About Amanda

My clinical training is grounded in a four-year, degree-level acupuncture programme covering the full scope of traditional Chinese medicine: channel theory, point location, pulse and tongue diagnosis, syndrome differentiation and clinical safety. After qualifying I served the full hospital-based clinical hours required for registration with the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), the UK's leading professional body for traditional acupuncturists.

I went on to qualify in Chinese herbal medicine and joined the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (MRCHM), which requires a separate, parallel training pathway with its own clinical hours and continuing competence requirements. The combination of both registrations is uncommon — most acupuncturists in the UK practise one or the other rather than both.

Between 2004 and 2011 I taught at the London College of Traditional Acupuncture, lecturing on clinical technique and supervising students in the teaching clinic. That period sharpened my own diagnostic skills — it is difficult to teach point location and syndrome differentiation to a room of trainee practitioners without holding yourself to a higher standard than clinical practice alone would demand. In 2006 I introduced Gua Sha to the LCTA curriculum, one of the first formal teaching programmes for the technique in the UK.

Since 2011 I have focused on full-time clinical practice, with specialist areas in fertility and pregnancy, women's health, chronic pain, digestive disorders and stress-related conditions. I continue to study — Chinese medicine is a living tradition that repays a lifetime of attention — and I integrate current research on acupuncture mechanisms and herbal pharmacology where it strengthens clinical decision-making without diluting the traditional model.

An initial consultation lasts 75 to 90 minutes. That length is deliberate. Chinese medicine diagnosis works from a detailed picture of how your body is functioning right now — your sleep, digestion, energy, menstrual cycle if relevant, temperature tendencies, emotional landscape, recent stressors and medical history. I will also take your pulses (Chinese medicine reads several different pulse qualities at three positions on each wrist) and look at your tongue. None of this is rushed; the consultation itself is part of the treatment.

I then explain my diagnosis in plain language and walk you through the treatment plan I am proposing. Most patients see a clear shift within three to six sessions; complex or longstanding conditions usually need a longer course. We agree timing and review points up front, so you always know where you are in the plan and what success looks like.

Where it makes clinical sense I combine acupuncture with Chinese herbal medicine. The two modalities are designed to compound: acupuncture moves and regulates qi and blood directly, while herbal medicine provides the nourishment and ongoing daily support the body needs between treatments. Patients with fertility, women's health, digestive and chronic-fatigue presentations often progress fastest with both running in parallel.

I work alongside your GP and consultants where that matters. Fertility patients undergoing IVF, chronic pain patients managing medication, patients with autoimmune diagnoses — I communicate with the rest of your medical team where it helps, and I always work within the safety scope of my registration. When something falls outside what acupuncture or herbal medicine can responsibly address, I will tell you and refer you back to the appropriate specialist.

When you are ready, you can book an initial consultation directly. Most new patients pick a weekday or Friday morning slot for the first appointment — there is no rush, and the clinic is set up for a calm, unhurried first visit.

Most patients come to me first for acupuncture treatment in Cambridge or Saffron Walden. Acupuncture is the foundation of my practice — fine, sterile, single-use needles inserted at specific points to regulate the body's own healing response. The technique is far gentler than most new patients expect.

For patients whose presentation benefits from ongoing daily support, I prescribe Chinese herbal medicine. Every formula is individually composed for your case and adjusted at each follow-up as your body responds.

I introduced Gua Sha to the UK acupuncture curriculum in 2006, and it remains one of the techniques I use most often for musculoskeletal pain, tension headaches and stagnant circulation patterns. Cupping therapy follows the same logic — releasing deeper tissue restrictions and improving local circulation in ways that needling alone cannot fully reach.

Where appropriate I will also incorporate elements of therapeutic Tui Na Chinese massage into a session. Most patients receive a combination of these techniques rather than a single modality — that is the strength of training in a complete traditional system rather than a single technique.