Traditional Acupuncture in Saffron Walden
Fine, sterile needles placed at specific points to stimulate your body's natural healing response. Safe, gentle, and effective for a wide range of conditions.
Acupuncture Cambridge — Amanda Ody MBAcC MRCHM provides traditional acupuncture at two clinic locations, treating chronic pain, fertility, stress and women's health. With over 3,600 clinical hours across twenty-five years and a decade teaching at the London College of Traditional Acupuncture (2004–2011), Amanda uses pulse and tongue diagnosis at every first appointment. NICE guideline CG88 recommends acupuncture for chronic lower back pain, and guideline NG193 (2021) recommends it for chronic primary pain. Treatment is evidence-informed and classically rooted — every session is a diagnosis-led prescription, not a standardised protocol.
Acupuncture Cambridge patients see Amanda Ody MBAcC MRCHM — a BAcC-registered practitioner with over twenty-five years of clinical experience across her Cambridge and Saffron Walden clinics. She taught Chinese medicine theory at the London College of Traditional Acupuncture (2004–2011), where she introduced Gua Sha to the UK curriculum. Her approach is evidence-informed but classically rooted: she uses pulse and tongue diagnosis at every first appointment to identify the underlying pattern driving your symptoms, then selects points specific to that pattern rather than applying a fixed protocol. This is what distinguishes her practice from protocol-only acupuncture — every treatment is a diagnosis-led prescription, not a standardised menu of points.
How Acupuncture Works
Acupuncture works by inserting very fine needles into specific points along meridians — channels through which Qi (vital energy) flows.
When Qi becomes blocked or imbalanced, symptoms and illness arise. Acupuncture restores the smooth flow of Qi, triggering the body's natural healing response.
Modern research shows acupuncture stimulates nerves, increases blood flow, and triggers the release of natural pain-relieving chemicals. For people new to acupuncture, the easiest first step is to book an initial consultation — I review your history, examine tongue and pulse, and design a treatment plan tailored to your goals.
Why Choose Acupuncture
Backed by both ancient wisdom and modern research
If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can book an acupuncture session — new patients start with a 90-minute consultation.
NICE Recommended
Acupuncture is recommended by NICE for chronic pain, migraines, and tension headaches.
Safe & Gentle
Single-use, sterile needles. Most patients find treatment deeply relaxing.
25 Years Experience
Benefit from Amanda's 25 years of clinical practice and teaching expertise.
What Makes This Practice Different
Cambridge has over thirty registered acupuncturists. Here is what distinguishes Amanda's practice.
Diagnosis-Led, Not Protocol-Only
Many acupuncture clinics apply the same point prescription to every patient with the same Western diagnosis — the same six points for every back pain, the same protocol for every IVF patient. Amanda performs a full Chinese medicine diagnosis at every first appointment: pulse quality (depth, rate, strength at each of six positions), tongue body and coating, and a structured symptom history. Two patients with "lower-back pain" may receive entirely different point selections because one has Kidney Yang deficiency with Cold-Damp invasion and the other has Qi and Blood stagnation from a lifting injury. This is classical acupuncture as it was taught in the three-year accredited programme Amanda completed — and as she taught it to undergraduates at LCTA.
Integrated Modalities, One Practitioner
Amanda is qualified in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine (MRCHM-registered), Gua Sha, cupping, and Tui Na massage — and she introduced Gua Sha to the UK teaching curriculum at LCTA. This means she can combine modalities within a single session based on what your condition needs: acupuncture for systemic regulation plus Gua Sha for local myofascial release, or cupping for upper-back tension alongside needling for migraine prevention. You do not need separate appointments with separate practitioners. And every herbal formula she prescribes is fully traceable, with a Certificate of Analysis for every batch.
Measured Progress, Not Open-Ended Courses
Amanda reviews progress formally at session four. If a patient has not experienced measurable improvement by that point — using condition-specific metrics (pain VAS scores, cycle regularity, sleep latency, headache frequency) — she adjusts the treatment plan rather than continuing the same protocol and hoping for a different result. No patient is committed to an open-ended course. The goal is always to reduce treatment dependency: most patients move from weekly to fortnightly to monthly maintenance, then discharge with self-care tools (acupressure instruction, dietary guidance, lifestyle modifications) that sustain results between and after sessions.
Two Decades, One Practitioner
Amanda has practised continuously in Cambridge since 2004 — the same practitioner, the same clinical judgment, twenty-five years of accumulated pattern recognition. This matters because chronic conditions (pain, fertility, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalance) evolve over time, and a practitioner who has seen your case across multiple sessions understands the trajectory in a way that a multi-practitioner clinic with rotating staff cannot. Amanda's patients see Amanda — not whoever is on the roster that day. For patients who value continuity of care and a practitioner who knows their full history, this is the single most important difference.
Conditions Treated
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of conditions
What to Expect
Consultation
Detailed discussion of your health, pulse and tongue diagnosis.
Treatment
Needles placed for 20-30 minutes. Most find it deeply relaxing.
Aftercare
Advice on lifestyle, diet, and follow-up recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about acupuncture treatment
Acupuncture inserts fine, sterile needles at specific anatomical points, activating small-diameter sensory nerve fibres that signal the brainstem's pain-modulation centres. This triggers release of endogenous opioids and serotonin in the spinal cord, suppressing pain signals for 24–72 hours after each session. Local needling also reduces neurogenic inflammation and relaxes contracted muscles. In Chinese medicine terms, needling restores smooth Qi flow along meridians — channels that map closely to connective tissue planes and nerve pathways in modern anatomy. Amanda uses classical diagnosis alongside functional medicine, selecting points specific to your pattern rather than applying a fixed protocol.
Almost never. Acupuncture needles are solid filaments approximately the diameter of a human hair — much finer than any injection needle you'll encounter at a GP or hospital. Most people feel a brief, light tap as the needle goes in, followed by a dull heaviness or tingling sensation called de qi in Chinese medicine. This lasts a few seconds and indicates the point is correctly engaged. After that you feel nothing — the needles are retained painlessly for 20–25 minutes. The vast majority of patients find sessions deeply relaxing; many fall asleep on the treatment table. Amanda adjusts or removes any needle that feels uncomfortable immediately.
It depends on the condition and how long you have had it. For acute problems — a recent injury or short-term pain — three to five sessions is often sufficient. For chronic conditions persisting months or years, a meaningful course is six to twelve sessions, with most patients noticing significant change by session four. Amanda reviews progress at session four and adjusts the plan based on your response. After the initial course, many patients choose monthly maintenance to prevent recurrence — particularly for stress, hormonal, and musculoskeletal conditions. The goal is always to reduce treatment dependency over time, not to create it.
Acupuncture is most evidenced for chronic pain — NICE guideline CG88 recommends it for chronic lower back pain, and there is strong evidence for migraines, tension headaches, and knee osteoarthritis. Beyond NICE-endorsed indications, good clinical evidence supports its use for fertility (particularly IVF support), menopause symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, and IBS. Amanda's Cambridge practice treats pain, women's health, fertility, gut health and digestive complaints, stress and anxiety, and post-viral fatigue. Each patient receives a full Chinese medicine assessment at the first appointment — Amanda looks for the underlying pattern driving the symptoms, meaning treatment addresses root causes rather than suppressing them in isolation.
Yes — when performed by a qualified, registered practitioner. Amanda is MBAcC-registered (Member of the British Acupuncture Council) and MRCHM-registered, having completed an accredited clinical training programme with over 3,600 documented clinical hours. She taught Chinese medicine theory at the London College of Traditional Acupuncture from 2004 to 2011. All needles are single-use, individually sealed, and sterile — disposed of in regulated sharps bins immediately after each session. Serious adverse events from acupuncture are rare (less than 1 in 10,000 treatments in peer-reviewed literature). Minor transient effects such as a small bruise or brief site soreness affect around 10% of patients and resolve within 24 hours.
The initial consultation and treatment session is £70–75 (90 minutes), which includes a full Chinese medicine consultation with pulse and tongue diagnosis, followed by treatment. Follow-up sessions are £55–60 (60 minutes). Some patients add Chinese herbal medicine alongside acupuncture — a personalised herbal formula typically costs £35–50 per fortnight. Session packages are available for patients committing to a full course of six or more sessions; ask about package pricing when booking. Full current pricing is on the pricing page. Amanda sees patients in both Cambridge and Saffron Walden — please choose the location that suits your schedule.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing that can be rolled up to expose your lower arms and lower legs — most acupuncture points are located below the elbows and knees. You do not need to undress fully; Amanda will ask you to lift or adjust clothing to access specific areas such as the upper back or abdomen. Avoid tight jeans, compression leggings, or restrictive sleeves that cannot be pushed above the knee or elbow. There is a privacy screen and a fresh paper sheet on the treatment couch. If you are coming straight from work, bring a change of comfortable clothes — being relaxed physically helps the treatment work more effectively.
Yes — when performed by a practitioner specifically trained in obstetric acupuncture. Amanda is MBAcC-registered and trained in pregnancy-safe protocols. A subset of acupuncture points with strong activating actions on the uterus — including Spleen 6, Large Intestine 4, and Bladder 60/67 — are avoided during the first and second trimesters. From 37 weeks onward, these same points are used as part of a structured pre-birth protocol to prepare the body for labour. The British Acupuncture Council publishes specific safety guidelines for pregnancy acupuncture, which Amanda follows in full. Many of Amanda's patients continue acupuncture throughout pregnancy for back pain, nausea, anxiety, and breech presentation — all with point selections modified for gestational stage.
Rest and hydrate — your body has just undergone a significant physiological response. Drink plenty of water for the rest of the day. Avoid alcohol, heavy meals, and strenuous exercise for four to six hours after treatment; a gentle walk is fine. Many patients feel deeply relaxed or slightly tired for several hours — this is normal and indicates the parasympathetic nervous system has been engaged. Some patients experience a temporary intensification of their original symptoms for 12–24 hours before improvement begins; this is a well-recognised healing response and not a cause for concern. If you experience anything that worries you, phone Amanda directly — she will return your call the same day.