Bridge to Health

12/11/2025

Bridge to Health vouchers are always available and the perfect Christmas Gift ☺️
Ring Kate on 01895 200 050 or email help@bridgetohealth.co.uk
Vouchers can be collected from our Uxbridge Branch or posted 😁

12/11/2025

Hi
Please feel to click the link below for Acupuncture Awareness week

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/beverley-de-valois-0b88489_acupunctureawarenessweek2025-britishacupunctureouncil-activity-7394323427337064448-dK1P?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAAG56owBrdB9TlunP16OwR_U8c7_up0hfU8

04/11/2025

As we head into the colder months, it’s a good time to check in with how both your body and mind are feeling. This month, we’re sharing advice to help you stay strong and balanced, inside and out.

Our latest blog explores joint hypermobility, examining why some people are naturally more flexible, its implications for the body, and how to protect your joints from injury.

And if winter tends to leave you feeling low or sluggish, don’t miss Jing Zhang’s free Winter Reset Masterclass, a live online session designed to help you restore calm and focus through the darker months.

Warm wishes.
Sian Smith

As we head into the colder months, it’s a good time to check in with how both your body and mind are feeling. This month, we’re sharing advice to help you stay strong and balanced, inside and out.

31/10/2025

Acupuncture transforms lives! For my last unique story for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, "Daena" tells of her experience - watch for the surprise ending! She writes:

"In early 2023, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My treatment included chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. I was fortunate that it was successful, but the process left me with a drained body and an exhausted mind. One worrying side effect was a drop in my heart’s function, which felt overwhelming at a time when I was already fragile.

I had read in NHS guidance that acupuncture could help with the side effects of cancer treatment. When I tried to book at Dimbleby Cancer Care at Guy’s Hospital, I was told the waiting list was several months long. Turning to Google to find an acupuncturist specialised in cancer care, I came across Beverley.

From my very first session, Beverley made me feel safe. She listened deeply, asked the right questions, and was fully present. I went in with zero expectations. At the time, I was anxious, exhausted, and constantly unwell with a weakened immune system. Because it was my first acupuncture session, she kept the treatment very simple – just a few needles, perhaps three.

What happened next surprised me. Despite such a minimal treatment, I felt an immediate shift: lighter, more alive, energised. Over the next few months, I continued weekly sessions, and the benefits multiplied. My strength, energy, and sense of wellbeing improved so much that I became genuinely curious about how this method worked.

After such an intensive medical journey filled with chemicals and radiation, I was struck by acupuncture’s gentleness. It was non-invasive, non-toxic, and helped my body find its own balance. Over time, my heart function recovered back to normal. There is no way of proving that acupuncture was the reason, but my consultants were amazed by the results of my echo-cardiogram.

This experience moved me so deeply that I decided to study acupuncture myself. It showed me that my body had the power to heal, given the right support. I am now in the second year of my training, and it has transformed not only my health but also the way I look at the world.

My hope is that one day I will have the skills – and the privilege – to help others facing what I once went through."

Thank you Daena for sharing your unique story. I look forward to your qualification as an acupuncturist.

My mission is to increase awareness of the challenges cancer survivors face after completing treatments for cancer and to promote awareness of how acupuncture can help. Read all about it my book:

Acupuncture and Cancer Survivorship: Recovery, Renewal, and Transformation available from the publisher, Singing Dragon, at https://lnkd.in/e3PAGhid .

Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors Clinic

Bridge to Health in Uxbridge is proud to host one of only two Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinics in the UK, where Beverley de Valois PhD LicAc brings her 26 years' experience as an acupuncturist and researcher to help manage the consequences of cancer treatment.

Find out more about the Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinic at Bridge to Health Uxbridge https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/beverley-devalois

To book an appointment online: https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/booking
OR call 01895 200050 and speak to Kate.

27/10/2025

Many breast cancer survivors hesitate to have acupuncture: they "have had enough of needles" following cancertreatment. In this week's unique story for BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, "Clare" charts her journey through post-treatment survivorship and her relationship to acupuncture needles. She writes:

"I started seeing Beverley 6 months ago, following treatment for stage 2 breast cancer (full mastectomy, lymph node removal, radiotherapy and subsequent hormone and targeted therapy treatments). I was 40 and in good health when diagnosed, so the situation was very shocking and traumatic.

I was initially interested in how acupuncture could help me manage the hot flushes I was experiencing - they were quite crippling, impacting me at key times such as before work meetings and social events.

I was very nervous to start acupuncture; as any cancer patient knows, the amount of needles we have to suffer as part of our treatment is excessive. I’d had a few bad experiences with canualas, and felt like acupuncture might be too much of a hurdle.

Beverley was understanding and sympathetic to my concerns, explaining that these were not unique. We started very slowly, focussing on key elements of what I wanted to achieve from treatment - management of hot flushes. As my acupuncture journey continued, I was able to identify other issues, both pre and post cancer, that Beverley has addressed with acupuncture.

My hot flushes have all but disappeared. When they do emerge, I now have the tools to ‘nip them in the bud’. Beverley has also focussed my treatment on anxiety and gut health - things exasperated by my diagnosis and treatment, but that have always been in the background. She is giving me tools to manage these issues, and her tailored approach to my specific requirements means I am able to use these lessons outside of my sessions to manage my “new normal”.

I don’t think I will ever get over my dislike of needles, but I genuinely look forward to my sessions with Beverley, and intend on continuing them so as long as I can. Acupuncture has supported me in being able to trust my body again, and reminds me to love myself regardless of my experiences."

Thank you Clare for persevering with the needles and for sharing your story.

My mission is to increase awareness of the challenges cancer survivors face after completing treatments for cancer and to promote awareness of how acupuncture can help. Read all about it my book:

Acupuncture and Cancer Survivorship: Recovery, Renewal, and Transformation available from the publisher, Singing Dragon, at https://lnkd.in/e3PAGhid .

Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors Clinic

Bridge to Health in Uxbridge is proud to host one of only two Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinics in the UK, where Beverley de Valois PhD LicAc brings her 26 years' experience as an acupuncturist and researcher to help manage the consequences of cancer treatment.

Find out more about the Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinic at Bridge to Health Uxbridge https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/beverley-devalois

To book an appointment online: https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/booking
OR call 01895 200050 and speak to Kate.

24/10/2025

We are delighted to announce that our acupuncturist Beverley de Valois PhD LicAc has been awarded the prestigious ISCMR Scientific Article Prize in Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine 2023-2024.

Dr de Valois was the lead author on the publication ""Acupuncture in cancer care: recommendations for safe practice (peer-reviewed expert opinion)," published in 2024 in the scientific journal Supportive Care in Cancer, and available at https://rdcu.be/eMxQs

The ISCMR awarding committee recognised this publication for the "importance of the knowledge gap and potential impact of the safe practice of acupuncture in integrative oncology, the methodological rigor of the study, and the international collaboration.”

ISCMR, the leading international organisation for research in Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine https://www.iscmr.org/ announced this award at the 20th International Congress on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Research (ICCMR) in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday 18th October.

Congratulations Beverley!

Beverley de Valois is our acupuncturist at Bridge to Health in Uxbridge, where she offers Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors. Find out more about her work at https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/beverley-devalois

Book an appointment with Beverley de Valois online at https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/booking or contact Kate Daley on 01895 200050

23/10/2025

Please meet our Uxbridge-based Acupuncturist.
Dr Beverley de Valois PhD LicAc FBAcC MBLS
Acupuncture & ScarWork

Beverley covers all areas of Acupuncture and specialises in Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors.

INITIAL CONSULTATION
£90.00 and 90 minutes

ALL FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTSS
£70.00 and 45 minutes

To book an appointment online: https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/booking
or call 01895 200 050 and speak to Kate who is happy to help with any queries

14/10/2025

This week in Breast Cancer Awareness Month I attended the British Lymphology Society (BLS) conference to get my annual update about all things related to lymphoedema.

Lymphoedema, a chronic swelling of parts of the body, is a potential consequence of cancer treatments - surgery, radiotherapy, and some chemotherapies. It may affect up to one in five breast cancer survivors.

Breast cancer treatment-related lymphoedema (BCRL) is a chronic condition that requires management with specialist care as well as self-management - sometimes for life. BCRL can be distressing: it may cause discomfort and can be disfiguring. The condition itself and its management may be burdensome for an individual. In addition to physical consequences (limb heaviness, pain, swelling, and impaired function) people with BCRL may experience anxiety, depressed mood, poor sleep, and altered body image.

Acupuncture can be a useful therapy to support specialised lymphoedema management. Research suggests it can improve quality of life for people with BCRL - see the references below. Val Fear, a woman with BCRL, speaks eloquently of how acupuncture supported her and transformed her life. Find out more about her experience in this video clip
https://lnkd.in/epFXEmZm

Thank you Val for sharing your story about how acupuncture helped you.

Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors Clinic

Bridge to Health in Uxbridge is proud to host one of only two Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinics in the UK, where Beverley de Valois PhD LicAc brings her 26 years' experience as an acupuncturist and researcher to help manage the consequences of cancer treatment.

Find out more about the Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinic at Bridge to Health Uxbridge https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/beverley-devalois

To book an appointment online: https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/booking
OR call 01895 200050 and speak to Kate.

10/10/2025

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2025, I am presenting the unique stories of breast cancer survivors who have used acupuncture to support them in their cancer experience. I invited people I see in my Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinic to share their experience.

This story has been contributed by a woman who wishes to be called "Vitality". It illustrates how a diagnosis of cancer and its subsequent treatment is not only complex in itself, but may arrive at a time when life is full of other major transitions and challenges. For Vitality, it was a time of transition from a significant career into retirement. She writes:

"Following my breast cancer diagnosis, after my lumpectomy, and as I simultaneously navigated the stresses of recovery and approached retirement, acupuncture emerged as a transformative ally in reclaiming my vitality and peace of mind.

This ancient practice, expertly performed by Beverley de Valois, not only helped de-stress my body and mind by alleviating anxiety and promoting deeper relaxation, but it also delivered a profound boost to my immune system, enhancing my overall resilience against common viruses and infections that often plague post-treatment life.

2 years on, Acupuncture continues to be an important part of my day to day life, allowing me to embrace retirement with renewed energy and fewer health setbacks. I wholeheartedly endorse acupuncture as a gentle yet powerful tool for breast cancer survivors seeking holistic support on the path to a healthier, more vibrant future and unreservedly recommend Beverley - she ‘gets me’ and tailors my sessions accordingly, ensuring I always leave feeling fully restored."

Thank you Vitality for sharing your unique story.

My mission is to increase awareness of the challenges cancer survivors face after completing treatments for cancer (surgery, systemic anti-cancer treatments, radiotherapy) and to promote awareness of how acupuncture can help. It's important to spread the word that acupuncture is a safe, effective, evidence-informed, non-pharmacological option that can be offered to cancer survivors experiencing the consequences of cancer and its treatments.
hashtagof cancer treatment. Read all about it my book:

Find out more in my book Acupuncture and Cancer Survivorship: Recovery, Renewal, and Transformation available from the publisher, Singing Dragon, at https://lnkd.in/e3PAGhid .

Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors Clinic

Bridge to Health in Uxbridge is proud to host one of only two Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinics in the UK, where Beverley de Valois PhD LicAc brings her 26 years' experience as an acupuncturist and researcher to help manage the consequences of cancer treatment.
Find out more about the Acupuncture for Cancer Survivors clinic at Bridge to Health Uxbridge https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/beverley-devalois
To book an appointment online: https://www.bridgetohealth.co.uk/booking
OR call 01895 200050 and speak to Kate.

08/10/2025

Every Caesarean birth leaves a scar — but what many women don’t realise is how much that scar can continue to affect their body long after recovery. Our osteopath Anna Ford has recently trained as a RESTORE C-section Scar Therapist and now offers this specialist treatment at our Ealing clinic.

07/10/2025

Read our October Newsletter and blog
Wonderful information for those that have had, are about to undergo a C Section

Every Caesarean birth leaves a scar — but what many women don’t realise is how much that scar can continue to affect their body long after recovery. Our osteopath Anna Ford has recently trained as a RESTORE C-section Scar Therapist and now offers this specialist treatment at our Ealing clinic.

07/10/2025

DID YOU KNOW!
Having a Massage is equivalent to an additional two hours of sleep!
Its an important tool in promoting mental and physical health for both Men and Women

Massage from £63
Pregnancy Massage £75
Lymphatic Drainage Massage £75
And
Our new 90 minute appointment is now available to book £120
Appointments available in both Ealing and Uxbridge
Feel free to ring, email or pop a question below!
01895 200 050
Help@bridgetohealth.co.uk

Kate at Bridge to Health