Nadia Sempels Acupuncture

14/10/2025

Very proud to see this new CICM cohort starting containing a patient of mine! Exactly 20 years ago, my classmates and I were in the same position! I remember that first week with 05.2 as if it was yesterday. CICM is a lovely college, so if you ever want to consider starting an acupuncture degree, please visit them on one of their open days!

14/10/2025

Male fertility is often overlooked, even though it is an important issue - and becoming more so in recent years. The limited NHS s***m tests only supply the couple with a basic diagnosis and if a problem is uncovered, no treatment as such is offered - only a straight line to ICSI (a form of IVF where the best s***m is selected and injected into the egg). Even if a couple is deemed "ok" and a diagnosis of unexplained infertility is arrived at, it might just be as a result of a lack of in depth testing. This often results in emotionally, financially and physically tough IVF cycles failing. Mr Ramsay is one of the few specialists in this country who can offer extra guidance, unfortunately only really available privately. My colleague Collette went to see him for an interview.

By Colette Assor Male fertility is a vital yet often overlooked part of the fertility journey.  I recently had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Jonatha

08/10/2025

After a short break, I am happy to be part of the Zita West Network again. Keep an eye out for updates!

16/08/2025

Very interesting, as the implantation process is still widely under researched
Scientists capture first footage of human embryo implanting in a uterus

Groundbreaking footage shows ‘surprisingly invasive’ process and may help to improve infertility treatments

22/07/2025

Interesting CPD day today

13/06/2025

Want to Help Support Brain Fog Research?

A UCL research team is looking to recruit UK women for the pilot of their new psychological intervention supporting women with brain fog during menopause.

If you are interested in helping follow the link - or scan the QR code.

https://qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_8HSK5AUr6DxHlKC?Q_CHL=qr

09/06/2025

As reported in BBC News today, the NHS has raised significant concern over an estimated 200,000 blood donor shortfall and has urgently called for more donors to come forward. The British Acupuncture Council has consistently lobbied for a change in blood donation regulations because they are unnecess...

26/03/2025

According to an article published in the Guardian, Independent, BBC Radio 4 and BBC News today.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has issued a warning to those undergoing IVF about “unproven extras” to increase their chances of having a baby. Acupuncture is highlighted as one of these “unproven extras”. However, recent systematic reviews indicate that acupuncture may increase the likelihood of having a baby.
It is very important that people are given the information they need to help them make an informed decision. There are a number of issues that the articles do not fully explore.
Ian Appleyard Research and Policy Manager has detailed these in his response.

https://acupuncture.org.uk/news/three-quarters-of-uk-fertility-patients-using-unproven-add-on-treatments-baccs-response/

Alex Jacobs CEO has released the following statement to the media outlets, we hope they choose to publish our statement to make their articles a more holistic view of the evidence.

Recent systematic reviews indicate that acupuncture may well be beneficial for those undergoing IVF. For example, Smith et al. (2019) suggests that 'acupuncture may be effective when compared with no adjunctive treatment.' In addition, there are significant methodological factors which may lead the research to underestimate the true effect of acupuncture. Clinical trials often only use a fixed protocol of acupuncture points, one or two treatments and do not factor in that placebo acupuncture is still an active treatment. BAcC members have a minimum 3 year degree-level training and can tailor the treatment according to the specific needs of the individual patient.

18/11/2024

With reference to my post yesterday: this is the lovely College where I studied.

📣 We're enrolling now for our next BSc Acupuncture degree cohort!

✨ Did you know that we are unlike any other acupuncture college in the UK?

We offer:

☯️ Integrated teaching of Five Element acupuncture & TCM
🎓 Degree awarded by the University College of Osteopathy
✅ Fully accredited by British Acupuncture Accreditation Board
🧑‍🎓 Student loans for eligible students
💰 Monthly payment options
🗓 Weekend & weekday cohorts, every spring & autumn
🔄 50% theory & 50% practical
🖥 A blend of online & in-person teaching
📍 Central location in Reading, 25 minutes from London


🏫 We hold regular online and in-person open days, which are the perfect opportunity to ask all your questions and get a feel for the course and college.


Our next open day events are on:

⁠📆 Thursday 5th December - 19:00 - 20:30 | online
📆 Saturday 11th January - 11.30 - 1.30 | at the college⁠


➡️ Book your place by commenting OPEN DAY below, and we will send you the details via messenger!

☎️ Or get in touch with our lovely registrar Jo on 01189 508 889 or email her at registrar@cicm.org.uk

🎓 See more info about our degree here - https://www.acupuncturecollege.org.uk/bsc-hons-acupuncture-degree

🏫 She can also arrange for you to have a tour around the college any time, at your convenience, so please don’t hesitate to ask!

📣 And if you are already an acupuncturist, we would love for you to share this post with your patients too - we know that so many of us have trained at CICM because of our own acupuncturists!

17/11/2024

If you ever consider having acupuncture: please choose a qualified professional with a decent amount of training!!! Most people don't know that acupuncture is not statutory regulated, which means that anyone can stick a needle in and say that they are an "acupuncturist". We are currently bombarded with "colleges" offering speedy courses - some just a couple of weekends - with very little practical experience offered and it's raising the alarm bells with my fellow BAcC members. You just cannot gain the required skills and knowledge in such a short timeframe! BAcC members are educated to degree level with a lot of required hours of practical training - you can use the search button on their website to look for local practitioners. The process of needling is very gradual and supervised thoroughly. I personally went through 9 months of clinical practice, with proper supervision of our weekly treatments before graduating over 15 hears ago.
I guess you would all agree that safe practices and in depth knowledge of possible issues such as how to avoid for instance a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) are of absolute importance! If in doubt, call your local acupuncturist first and check their level of training!

𝗢𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝘂𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 - 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱?
The real professional standard for Acupuncture training in the UK is a degree level training accredited by the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB). 3500 hours of training.
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝘂𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://acupuncture.org.uk/find-an-acupuncturist/
Some providers of Acupuncture in the UK have had less than 2 weeks of Acupuncture specific training. There are now many providers of 'short courses' in Acupuncture.

24/06/2024

We're hiring! - part-time receptionists to join our friendly team. If you are interested check out the details below and please drop us a line for more information or send your CV to Donna Silverio.

13/06/2024

This might be a useful resource for women currently dealing with (peri)menopause symptoms, as talking therapies are certainly part of the wider range of help available, and it's free for those registered with a GP in Surrey

Our next 'Navigating and coping with menopause' 6-week online course starts Monday 15th July, 5pm - 6:30pm.

If you are going through or , you're not alone on this journey. In our group course, you'll find a supportive environment and learn effective coping strategies.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is proven to help you manage anxiety, improve your mood and reduce physical symptoms of menopause.

Register TODAY! It's free and available to those registered with a GP: https://dhctalkingtherapies.co.uk/live-well-navigating-and-coping-with-menopause