The Big C: Introducing Lee

This Friday sees the launch of Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Morning and I for one will be supporting this very worthy cause!

Whilst Acupuncture and conventional medicine sit side by side beautifully in most instances, Cancer is the one medical condition where Western Medicine actively embraces this ancient Chinese therapy, particularly in the latter stages of the illness. 

At this time, the emphasis is more towards emotional healing and support, both for the sufferer and for their loved ones, to help them face the next stage with courage and dignity.

Over the next few blogs I will be recounting my experience earlier this year in treating a patient with terminal cancer. It was a very emotional journey for all concerned - for the patient himself, for his loved ones and for myself, as I'm sure you can imagine. But it was also a real honour and a privilege to be involved in the latter stages of this man's life, and it is with his Partner's very kind permission that I am able to share this experience with others. Cancer is a disease that will touch a good many people's lives, be it sufferers, survivors or carers - and I for one will be forever humbled by my experience. We can all certainly learn from the tales of others.

Above all, by re-telling his story, my patient's legacy will  live on - and his life will not have been in vain, even though sadly it was all too short.

This Baby's not for Turning ...or is it?

"Baby's presentation is breech and will need to be turned manually for best chances of a normal delivery."

These are words that few Mums-to-be want to hear (especially first time Mums).

Five Element Acupuncture sits beautifully alongside Western Medicine, but at certain times the ancient art really comes up trumps. The turning of breech or transversely-presented babies is a prime example.

Babies naturally can be very mobile in the womb - it sometimes feel as if they are doing cartwheels! But from around 32 weeks or as space begins to become restricted, Baby should adopt a head down position for majority of time. From 35 weeks onwards, there is relatively little room for manoeuvre and turning Baby manually can be a very worrying and uncomfortable procedure for Mum, and often requires some fairly hefty drugs for relaxation.

Five Element Acupuncture offers a safe, drug-free and painless alternative, which happens to be the preferred approach by some Midwives. It involves the use of  the herb Moxa, which is used to warm a specific acupuncture point on each foot. It is not even necessary to use needles on these points, although further gentle needling would be offered as it would give a beneficial boost to Mum's constitution, can help with relaxation and also to alleviate anxiety or fear.

Mum is then sent away with a Moxa stick so that the treatment can be carried on at home by Mum's birthing partner. If there is sufficient room and no physical restrictions (eg Baby caught up by cord) then Baby will turn - it usually takes a few days.

Moxa treatment (but using different acupuncture points) is also useful for starting off labour if Baby is full term or overdue. Again, this avoids the use of drugs commonly used to induce labour and also encourages Mum's birthing partner to become actively involved at an early stage.

The End (Of the Summer Holidays) is Nigh .... Hooray?

For many with school-aged little darlings, it's seven days to go - and counting - before the start of the new term. Others need only wait until next Monday or Tuesday before breathing a sigh of relief as the house finally becomes silent again.. Thankfully, it did actually feel as if we had a proper summer this year, but sadly these care-free, heady days must come to an end and the reality of school, work and daily routine kick in once more.
Picture this - first day back at school, a flurry of activity, lunchboxes, new shoes and gym bags - and there's a new stress to the day because we've got out of the habit of getting out of the door on time. School run completed, here's betting there'll be many a Mum or Dad who will be sitting, staring into their coffee cup at home or at work, who will be completely overwhelmed by the wave of sheer exhaustion and relief as it hits them. Will this be you?
Whilst many kids apparently have boundless energy, the same cannot usually be said of Mum and Dad. Much of their energy will have been expended in directing and containing their children's energy over the past six weeks, and so by now Mum and Dad (and often Nanny, Grandad and and childminders too) are close to running on empty.
Children can be very demanding - bored children even more so, and it is down to the care giver to see that their needs are met as best they can. But continually giving from an empty 'pot' can be very damaging, leaving the carer feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, resentful and very out of sorts. And so it is vitally important that we take time out to re-charge, to replenish ourselves and to re-fill our 'pot of giving'.
Five Element Acupuncture is a wonderfully relaxing, safe and drug-free approach to re-charging those physical and emotional batteries. All school holiday survivors deserve to treat themselves - and when the dust finally settles, what better opportunity?
www.jobanthorpe.co.uk

What's Troubling Us?

Are we living in a troubled society?

A chance encounter the other week with someone who worked in UCS Admissions threw up an interesting fact.

The big eye opener for me came when I asked which courses were trending at the moment. About five years ago, apparently it was any IT/computer software-related courses which were hugely over-subscribed. According to my source on the inside, courses in psychology and social work are currently the most sought after, at least here in Suffolk.

So what message is this sending us, I asked?

My source thought that many students were signing up to these courses to self-diagnose and to try to sort out the problems in their own lives. But she stressed that this is absolutely NOT what these courses are about although students' expectations seem to be very different - this quickly leads to dissatisfaction and consequently a high drop-out rate.

Worrying times then when the youth of today has seemingly amassed so many of life's problems at a such an early stage - but actually, it is a really good sign that they are taking steps to seek solutions to address their emotional issues. Doing nothing is never a good option - movement and action are steps in the right direction, but it appears perhaps that youngsters are looking for help in the wrong place.

Why Choose Acupuncture?

Acupuncture comes to many people's mind as an alternative means of managing acute or chronic pain, or of trying to alleviate physical symptoms of their medical condition, and often when conventional medicine has failed to meet expectations. However, Five Element Acupuncture is an extremely effective therapy in helping to address a patient’s emotional issues as well as their physical ones.

At certain times in our lives, and often for no apparent reason, we may find ourselves feeling disorientated, overwhelmed or unhappy. We may have difficulty in coping and would really benefit from a little extra help. Five Element Acupuncture therapy offers a safe, drug-free, non-judgemental approach which facilitates and supports the patient’s movement through a period of transition.

Specific episodes in our lives can contribute to this feeling of ‘being out of sorts’, ‘not my old self’ or having ‘lost my way in life’. These episodes may be recent or historical but include such things as:

Relationship breakdown
Bereavement
Physical/emotional/sexual abuse
Traumatic child birth (especially prolonged or very quick labour)
Termination, Miscarriage or failed IVF
Menopause
Prolonged stress
Exam pressures
Children leaving home
Family/work disharmony
Lack of motivation/achievement
Post-operative stress/recovery
Palliative support

Jo Banthorpe is a Five Element Acupuncturist practising in Ipswich and would be happy to discuss your health concerns in strictest confidence - www.jobanthorpe.co.uk