The Locations of Pathogenic Emotions
The Locations of Pathogenic Emotions Have you ever had an unexplainable pain? A seemingly random pain that has no obvious cause? Oftentimes it is quite clear what has caused us a pain, be it a hammer on a thumb or maybe a repetitive tennis stroke, but sometimes the cause is not at first so apparent. …
Here Be More Dragons
Here Be More Dragons The energetic arts of ancient China have become so popular in recent years that there is barely a village hall up and down the country that doesn’t hold a class of some kind of Tai Chi or Qi gong. Clearly many people in the West are seeking something other than …
Thoughts on Thoughts
Thoughts on Thoughts Where do our thoughts come from? The current Western scientific understanding is that they come from firing neurons within the brain. However it has relatively recently been discovered that the heart also has its own neurons, so do some of our thoughts come from the heart? What about the intestines? …
Here Be Dragons
Here Be Dragons The ancient Chinese were very astute students of nature. From the movements of the celestial bodies to the characteristic movements of animals, they acutely observed every aspect that makes up reality and came to the realisation that all these things were connected. This can be seen most clearly in the Chinese zodiac …
The Human Chemical Factory
The Human Chemical Factory The human body is the most complex and sophisticated chemical factory on Earth. There are around 37 trillion cells within the human body and each one of those hosts around a billion chemical reactions per second. That means around 37 billion trillion biochemical reactions are taking place in our bodies every …
Aldi’s Magic Aisle
Aldi’s ‘Magic’ Aisle Nothing epitomises the modern consumerist culture better than Aldi’s middle aisle. Piled high with a random selection of cheap, plastic goods from China, this aisle is every bargain hunters dream. Unfortunately however, the journey from the Far East to a landfill site in the UK is probably a swift but ecologically …
A Path with Heart
A Path with Heart “All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. … But does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long …
Returning of the Spirit
Returning of the Spirit The first question I usually ask when I meet a new client is ‘Have you ever had acupuncture before?’ You might think that the answer would be a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, but there is in fact a large grey area in between. For example, a person might say that …
A Mind Beyond Words
A Mind Beyond Words As an acupuncturist working in Glastonbury, amongst the usual back pains and headaches, I occasionally come across a story that is truly extraordinary. I had one of these cases recently and I have been given permission to share it with you all. A few weeks back a client came to see …
Glastonbury and the Path of Devotion
Glastonbury and the Path of Devotion Even though I am now a veteran of over thirty Glastonbury festivals, I can still safely say that the place never ceases to amaze me. It’s rare that I’ll find myself at any of the main stages as the best stuff is usually found hidden away and this …