Tried & Tested Japanese-Style Acupuncture

An Article published in "Brighton Rocks" Magazine

Japanese-style acupuncture, says practitioner Joy (Woolf) Carol, is "based on the Chinese classics of 2,500 years ago - with some fine tuning and refinement." Like contemporary Chinese acupuncture, needles are used to free up qi (chi) and move it through the body. Japanese needles tend to be finer and gentler, enabling more points to be targeted in a session with less pain. I've chosen to see Joy, a member of the British Acupuncture Society, for repetitive strain injury and acid reflux disease. Five years of editing books and years of gluten intolerance has left me tired and unwilling to exercise. I've had success with Chinese acupuncture before, particularly with laser acupuncture, but I haven't heard of Japanese-style so I'm not sure what to expect.

"Some people come originally because they don't feel in harmony with themselves," says Joy, who treats patients with infertility, cardiovascular disease and insomnia, among other conditions. Joy uses needling, direct-thread moxa (warm wax applied with antiburn cream), tiger warming (a wand with incense inside) and cupping. My session with Joy begins with a friendly introduction. She gives me some water and asks me to fill in a client history. Afterwards she asks me about the details I've recorded - illnesses, operations and medications - and adds in more notes as we talk. She takes my pulse, and looks at my eyes and tongue. The acupuncture begins with me lying on my back. Joy asks me to roll up my trousers and the sleeves of my shirt. She begins with needles in my left hand, then right. I am surprised at how faint they feel. I am used to feeling more pain, particularly at physiotherapy acupuncture sessions for RSI. Joy probes as she works, asking for feedback about which are the more painful acupressure points. She puts needles around my abdomen or hara. There is a point towards my right ovary that is the most painful so far. "This is linked to the liver," Joy tells me. She then does my legs and feet. There are few points below my left knee that I react to. These are apparently linked to the stomach and my acid reflux. Joy finishes with an acupuncture needle in my third eye. It has fantastic effect. She dims the light and leaves me to relax for ten minutes.

The session ends with me lying on my front. Joy probes a number of acupressure points back before selecting where to put the needles. "The back has half of the points," she tells me. "There are major meridians from head to toe." Joy places a number of needles in my upper back, which "work on balancing the emotions". We finish up and Joy encourages me to drink water after the session to ground me and remove toxins. I go home, dim the lights and cook a little food. After turning off all the computers in the house, I go to bed early.

Verdict?

Highly recommended. AE