The Healing & Acupuncture College
January 2010 News
Hi Everyone,
The Healing and Acupuncture College are really pleased to be moving to our own premises later this month (25th). The location is great, right outside Hove railway station which is just 64 minutes direct from Victoria. There are regular busses & trains from Brighton, a taxi rank, and parking available either at the station car park (free on Sundays), the council car park in Norton Rd, or in a pay and display bay.
Our self contained unit comprises part of a larger building called Ralli Hall. To find us look for the big Esso sign next to the station, we are the black door immediately opposite. We have 2 main rooms, a kitchen area and 2 toilets. Having our own place will enable us to offer more flexibility, more short courses and of course a place to offer acupuncture treatment. We also hope to offer more facilities for students such as evening point location classes, discussion and supervision groups and opportunities for observation. If you have any other ideas please let us know.
The treatment room will also be available when we are not using it for anyone practising any kind of alternative healthcare. Many practitioners are finding it tight in the current economic situation and it seems there is a need for flexibility. So we are initially offering use of the treatment room on an hourly basis at £7.50hour. We can also offer one or two rooms for people wishing to run courses. For more details or if you have any questions or ideas contact Jamie on 07985244358 or e mail on the link below.
The Healing and Acupuncture College, Ralli Hall, 81 Denmark Villas, Hove BN3 3TH
May 2009 News
The newsletter name: "Effective Acupuncture" reflects the values and ethos of the Healing and Acupuncture College. Our main interest and focus is on acupuncture that is safe, effective and helps people. Our guide and source of evaluation is simple: what the patients say.
Stacey Beckitt on Sun Damage & Using Supplements:
Natural sunlight is essential to maintaining good health, it improves our mood and helps to avoid conditions such as depression and seasonal affected disorder. It's a great source of vitamin D and allows the absorption of vitamin D3 calciferol which is essential for strong teeth and bones. The balance between enjoying the sun and protecting ourselves from sun damage is crucial for our health and for looking our best and it is estimated that we only need 10 minutes of unprotected sun exposure every day in order to obtain an adequate amount of vitamin D3. So if we wish to stay in the sun for longer than that it is important to protect ourselves.
Too much sun can have detrimental effects and age us prematurely. In fact it is difficult to think of anything which ages the appearance of women faster than excessive exposure to sunlight. This is especially true at a
time when environmental factors have exposed us to larger amounts of UV
radiation. By now we should all be aware of the
dangers of too much sun exposure and sunlamps (dont do it!) and most people know it’s a good idea to use a
sunscreen. What is not so widely known is that there are other things we can do such as having acupuncture treatment and using supplements to improve our natural protection and resistance to the sun. Supplements may help in preventing damage or in repairing damage which occurred
years ago when the dangers were not as widely known. Supplements and creams can also help to repair the skin if we inadvertently burn ourselves at any time.
The amount of sun protection we need is dependant on our skin type. Those of us with darker skin have more melanocytes which produce melanin, the bodies way of trying to protect us from the sun. Those of us with fair skin particularly those of Irish descent have very little melanin so therefore have very little natural protection.
I treat people with skin problems like rosaria or acne with a combination of acupuncture, diet and supplements. But I also help people who do not have a specific skin problem to "retain or recapture their youthful glow" using facial revitalisation acupuncture. I have found that supplements are a good way to help maintain and support the improvements.
The most common skin complaints I see in patients for facial acupuncture are: Premature fine lines and wrinkles, Hypergigmetation, A leathery texture to the skin and a crepe like texture of the neck and decleotage.
I often to use the following supplements in conjunction with treatment to help my patients to achieve their beauty goal:
Pycnogenol
Helps to prevent further damage of skin by preventing free radical damage protecting our collagen. It also helps to repair the skin by improving delivery of food and oxygen to skin cells thus stimulating the skins growth and repair. Good food sources include berries, grapes and cherries..
Coenzyme Q10
Especially important if you are female as women tend to have lower levels of this antioxiadant in their bodies and this is especially true if ones diet is lacking in protein. It concentrates in our cells protecting us from free radical damage. Unfortunately only small amounts of COQ10 are available in foods where the most common sources are sardines and peanuts
Alpha lipoic acid
Increases the positive effects of other antioxidants such as vitamin C and E giving the skin more protection. Affects the skins cell metabolism, a higher energy level allows the skins cells to remove more wastes, absorb more nutrients and replace damaged parts of the cell.
Vitamin C
Improves the immune system by strengthening the bodys white blood cells and helps to heal inflammation including sunburn. Inhibits the production of a chemical called arachdionic acid which can lead to skin inflammation.
The best supplement for a person is dependent upon their individual needs and the information here may help you to prioritize a suitable one for yourself. I try to asses each persons skin type and overall health situation in order to make a recommendation. For overall improvement and protection almost anyone will benefit from a regular low dose of these. Quality is important and I usually buy from either Higher Nature or Biocare both of whom have good web-sites enabling you to order online.
Note: Supplements are categorized as food so they are generally very safe and available over the counter. However, If you are taking prescribed medication or suffer from any serious health condition such as diabetes you are still advised to consult a health professional as a precaution before taking them.