Integrated acupuncture

Integrated acupuncture draws on the various systems of acupuncture within Chinese medicine, balancing them according to need.

The body has a wonderful ability to heal itself. To encourage this self-healing, integrated acupuncture first assesses what is ‘out of balance’ and ‘blocked’ and then makes small but powerful adjustments with the least amount of intervention possible.

There is no single right way to care for a person’s health. We are complex and require an open-minded approach that considers all the angles. The net of knowledge may be cast wide but the focus on the person always remains absolute.

Understanding and treatment

The nature of holistic therapy is to look at the whole picture of someone’s health. Focusing care upon the particular needs of the individual, my treatments effectively integrate Five-Element and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) theory while also embracing the wider influences on a person’s health and wellbeing.

The Five-Element style of treatment is entirely holistic, focusing on the person. Its purpose is to understand the core of a person’s identity and spirit, bringing balance and strength to where they are most needed.

TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) theory gives us the tools to manage symptoms, focus on the muscular skeletal system and work against pathogens. 

When combined together these approaches provide an integrated system able to treat a full range of symptoms – everything is on the table so to speak. When we understand the full picture then we can balance accordingly.

  • Most of the time the symptoms we experience are an outward expression of inner disharmony. Integrated acupuncture looks on symptoms not just as problems that need solving but as the clues that lead to the core of the problem. These we call the ‘root causes’. 

  • A root cause may be anything from a feature of a person’s physical constitution to the result of a trauma. Treatments are aimed at gaining insight into the underlying terrain of these root causes by discovering the different aspects of a person’s being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. 

    Along with considering patterns, acupuncture technique is used to manage symptoms and treat root causes, delivering a treatment that works on a deeper level, thereby having a more lasting effect.

  • We all carry patterns of behaviour that don’t serve us well. They play a part in the cycle of instability we find ourselves locked into. Discovering what these patterns are is also important to treatment.

    Patterns usually originate in our early experiences as children. They may also come from our parents who in turn may have inherited their patterns of behaviour from their parents and so on. 

    Treatment can help us to overcome our hurdles, giving strength and courage to someone who wants to make positive changes in their life.

  • Acupuncture itself is the use of ultra-fine needles to connect with the energy of the body and to bring about a change in its flow. By using diagnosis and clinical skill, energy can be increased or decreased depending on the needs of the body. 

    As a result, your ability to heal yourself is activated. Acupuncture may be supplemented by hands-on therapy when appropriate.

Your health

Chinese medicine is a comprehensive system where the emotional well-being of a person is a pivotal part of their physical health.

Understanding that the mind is inseparable from the body means that feelings of anxiety and depression or other mental/emotional conditions are treated at the same time as working on the body’s health. We stop seeing these matters as disconnected and move towards a unified picture.

An individual’s personal story is therefore also relevant here. Navigating and resolving problems that occur in our lives requires inner strength and a sense of connection that acupuncture will work to build. Personally, I am often motivated to seek treatment when something feels stuck in my life, when I’ve hit a wall and can’t seem to find my way through without help. 

By getting to know the flow of energy in someone’s system we can remedy all manner of conditions and problems by returning the system to its most ‘balanced’ state. This approach to ‘balance’ in acupuncture can be specifically useful for working on symptoms such as pain, headaches, arthritis, allergies, infertility and insomnia to name a few.

  • ‘I first reached out to seek help from Henry in late 2024 with a chronic skin issue across my whole body that I’d been trying to resolve for 3 years. After trying everything, shower head filters, diet changes, allergy tests, cleaner diet, seeking help from doctors, nothing was helping.

    ‘Henry was the first person I’d dealt with in all that time whom I felt truly listened to me and genuinely cared to find the root cause of what was causing inflammation in my body. From the get go I was at ease around Henry, he has an incredibly calming energy that instantly makes you feel comforted, safe and listened to. He helped me to uncover emotions I didn’t realise were held stagnant and addressing those alongside acupuncture has helped restore harmony in my body enabling it to detox properly.

    ‘Since summer 2025 my skin has been clearer and feeling healthier than ever. I’ve received more care and learnt more about my body and what’s going on internally working with Henry, than I have ever dealing with any health care professional.’

    Shenna, Frome

  • ‘I started going to see Henry during a period of my life when I felt very emotionally stuck and frustrated. He very quickly highlighted areas that needed work and I felt a dramatic shift in energy following the first couple of sessions, I even found myself having a fit of unrestrained giggles during our first treatment!

    ‘Henry is immensely intuitive and his grounding and connection to the seasons and how they relate to the human constitution gives him direct insight into overcoming energy blocks and potentially negative behavioural patterns.

    ‘Life has changed as a result of this highly enlightening and ancient medicine, I can’t endorse Five-Element treatment and Henry’s unique approach highly enough.’

    Will, London

Get in touch

Please get in touch if you’re interested and would like to have a free short consultation. Sometimes trying something new is daunting and I’m always very happy to introduce the work and what treatment could look like for you.

I am based in Frome, at The Practice.

Please see below for booking your session in Frome.

I also have monthly sessions available in central Bridport and Hoxton Square, London. Please contact me directly to book in either of those locations.

hg5element@gmail.com
+44 (0)7738 556 459

 

The Practice Frome
2a Market Place
Bath Street
Frome, Somerset
BA11 1AG

Special circumstances

For some, it is often hard to afford the cost of living and that means money for treatment may be scarce.

I have a commitment to providing affordable treatment to those who are unemployed or on low-incomes. Contact me and let me know your situation and we can work something out.

Logo of the Association of Acupuncture Clinicians with stylized waves and the organization's name.
British Acupuncture Federation logo with blue text and logo design
Logo of the Acupuncture Regulatory Authority with a blue check mark integrated into the letter A in 'ARA'