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The White Willow blog
I write these to answer the questions people ask me in clinic: how acupuncture works, what the research shows, the Five Element seasons and simple things you can do at home.
Showing all 39 articles
Your first Five Element acupuncture appointment, step by step
What happens at your first Five Element acupuncture appointment at White Willow in Coventry, from booking to aftercare. Up to 1.5 hours, £45.
Read →Three Points, Three Moods — What the Quiz Is Really Asking
Why the answer to "what should I press right now" changes depending on the day you're having, and what LR3, ST36 and HT7 are each traditionally used for.
Read →How to choose an acupuncturist in the UK
How to check an acupuncturist in the UK: BAcC membership, PSA Accredited Registers, council skin piercing registration and good questions to ask.
Read →What is cupping? History, sensation and those round marks
Cupping explained: where it comes from, what it feels like, why it leaves round marks, the Phelps photos from Rio 2016 and what the evidence says.
Read →What is moxibustion? Mugwort, warmth and tradition
Moxibustion explained: the mugwort herb behind it, how it is used in Chinese medicine, what the research says and the safety points worth knowing.
Read →Gua sha explained: the tool, the tradition and the marks
What gua sha is, where it comes from, why it leaves red 'sha' marks, and what a small 2007 study found about blood flow in the skin.
Read →What is Qi? A plain-English guide to a tricky word
Qi is the central idea in Chinese medicine, yet it has no neat English translation. Here is what it traditionally means and why it's so hard to pin down.
Read →Tongue and pulse: how a Chinese medicine practitioner observes you
Why an acupuncturist looks at your tongue and feels your pulses, and how Five Element practice also notices colour, sound, odour and emotion.
Read →Acupuncture myths and facts: round two
Are acupuncture needles like injection needles? Are they reused? Is acupuncture only for pain? Do you have to undress? Clear answers from UK sources.
Read →Acupuncture in Coventry: a local guide
Coventry's link to J.R. Worsley, how to check a local acupuncturist, and what to expect at an appointment-only home clinic in Alderman's Green.
Read →Does acupuncture hurt? An honest answer
The question I'm asked most, answered honestly: what the needles are like, what you'll feel, and what treatment is really like.
Read →Three common acupuncture myths
Do you have to believe in it? Is it only for pain? Do the needles go in deep? Three things people often assume about acupuncture.
Read →What NICE says about acupuncture
What NICE guidance actually says about acupuncture for chronic primary pain (NG193), tension-type headache and migraine (CG150), explained simply.
Read →Is acupuncture safe?
What a large 2001 BMJ study of 34,407 treatments found about acupuncture safety, the common minor side effects, and what to tell me before treatment.
Read →Acupuncture and tension-type headache: the Cochrane review
What the 2016 Cochrane review by Linde and colleagues found about acupuncture for preventing frequent tension-type headache, including its limits.
Read →Acupuncture and migraine prevention: the Cochrane review
What the 2016 Cochrane review found about acupuncture for preventing episodic migraine, compared with usual care, sham needling and preventive drugs.
Read →Acupuncture for chronic back and neck pain: the evidence
A clear look at the Vickers individual patient data meta-analyses on acupuncture for chronic back and neck pain, and how big the effects really are.
Read →Spring: the season of Wood
What Chinese medicine says about spring and the Wood element, with the Huangdi Neijing's advice for the season in Paul Unschuld's translation.
Read →Summer: the season of Fire
Summer in Chinese medicine: the Fire element, joy and warmth, and what the Huangdi Neijing advises for the season in Unschuld's translation.
Read →Late summer: the season of Earth, the fifth season
Why Chinese medicine has five seasons, how late summer and the Earth element fit in, and what the Huangdi Neijing says about them.
Read →Winter: the season of Water
Winter in Chinese medicine: the Water element, rest and storing, and the Huangdi Neijing's advice for the season in a named English translation.
Read →The Chinese body clock explained
The Chinese body clock links each two-hour slot of the day with an organ. What the tradition says, where it comes from and how it differs from science.
Read →The emotions in Five Element acupuncture
Anger, joy, sympathy, grief and fear: how the Five Element tradition links each emotion with an element, and why every one has a healthy place.
Read →Autumn: the season of Metal
In Five Element acupuncture, autumn belongs to Metal: breathing in, and letting go. A few simple ways to support yourself this season.
Read →How to do acupressure at home
A simple guide to acupressure at home: how firmly to press, how long to hold, who should take care, points to avoid in pregnancy and the PC6 wrist point.
Read →Simple breathing for a calmer day
A slow, simple breathing practice you can do anywhere, what research says about slow breathing and heart rate variability, and the Metal element tradition.
Read →Looking after yourself after acupuncture
Simple aftercare following acupuncture, based on NHS and BAcC information: rest, food, alcohol, exercise, driving, and handling bruising or tiredness.
Read →Facial acupuncture: what it is and what to expect
A plain guide to facial acupuncture: what happens, how it feels, what the research does and doesn't show, safety and aftercare.
Read →Micro-needling explained: what it is and who it suits
What micro-needling (collagen induction therapy) involves, how it's thought to work, what UK sources say, downtime, aftercare and who shouldn't have it.
Read →Ötzi the Iceman's tattoos: early acupuncture or something else?
A 1999 Lancet paper linked Ötzi the Iceman's 5,300-year-old tattoos to acupuncture points. Here is what it said, and why scholars remain cautious.
Read →A short history of acupuncture: from the Neijing to Coventry
How acupuncture travelled from ancient Chinese texts to 17th-century Europe, a 1971 New York Times story, and J.R. Worsley in Coventry and Leamington.
Read →Food in Chinese medicine: an old tradition of eating with the seasons
How traditional Chinese medicine thinks about food: warming and cooling foods, the five flavours and seasonal eating, alongside NHS healthy-eating advice.
Read →Why do we get knots in our muscles after injury?
What muscle 'knots' or trigger points are, why the science is still debated, sensible self-care, and where acupuncture fits for neck and back pain.
Read →Exploring the Five Spirits in Chinese medicine: Shen, Hun, Po, Yi and Zhi
An introduction to the Five Spirits of classical Chinese medicine, where they come from in the old texts and how they link to the Five Elements.
Read →A ten-minute acupressure wind-down for midlife self-care
A gentle evening acupressure and breathing routine you can do at home: a calm ten minutes for yourself, with simple safety notes.
Read →Kickstart your weekend with acupressure: relaxing after a busy week
A simple Friday-evening acupressure and breathing routine to help you switch off after a busy week, with easy steps and safety notes.
Read →Five Element acupuncture: a personalised approach
What Five Element acupuncture is, where it came from (including its Coventry roots), how a practitioner assesses you and what treatment involves.
Read →Acupuncture, stress and wellbeing: what the research does and doesn't say
Acupuncture and mental wellbeing: what the Cochrane review found, why NICE doesn't recommend it for depression, and what to expect.
Read →Acupuncture research: some notable findings, and their limits
A tour of notable acupuncture studies on chronic pain, migraine and how needling might work, and the limits of what they show.
Read →Nothing matches that yet. Try another word, or ask me.
The Five Seasons letter
A short letter at the start of each season
Five emails a year, one as each Five Element season begins: what the season asks of you, simple self-care, a seasonal acupressure point and anything new from the clinic. No spam, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Step by step
Your journey with White Willow
Ready to book, or just have a question?
Call or WhatsApp me. There's no obligation, and no question is too small.
By appointment only. Daytime, evening and weekend appointments: Mondays and Thursdays all day and evening, other days by arrangement, including late clinics.
Still deciding? No pressure, ask me anything first. 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel or change a time.