A patient suffered painful neck, shoulders, back and legs for years. Her "natural" posture slanted left with right foot always "up". This 30mm imbalance sets up spinal, shoulder, hip, leg, foot aches. Some doctor`s painkiller drugs might help for a few days, so finally she came to me for hands-on treatment as a remedy.
Chinese TCM / Shiatsu gives no drugs; intense pressure on the Acupoints so she now walks better and in less pain. Chinese TCM is not for every health problem, but if you`ve seen your physio, GP doctor or even an expensive consultant expert for years without success - why not try something different? In some cases, I welcome patients who have started to lose hope about their musculo-skeletal pains and injuries.
Many doctors and physios now “see” their patients remotely on ZOOM PC or iPhone meetings, then give painkiller drugs for (say) agonizing backache. This may not work as they miss the true cause of the aches. This week I see my patient, face-to-face, then lie them on the plinth. Why they suffer painful bad neck, shoulders, back, legs and hips can be that they are lop-sided in posture. Patients need to straighten out their spines and as attached limbs make them lean to one side, something they may not be aware all their lives.
Here a sideways slant created spinal, back and hip pains that go back years. Using hands-on Chinese TCM / Shiatsu on their body acupoints, I do my best to "straighten out" slanted spines all the time. This reduces the pain and the slanted pressure on one side. Over following weeks, I get them less lop-sided so their posture can return to the vertical and suffer less daily pain.
I often advise my patients to go outside and take a fresh breath. Go out and see someone new - or very old. Still, if I said I was being stalked by a 30m long monster, maybe I`m not that wrong. Fern the diplodocus hung around 160m years ago in the Jurassic period. For an old gal, she`s sprightly enough to hang over me in south Kensington on one of my rare days off from work.
Sorrel: This is a very useful plant that has many culinary uses, adding several health benefits to your daily diet. While it`s a spinach cousin and a good source of vitamins A & C, minerals in it abound like: iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Sorrel`s antioxidant and diuretic properties are said to clean the body, while further claims are it reinforces your immunity, digestive and heart functions. Try it out as in Sorrel soup that I`m eating!
A patient P came in severe back pain (Sciatica) to my CCS London hospital clinic for urgent treatment. He`d came in hobbling crouched down, and in agony despite Painkiller (PK) drugs. I felt his acupoints were "stuck" while muscles were locked in pain. So, with body manipulation and pressure on the acupoints, I set relieving his pains. Good news: after 60mins intensive Chinese TCM and Shiatsu treatment, I succeeded in releasing 66% of his Sciatica pain so he could walk away rather pain-free.
Now, 9 months on, despite occasional pains, he`s walking and cycling without agony, but can wake up with morning back pains. Realistically, with TCM / Shiatsu he needs a remedial treatment (say) every 2-3 weeks (depending on Sciatica severity). But, he`s taken this route to better health, instead of suffering most of his life in pain. He continues to work pain-free, not walking hunchback or taking any drug painkillers - that`s real progress.
When treating patients while using Chinese TCM medicine, we always work on the whole person. If you just give patients drugs and surgery, you’re unlikely to heal them holistically. We treat the entire person, so there`s lots to examine and to fix using the Mind, Body and Spirit (MBS) schema. Healing, health and even happiness are what we`re trying to give. I`m very glad to receive my 50th five-star Google review from happy patients.
This news came on my website yesterday from a patient K who I treated 3 times so far. She revisits painful trauma from childhood and family and ex-boyfriends. This is what she said about my treatments so far.
As Chinese professional medical staff working on human beings, we tend to understand the idea of a person being a complex union or balance of Mind, Body and Spirit (MBS). Western medicine is starting to realize that there are real limits to hard pharmaceutical drugs and surgery in medical effectiveness, and some modern techniques damage this MBS balance. If you want to discuss this subject with me and see how it links to the Chinese acupoints on your body and mind, please feel free to arrange a treatment.
It`s been my honour this week to treat Scott Davidoff of USA in my clinic. He`s been on ATP and WTA tennis since 2002, coaching players to win over 10 Grand Slam tournament titles. Scott has served as Olympic coach in 2008 and 2012 (India), and 2016 (China) teaching the next generation of international tennis players and champions. I have been most happy to help him out with relief on his sports aches and injuries using my Chinese TCM and Shiatsu hand-on healing methods.
Acupuncture points to use when feeling Throat pains or lost voice.
Sore throat, difficulty breathing, loss of voice are problems that people commonly experience. I find acupoints TB-17 & SI-17 are useful for treating throat pains, tension or throat/ voice issues. I found the patient too tense and needing my finger pressure on the acupoints to lower nervous Qi energy and lessen muscle tension calming him down. In addition, he has Kyphosis or a Spine leaning forward 15 degrees too far - this increases the neck weight falling down, so neck muscles tense up around the throat, almost strangling him. I open up the TB & SI meridians, lowering neck pain, clearing the throat and opening up the larynx, enabling the patient to speak more readily so he can restart his normal social and family life.
Papa said that you grow older and get injured or plain "rusty", it`s time to unblock your body stiffness and pains. Chinese TCM or Shiatsu applies pressure on targeted acupoints to
relieve blood or Qi blockages. Chinese TCM medical applications work to unblock the blood and fluid circulation system whenever the blockages hurt your bone joints, ligaments/ tendons or muscles.
People rarely ask their GP doctor the harmful risks of side-effects in prescription drugs. As a Chinese TCM doctor, I see the dangers patients face taking too many prescription medications by feeling their internal organs “hardened” or “stuck” during my examination. Sadly, medical drugs may have unpredicted bad effects on another disease or ailment that a patient already has. Ironically, the healthcare medication efforts can make the patient a drug-addict or very ill. The complex doctor-patient interactions and hospital politics in getting instant health progress evidence can lead to unrealistic demands and more drastic medications.
By luck or fate, I deal with a lot of older people suffering with multiple chronic conditions. One last week was prescribed 10 medications to manage each ailment or disease; another was given 19 different drugs. Assuming one pill per day, that`s 700 tablets p.a he`d been prescribed for 20 years; so 14,000 pills. Successive doctors don`t seem to strike drugs off, or to reduce dosage; sometimes seeing little progress on a disease, they give the patient more drugs. Paradoxically, additional medications may be prescribed to counter the harmful effects of their current drugs, which worsened the problem. I never prescribe drugs in Chinese TCM, although I know some work. It`s just that we need to realize that a useful "go to" drug can have real limitations and occasional harmful side-effects. Remember your body has limits!
Now and then very distressed people come to me seeking help in my Chinese TCM Shiatsu clinic. Mostly it`s about releasing pent-up work & family tension/stress. Contrary to Western mental stress management, I apply Chinese techniques on their acupoints, so this will be Stomach, Spleen, Bladder, Gall Bladder and Liver meridians. It`s painstaking 60mins treatment work on her acupoints using fingers to release from deep inside the work/family stress and angst. Modern life, sadly, can be complicated and costly at its worst - though I find, Shiatsu fingers work releasing her deep tensions. She`s now calm and confident; although she will return to me in a week`s time. After all, she`s a decent hard-working woman with family, and she deserves all the Chinese TCM non-drugs help towards better health.
Today a high pressured business woman thanked me for finally getting her a good night sleep, and fixing her bad back - I shot her husband. Seriously, there are some very useful acupoints to employ in the Chinese Tcm and Shiatsu treatments to heal the body and mind.
"Guardiola`s trusted surgeon explains rise in ACL injuries" BBC Sport 19 February 2025. The rise in anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the Premier League this season is linked to players competing in more games, says Pep Guardiola`s trusted knee surgeon Dr Ramon Cugat..... Dr Cugat told BBC Sport there is "no single cause, but rather a set of situations that increase the probability of injury". Footballers spend months running at high speed, then making sudden maneuvers and inevitable having a crash with a defender`s tackle.
Although surgery may be recommended, I`ve been working with similar knee injuries over 23 years without giving surgery or painkiller drugs, but applying pressure on acupoint BL-40 amongst others. Chinese TCM & Shiatsu usually works on pain-relief, and encouraging blood flow to refresh the injured body parts. I`d advise the patient to take a few weeks off if necessary to let the body recover. Sadly, with professional footballers being worth dozens of €millions, this is something that a football club wishes to select - a quick return to important football games is more likely. There you have it, while Chinese TCM may be closer to the health needs of the patient, it won`t be necessarily in line with the professional football club`s strategies.
So, in over 23 years experience, I tend to view the healthcare world of excessive painkillers, antibiotics and drugs as a sad one. We take another dozen painkillers or tablets to please the boss and carry on. But, with some of my patients continuing with severe back pain, it`s fairly obvious painkillers are not working. Plus side-effects: bad sleep, high stress and bad digestion come into play.
The 60mins intensive Chinese TCM-Shiatsu treatment on her head, back and hips is more like First Aid, she`s now able to relax and walk. I pressed her mainly on GB-30 and BL acupoints, plus Sacral-Iliac hip joint (SIJ) to reduce nerve pains. Good health is not ignoring body`s pain warnings - deliberate blindness will cause you more damage. Act on them!
The new moon comes Wednesday, so that marks Chinese New Year on 29 January 2025. This marks the start of the Year of the Snake. With 2025, the "Five Element Stem" is Wood (i.e. Green), so those born in 2025 may be termed ‘Wooden Snake’ people.
The Snake person is not intrinsically an evil or dangerous animal as may be viewed in the West. Snake people are not sinister and intimidating, but powerful and insightful as well as positive-minded. These are encouraging traits for leaders who say: "Let`s get this business moving now." While the Wooden side also allows flexibility and wily compromise: "And get him/her on our side in this project too." Those born in winter months or climes may be viewed as more shy and quiet, as cold weather makes reptiles hibernate. A Wooden Snake can engender a complex personality, so that`s a trait that some can view externally as enigmatic or downright bizarre.
The optimistic people will view the Wooden Snake year as a good one for promoting projects with growth. Positive snake personalities fortified with inner drive will show leadership skills early. But, when challenged with real-life problem and pressure, Snakes get disheartened and confused. Nevertheless, Snakes believe 2025 will bring luck and success in in job/ career; while love (and relationships) blossom under Snake charm. Snakes generally understand the key salient points in project or problem, and make decisions to address these issues. Wooden Snake work setups encourage meetings with insight and positive results. This is why Snake people can create opportunities and open projects.
The Wooden Snake calls the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals to take on planning, growth, transformation, with a spot of personal introspection and then building good relationships. How that pans out remains to be witnessed. Happy Chinese New Year!
