Nadia Sempels Acupuncture

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

03/06/2024

We are pleased to sponsor the Horsell Garden Safari for another year. Twenty-four gardens are open over two days. Tickets, at £8, give you access to the gardens on both days. Tickets are available from Seymours, Lisa Jones, Premier Horsell, and the Horsell Framing Company, all on Horsell High Street, or from the gardens on the day. Proceeds in aid of local charities.

15/05/2024

As it's Mental Health Awareness Week, I thought I'd share Peter Deadman's QiGong routine. His routines helped me a lot during lockdown, especially when I had Covid right at the beginning. It was an anxious time: I had closed my clinic 10 days before that (before it became compulsory), so found myself with an uncertain future. But I still worried whether I had unknowingly passed it on to vulnerable patients or family members and friends. The trajectory of Covid was much different back then, and I have to say it knocked me for six for about 3 weeks. At the same time, I knew there were many in a much worse position, as at least I didn't need hospitalisation. The gentle movements and breathing of QiGong are soothing, not just physically, but also mentally, and can really support patients' mental health.

Qigong three-part practice - Peter Deadman. British Acupuncture Council magazine Spring 2023

15/05/2024

Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 will take place from 13 to 19 May, on the theme of “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”. Movement is important for our mental health. As Chinese medicine practitioners we know how impactful movement can be for our patients and ourselves. So, why not tak...

09/05/2024

The percentage of patients coming to see me for pain related issues has certainly been on the increase for the last few years. Depending on the diagnosis and specific needs of each individual patient, I often combine different Chinese Medicine techniques, of which local acupuncture is only one part. Cupping, electro-acupuncture, tuina (a form of Chinese massage), distal acupuncture and ear acupuncture might be part of the treatment protocol and offer better pain relief than local acupuncture (also sometimes called dry needling) alone.

Back pain was one of the conditions included in a large systematic review, along with osteoarthritis of the knee, neck pain, migraine, tension headache, and shoulder pain.

As far as we are aware, this is the largest high-quality systematic review that evaluates acupuncture for any condition. In summary, the Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis is the most reliable assessment of acupuncture to date.

For the above chronic pain conditions the review found:
• acupuncture is superior to ‘no acupuncture controls’
• acupuncture is superior to placebo
• the clinically relevant effects of acupuncture on chronic pain persist overtime
• referral for acupuncture treatment is a reasonable option for chronic pain patients

The British Acupuncture Council is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, therefore GPs are permitted to refer patients to BAcC registered practitioners.

We have research fact sheets for back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis, facial pain, headache, fibromyalgia plus more on our website.

*A reduction in pain of 50% or more.
**Other treatments: medication or physio therapy or exercise and advice.

[1] Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. J Pain 2018;19(5):455-74. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005 / https://www.jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(17)30780-0/fulltext