My Love Story With Acupuncture: From Burnout to Balance
Like many people in the UK, I grew up with a very narrow understanding of health. If I had a headache, I took a paracetamol. If I felt anxious or overwhelmed, I just kept going. There was very little thought given to why symptoms showed up or how to live in a way that might prevent them in the first place. It wasn’t until my early thirties, while working in a high-stress advertising job, that everything caught up with me. I was completely burnt out.
One of the most alarming symptoms I was experiencing at the time were intense ectopic heartbeats—loud, pounding irregular thuds that shook my chest every few minutes. It was terrifying. I went to the doctor and was told they could do nothing, except to keep an eye on it in case it caused problems later in life. There was no mention of stress or emotional strain. No questions about how I was coping. That was the moment I turned to acupuncture.
I didn’t know much about it, but something about it felt instinctively right. And that first treatment marked the beginning of a deep and lasting shift. Through acupuncture treatments, I found a kind of calm I hadn’t experienced in years. My mind cleared, my body felt stronger, and those frightening heart palpitations became less and less pronounced. I had stumbled upon a whole new way of seeing health—and life.
That experience sparked my interest. I began reading everything I could about acupuncture: not just the practical benefits, but the underlying philosophy. I discovered that Chinese medicine is not just a therapy—it’s a way of understanding ourselves and the world. It teaches that our health isn’t something to hand over to someone else to fix. It’s something to respect and tend to every day. Through our food, our emotional lives, our ability to respond to stress, our relationship with nature and the seasons.
This growing fascination led me to change my life completely. I left my job and enrolled at the London College of Traditional Acupuncture (LCTA) in the early 2000s. I completed a three-year degree in acupuncture, followed by a further three-year master's in Chinese herbal medicine. This training was thorough, rigorous, and transformative—based on thousands of hours of study and clinical practice.
During that time, I also took part in a clinical study trip to the integrated hospital in Hangzhou, China. This was a real turning point. I saw first-hand how acupuncture and herbal medicine were fully integrated into hospital care. They were used alongside Western medicine across all departments—from orthopaedics to fertility, digestive health, stroke recovery, and beyond. The depth and breadth of how Chinese medicine was applied—and respected—in a mainstream setting was eye-opening.
In China, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sits side-by-side with Western medicine. There are over 3,000 TCM hospitals, and most general hospitals have integrated TCM departments. Chinese medicine is used not just for symptom relief, but as a key part of preventive healthcare. Regular acupuncture is offered to help maintain balance, support mental wellbeing, regulate the menstrual cycle, improve digestion and immunity, and strengthen the body after illness. Herbal medicine plays a similarly vital role—offered in clinics and hospitals for everything from post-viral fatigue to digestive support, menopausal symptoms, respiratory conditions, and complex chronic illnesses.
In the UK, acupuncture arrived in the mid-20th century and has slowly grown in acceptance ever since. Different styles were brought over by various pioneers, and training colleges began to emerge, offering Five-Element, TCM, and classical acupuncture traditions. Today, acupuncture is best known for treating musculoskeletal pain, but it is also increasingly recommended for fertility, stress, anxiety, menopause, insomnia, post-viral recovery, chronic fatigue/ME, digestive issues, menstrual irregularities, adjunct cancer support, and even cardiovascular issues such as palpitations linked to stress and exhaustion. More GPs, fertility specialists, and mental health practitioners are now recognising its value, and research is steadily catching up with what many of us in practice see every day.
But still, many people’s understanding of acupuncture remains limited. It is often seen as a last resort or a tool for back pain—rather than a deeply supportive therapy that can help restore emotional resilience, regulate hormonal cycles, improve sleep, and provide an anchor during stressful life events. Its real beauty, for me, is not just in the treatment itself but in the worldview it offers. A way of living that values balance, daily rituals, joy, nourishment, flow.
Acupuncture is not an alternative. It’s not a placebo. It’s a well-researched, time-tested medical system that has treated millions of people for thousands of years. And it deserves to be taken seriously. If you’ve ever wondered if it could help you—the answer is probably yes. But more than that, it might help you discover a different way of caring for yourself. One that makes space for all of you: body, mind, and spirit.
If you would like to enquire about acupuncture and my other services why don’t you get in contact with me here. I always offer a free 15 minute consultation to see if it might b
ReferencesBritish Acupuncture Council. (n.d.). About acupuncture. https://acupuncture.org.ukWorld Health Organization. (2002). Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002–2005. https://apps.who.intUK Health Research Authority. (2021). Clinical trials involving acupuncture in the UK. https://www.hra.nhs.ukZhao, L. et al. (2019). Effect of acupuncture on pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ.Jiang, Y. et al. (2021). Integrative medicine in China: The role of traditional Chinese medicine in the health care system. The Lancet.MacPherson, H. et al. (2017). Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research. NIHR Journals Library.