Specialist Clinics

Selected and hosted at The Libra Centre.

Acupuncture. Qi Gong and Dietary Therapy

Next visit: Usually Thursday's

For other venues and or dates please visit Paul's website Healing Cymru

Paul Harry is a fully qualified and experienced practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture, holding a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture from Westminster University in London and in Chinese and Linguistics from the University of Leeds and Fudan University in Shanghai. He additionally holds a teaching certificate from International House in London and has in addition studied with the College of Chi Kung and other institutes in London, Wales and abroad. He is also a qualified practitioner of Swedish Massage and has reached Reiki Master.

Since 1996, he has been the Chairman of a London-based Holistic Charity and has extensive experience teaching Meditation, Qi Gong and relaxation techniques, working with both groups and individuals. In addition to his private clinical practice, he works with the StarStone Network, a teaching organisation based in South Wales, teaching alternative spiritual practices and philosophies.

Although he runs a private clinic from his home in Mid Wales, he also works at clinics in the Shropshire and Greater Manchester areas and of course The Libra Centre. For those who are unable to travel, or who have no time to visit a clinic during the day, or just prefer the privacy and comfort of their own home, he can arrange home treatments and in fact treats an increasing number of patients at their homes throughout the whole of Wales and also in Shropshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

Acupuncture
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) includes many practices, including Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Qi Gong and Dietary Therapy. It is based on ancient theories of energetic medicine that have been practiced in China and the Far East for several thousands of years. Despite the name of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is in fact a modern and scientifically developed form of medicine.

Acupuncture involves placing very fine needles into specific points on the body along energy pathways which are more commonly referred to as Channels or Meridians. All needles are sterile and are used only once, being disposed of hygienically after use.

Acupuncture can successfully treat a diverse number of conditions, including:

• back pain and sciatica;
• high blood pressure, tension, stress related headaches and migraines;
• arthritis and other inflammations of the joints and ligaments;
• Crohn’s, colitis and IBS;
• sexual problems and menstrual cramps.

A number of patients even use acupuncture for facial rejuvenation and relaxation and often enjoy a sense of well-being and frequently report improved sleep patterns after treatment.

Qi Gong
Qi Gong is often confused with Tai Chi Chuan (sometimes spelled as Tai Jiquan) and while both systems are Oriental forms of exercise, Tai Chi is a style of Martial Art, designed to exercise the exterior skeleto-muscular system, while Qi Gong is a branch of Chinese Medicine and is designed to exercise the internal organs of the body.

The basic philosophy states that when an organ weakens, it becomes more susceptible to disease. But when a particular organ is exercised through movement, meditation, breathing and visualisation, it can become more resistant to disease and the exercise can help promote a healthier and longer life. Most forms of physical exercises do not promote internal organ well-being and are usually quite vigorous. While there are some vigorous forms of Qi Gong, the majority of exercises are gentle and graceful, instilling a sense of balance and tranquillity. It has been said that even people on their sickbeds can perform Qi Gong exercises successfully and to great effect.

Qi Gong literally means “Breathing Exercises” and the art of breathing is a fundamental tenet of the whole system. The act of breathing alone has been known to help alkalise the whole body and to reduce stress dramatically.

Our courses can gently introduce you to a graded system of exercises that will enable you to take control of your own well-being and put you in charge of your health. We can teach you Qi Gong according to your ability and stamina, allowing you to exercise at your own individual pace. Occasionally, we organise a series of Qi Gong Seminars which run one evening a week for a period of 6 consecutive weeks.

Chinese Dietary Therapy
CDT is another important aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which helps promote health and balance in an individual. The Media reminds us constantly that we are eating the wrong kinds of foods or that one type of food is better than another and will bestow this or another health benefit. Chinese Medicine believes that all food and drink have medicinal properties and that since we are all individual and have individual requirements, we need to carefully select foods that will benefit the individual, maximising nutrition and optimising health, allowing the possibility for an individual to treat various medical conditions successfully and promote health.

Each food item is said to be either Yin or Yang, have Cooling, Warming or Neutral properties and are assigned to one of 5 different tastes which are associated with the 10 major organs in the system of Chinese Medicine. Each food has properties which promote health in a particular organ and when an organ is weak or diseased, some of these properties will accelerate healing, while others will aggravate the condition. The trick is knowing which foods to include and which foods to exclude. While one food item will benefit an individual’s health, the same food item might make another individual worse. Of course, each diet needs to be tailored to suit an individual, which makes it more attractive to people who have tried generic diets and failed.

A personal diet plan can only be achieved through consultation with a qualified practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, who will take a full case history and will then make diagnoses and recommendations for you to achieve better health and a balanced diet and life. Chinese Dietary Therapy is usually used as an adjunct to Acupuncture and Qi Gong, but can be accessed as a separate therapy by itself.