By Rebecca Davies, 4 November, 2008
Most of us have heard of acupuncture to cure physical
ailments, but now there's a new piercing remedy on the hole-istic
block.
The claim
Brad Fennell, acupuncturist and facilitator at Studio Qi says:
"Of all the traditional treatment systems available in
Australia, acupuncture is by far the most respected, achieving
widespread acceptance as an effective form of health care."
Acupuncture is a technique of inserting fine needles into
specific points all over the body for therapeutic purposes.
According to traditional Chinese theory, the acupuncture points
lie on "meridians", lines along which "qi", your vital energy,
flows.
But now, acupuncture is being taken to a whole new level. A
facilitator as well as an acupuncturist, Brad is in a position
to help people understand their objectives in life and assist
them in reaching them without taking a particular position in
the discussion. Basically, he helps them achieve or realise
something without dictating it to them. "Acufacilitation is a
new, unique approach to healthcare that combines acupuncture
theory and techniques with traditional and modern facilitation
systems," Brad says.
But does it really work? Health became acu-sors for a day to
find out.
What's involved?
Acufacilitation involves a discussion similar to a counselling
session to deal with the emotional side of any issues you might
have, while the facilitator observes you, followed by
acupuncture to help the physical sides to your problems. Brad
says: "Observing and following the body's subtle signals allows
us to unfold and counsel, creating change and new awareness to
difficult issues."
The test-run
Upon arrival, I fill out a medical history form and have a quick
chat to Brad, so he can ensure that he finds an acupuncture
treatment that specifically matches and treats my individual
health complaint. As I've been suffering from dermatitis and
sleeping problems recently, he decides to get to the bottom of
this. Initially, I feel like I'm being grilled as he asks me
about why I might be feeling stressed. After only about 10
minutes, he makes it clear to me that my issues are
stress-related. He's also managed to get to the bottom of why I
might be stressed — I find myself telling him things I haven't
told anyone and it feels great to be getting certain feelings
off my chest.
Brad mentions how everything in life is ruled by polarities
and talks about Yin and Yang, then makes me examine the
polarities within myself, making me separate myself into two
parts (the stressed half and the relaxed half) and makes
"Chilled Me" shout things at "Uptight Me". This is something I'd
usually cringe at but afterwards, I slump in my chair and feel
more relaxed than I have in days.
Next comes the acupuncture part of the session. Brad examines
my pressure points, abdomen and pulse, during which he makes a
quick observation that I need to look after my liver and
digestive system a bit more. Then it's time for the needles — 11
to be exact, all over my body. He takes only a minute to put
them all in and I don't feel any of them — so there's no need to
be scared of acupuncture if you're a needle-phobe.
Then he leaves me alone for 20 minutes,
during which time I drift in and out of sleep. When he returns,
I ask him why I can feel a throbbing in my left hand but nowhere
else and he tells me that's my key relaxation point, so as my
body unwinds, I get a strange sensation there. Spooky as it
might be, Brad's hit the nail on the head (or the needle on the
point).
The results
Straight after the treatment, I feel like I'm viewing the world
through a shroud — everything is hazy and I feel deeply relaxed.
About an hour later, although I'm much more "back to normal", I
still feel totally relaxed. What I notice most is that my hands
sit limply in my lap rather than me twitching and playing with
them all the time. That night, I have a blissful night's sleep
and the whole of the next day, I still feel relaxed despite
being busy at work. The relaxation effects don't last much
longer than four days, but my dermatitis still hasn't
reappeared, showing how stress and certain physical conditions
are closely linked.
Rating
We give it a daring 8/10! We think that acufacilitation is
something that, if you can give it commitment and attend regular
sessions, could alter your life significantly and help you
realise that the emotional and physical aspects of your life go
hand in hand. You may not enjoy the probing questions and you
may scoff at the slightly "hippie" approach to opening up your
mind, but it actually works. And it's uber-relaxing too.
Acupuncture and infertility
All sorts of acupuncture patients walk through Brad's door, from
those with addictions to those with back problems, those
suffering from stress to those with bloating. But the bulk of
his patients have fertility problems, as acupuncture is believed
to boost fertility so much that doctors are even referring
patients to have it in conjunction of IVF. Brad's results are
astounding, as many couples have conceived after having
acupuncture at his clinic. .
Brad Fennell practises at Studio Qi in
Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.
