid drugs if possible and this is not to say medicines are inherently bad. On the contrary, medical intervention can be life-saving and is of course a relevant part of healthcare.
More often, it is the inappropriate and/or long-term use which results in adverse affects.

However, there is positive news on the medical front: Some medical practitioners are familiar with the value of, for example, acupuncture, homeopathy, Bowen Technique or chiropractic treatments and may refer patients to complementary therapists they know the work of. Also, in recognition of the increasing popularity of other ways to address illness, the Department of Health continues to part-fund the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). This is a voluntary, self-regulatory body ensuring the minimum standards of training and practice of registered therapists.

There is no doubt, times-are-a-changing.

There is increasing evidence, and books, on the subject of the pH (acid/alkaline) level of the body in relation to health. Dr Robert Young and his wife Shelley, authors of The pH Miracle, emphasise the benefit of getting the balance right. An abstract of a review of their book says:

‘Forget cholesterol counts. Forget calories and fat grams. Forget blood pressure, blood sugar, hormone levels or any other markers of health you’re used to hearing about. If you want to lose weight and prevent or reverse diseases like diabetes, heart disease and even cancer, you can follow the guidelines in The pH Miracle.’

The book’s message is that many conditions are caused, or at the very least contributed to, by the body being too acid and that by addressing the acid/alkaline balance we can help prevent further deterioration and subsequently improve health. However, dietary intake is not the only consideration; high stress, poor lifestyle and toxic environment are also major factors in the swing towards acid.

In her book, Green for Life, Victoria Boutenko says daily Green Smoothies are a sure way to improve the body’s pH. Most people are unlikely to be able to eat enough volume of greens but, whizzed in a blender and you get a phenomenally nutritious drink including the vital fibre; which can be lost in juicing.  Whilst the prospect of drinking greens may seem daunting to the beginner; adding  mint, parsley or a small amount of fruit such as banana, strawberries or mango makes it very palatable. Some ‘weeds’ are recognised to have health-benefits for example, adding a few dandelion leaves can boost the nutritional value and young stinging nettle leaves are known for blood-cleansing properties. Too much of most fruits alone is generally thought to be too acid-forming.

Victoria believes that insufficient stomach acid – in contrast to overall body acid/alkaline – is also a cause of many health issues, not only digestion-related but many others too. She finds regular Green Smoothies benefit the action of stomach acid with digestion consequently improving and the body is able to absorb more of the nutrition it takes in.

A month of daily Green Smoothies and my pH moved a whole point towards the ideal of 7.4. Over this period a live blood analysis also identified substantial improvement to blood cell mobility, health and immune function. Cheers to green smoothies.

The number of ways to improve your health continues to increase and consequently the choice expands too.

This is why our Open Day on May 21st, 9 am to 2 pm, is a great opportunity to find out how Complementary Therapies may be able to help you, or someone you know. Some treatments have particularly good results with, for example, back pain whilst others may, perhaps, be more suited to skin conditions and this is the value in identifying what is the most appropriate approach for you and your particular problem.

However, a successful outcome is not just about the therapy. The patient/practitioner relationship plays a major role as well and an informal chat with a therapist can begin to give you a sense of how you would feel working with them.
There is also the chance on the day to ‘try before you buy’ with sample treatments of some therapies available for you to experience.

Shipston Therapy Centre is committed to providing the best possible service to its clients and their ultimate well-being is our prime concern.

New signage

We have had a few other ‘news’ this year – new therapists & a new receptionist have joined us and we have a new name to reflect what is available. Derek, our webmaster, completed our new-look website & encouraged us to enter the world of blogging. Appropriately for Spring, a time of renewal, a new paint job & signs on the front of the property have given us a brighter feel about the place.

Having said all that & accepting that new is generally for the better this is not forgetting what was, & continues to be, fundamental to STC which is our intention to do the very best we can for you.

We have a dedicated group of practitioners & receptionists who aim to look after you & your health. With this in mind you are always welcome to call in or contact us for a free consultation to discuss your individual needs.

We’ll be starting our blog in the next few days