About James and his technique
"Calm releases tension, grounding opens your eyes, and to build strength one must be still."
Chinese medicine had been a part of James’s life since the day he was born. His maternal grandfather was a well-known practitioner of Chinese medicine and a Wing Chun martial artist in his town before the Vietnamese war brought him and his family over to England. Bits and pieces of James’ grandfather’s practising knowledge got passed down to his sons and daughters but as no one choose to go into Chinese medicine, the knowledge is very limited and mainly lost to time.
Fortunately, with the passion to follow in his grandfather’s work, James has dedicated his life into the study of Chinese medicine, Taiji Quan, and Qi Gong. James graduated as an Acupuncturist (MSc) from the University of Westminster in 2017 and have been practicing since and alongside this, he has also been practicing Taiji Quan and Qi Gong for over 8 years. His integrated approach is unique because he incorporates the experience from his Taiji Quan and Qi Gong practices into his acupuncture and TuiNa massage. What this results in is a harmony between the very rigid TCM framework and the energy/intuitive methods. With his approach he focuses on the physical and mental aspect at the same time, giving a more holistic and balanced treatment. James has helped multiple patients through mental health distress such as anxiety, depression, muscle aches and pains, and even the cold common. James also has experience in found in Japanese Acupuncture, and Shiatzu.
What to expect in a typical treatment
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
― Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
What to expect in an average session?
Once you are settled into the room, the practitioner will run through a series of questions related to your presenting condition. After this, he will take your pulse and look at your tongue to help piece together a pattern diagnosis. Then, you will be asked to lie down (on your back, front, or side) onto the treatment couch.
The practitioner may palpate your stomach area and your arms and legs, looking for signs of the current state of your health, he may even take your pulse a few more times throughout the treatment. Once a working pattern diagnosis has been decided, he will use a combination of different techniques to either help move stagnant energy or to accumulate energy in your body where there isn’t enough (a stagnation or a deficiency of energy will cause pain and or discomfort). To do this, James will insert up to 8 needles into your body. The needle themselves are single-use, sterile needles that will be discarded into a sharps box after use. The thickness of the needles are very thin (the ones James uses are 0.22mm and 0.25mm diameter and usually are 25mm in length).
The initial session will usually last around 80-90mins with follow up being around 60mins. James will discuss a suitable treatment plan with you and may ask you to come for weekly sessions in 4–6-week blocks. There will be a review at the end of each block to decide whether or not the treatments are benefiting you.
Here is a short video below of James explaining what happens in a treatment.