Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing developed over thousands of years as part of the traditional medicine of China, Japan and other Eastern countries.

It has evolved into a system of medicine that restores and maintains health by the insertion of fine needles into acupuncture points just below the surface of the skin.

The aim of acupuncture is to treat the whole patient and restore the balance between the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual. Since all illness is considered the result of an imbalance of energy, treatment can benefit almost any ill person, as long as the degeneration process in the tissues of the body is not too extensive.

An acupuncturist may be consulted by people with specifics symptoms or conditions such as pain, anxiety, arthritis, eczema, sports injuries, hayfever, asthma, migraine, high blood-pressure, menstrual disorders or intestinal problems. Many people also have acupuncture as a preventative treatment or because they feel unwell in themselves, but are not ‘ill’ in the Western sense.

Francois de Menthon, BA; BAc; Clin. Cert (China); M.BAcC Graduated in 1982 from a 3-year full-time course at the International College of Oriental Medicine. He spent 5 weeks in China in 1986 on a post-graduate Intensive Clinical Course. He is past president of the Register of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and has been a senior lecturer and academic board member at the London School of Acupuncture for over 10 years. Francois enjoys working as a general practitioner of Chinese medicine, treating a wide range of conditions, and has a special interest in treating children, skin conditions, M.E., and chronic migraines. As far as possible he believes in close co-operation with the other therapies at the Beechwood Practice.