China
I went to Beijing, Chi
na where I studied in the acupuncture ward of 3 different hospitals. I feel lucky to have been able to witness acupuncture in its homeland; it was inspiring to see how integrated it is in society and medicine and to see the incredible results that can be achieved when it is used regularly for a wide range of conditions. I think that as acupuncture becomes more and more accepted over here, we will start to appreciate the capacity that it has to treat so many different types of problems.
The setting of the clinics are very different to what we have in England. I had become accustomed to an acupuncture clinic being a quiet place where patients come to receive one on one treatment in a relaxing, calm environment. The clinics in China were the opposite. With about 8 beds in a small room and nothing dividing them, patients received their treatment about one foot away from each other (as shown in the pictures!). However, the advantage of doing it this way is that acupuncture treatment is cheap and therefore affordable for almost everyone.
