Hi, I’m Josh
I’m an acupuncturist based in Farnham, Surrey. I have a background in business and tech, have a First Class degree from the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM), and work as a teacher and Academic Resources Co-ordinator for the college. When I find spare time I am a triathlete.
I’m not actually sure I like the term ‘acupuncturist’… I do much more than just put needles in!
Yes, I am an acupuncturist (after studying for 3 years and countless hours treating in my clinic) but why do we limit ourselves? We can use other methods of treating including nutrition, Chinese herbs, Gua Sha, cupping, moxibustion, and much more. Acupuncture is just one of the four pillars of Chinese Medicine and we can use these different methods of treatment to ensure that we are helping you with the most effective treatment for your unique requirements.
Not only is it limited in terms of treatment modality but I think it also diminishes a lot of the hard work that we have done to understand you and your presenting complaints. We rely on over 2,000 years of Chinese Medical theory to understand you as a unique person. Before the needle goes in (the actual ‘puncture’ part of the treatment) we are using all four diagnostic methods, thinking of all the theoretical frameworks and then constructing a treatment too. There is so much going on beneath the scenes that we don’t always talk about.
Finally we advise on exercise, diet, lifestyle and more to encourage a long and healthy life. This is really focused on preventing disease, encouraging health, rather than just treating a patient’s presenting complaint.
acupuncture for all
I’m passionate about treating any condition and any person. Acupuncture has the most incredible versatility because of it’s different way of understanding the body; both being able to treat preventatively but also being able to help ill health. Here’s a short video where I talk about the clinic, what I love to treat and a little bit about my journey into acupuncture.
Supporting the acupuncture profession
Most of this website talks about me as a practicing acupuncturist. Below are some of the snapshots around what I do to help the profession, due to my love and passion for it, which primarily covers building communities, supporting education and more.
Working for the international college of oriental medicine (ICOM)
Teacher
I help the college to teach points to the next generation of acupuncturists. I work with the second year students teaching them new points. It’s a great opportunity to keep my memory fresh, there are over 365 points in the body that I need to remember, and this ensures that I can help patients in my clinic by knowing the full repertoire.
Academic resources co-ordinator (ARC)
I manage the CPD events at ICOM from finding that we have appropriate speakers, working on the content, through to managing the learners and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
My role also covers managing the academic resources such as looking after the library and being involved in the management of ICOM+ which is our wonderful post-graduate support group.
Regional co-ordinator for the british acupuncture council
I am the co-ordinator for Surrey’s Regional Group. This is a group that consists of roughly 70 practitioners who meet numerous times throughout the year to share their experience and knowledge. There is a mixture of online and in-person meetings where we ensure that there is a community in our local area.
Part of the role includes supporting recent graduates in ensuring that they have adequate support and mentoring once they have left the safety of their teaching intuition.
It’s great to be able to learn people who practice different styles, have different backgrounds and to learn from people who sometimes have more clinical experience than I do.
volunteer at the
Dutch tcm congress
The Dutch TCM Congress is an amazing conference based in the Netherlands where they host talks with some of the most incredible and knowledgeable voices in the industry.
I volunteer for one of the leading congresses/conferences in Europe. It’s such a brilliant opportunity to work with amazing people and knowledgeable practitioners who share their decades of experience.
The role covers a range of areas including social media, web design and much more.
Previous experiences also include being a speaker at the British Acupuncture Council in 2021, being a Panel Member of the Student group at the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB), being both the College and Student Rep at ICOM, and more.
Additional Training
Facial Revitalisation Acupuncture
Treating Musculoskeletal Conditions using Traditional East Asian & Western Medicine
Treating Psycho-Emotional disorders with a Traditional East Asian Medicine approach
Su Wen Herbs (Chinese Herbal Course)
Zang Xiang 藏象 Images of the Organs
The 24 Solar Fortnights – ershisi jieqi
I’m a huge advocate of continuous learning. Here’s some of the courses I have completed to further my knowledge:
My Experience of Acupuncture
Don’t want to watch the video? Don’t worry, you can read about my experiences below.
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Whilst I was studying my first degree (Business Management at Oxford Brookes), towards the end of my first year I suffered from Gastroenteritis. This should have been an infection which lasted under two weeks but for me it started a two year health disaster. I had severe stomach pains, diarrhoea, anxiety, and much more. I ended up being quite a complex case which Western doctors weren’t able to help me with. After showing negative for all of the tests that they conducted, including numerous blood tests, they diagnosed me with having IBS because there could be no other explanation.
This meant that I had to go onto multiple different medications which often aggravated some of my symptoms or even created new problems for me to have to deal with. Not only was I taking the doctors prescribed medicine but I was also relying on things like Gaviscon. At one point they even put me on anti-depressants to try and alleviate my stomach pains but that turned me into a zombie so that didn’t work either.
I was constantly wondering if life would ever be normal again after nearly two years of being bed-ridden. That was until for my 21st birthday my parents sent to me to an acupuncturist.
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After two years of pain, my first ever acupuncture session felt like a bring shining light at the end of what had been a very dark tunnel.
From the initial consultation I immediately felt heard, rather than the usual 7 minute rush whenever I saw my GP, where the acupuncturist took the time to get to know me as a person. He asked all sorts of questions about my diet, childhood, bowel habits, and questions I had never even considered before. I think that feeling of being heard gave me a feeling of a relief and I immediately felt that there was hope… The first time in a long time.
After the first session I went on a weekly basis for about two months with the symptoms progressively getting better. It was amazing to see how much of a difference it made. One of the things I found amazing was that the problem was actually to do with my “Liver” rather than my stomach. It was this holistic view that inspired me a lot to believe in acupuncture.
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After my weekly sessions for a while, I went slowly down to once a month before going to once every change of season.
This always felt like a weird concept to me - going for treatments to prevent disease and to keep my body working optimally rather than only going when I was unwell. However, it meant that I never got ill and always had a real sense of harmony.
This proactive health was really key to keeping on top of my health and after two years of pain, it was a small price to pay to live a normal life. It’s quite different to the typical Western approach but emphasises how Chinese Medicine places a focus on harmony within the body and mind rather than merely an absence of disease.
professional life outside of acupuncture
My Learning and Development experience
After graduating from my first degree, I worked for the largest training provider in the UK. My role was to build digital learning solutions for multinational businesses such as the British Council, Nestle, RB and more. The solutions covered topics that spanned from Project Management, Leadership, to Cyber Security and many more. My role was to manage the entire process from pre-sales, project management, content writing, development work and through to post-project support.
My experience as a PLATFORM Manager
I work as a Platform Manager for a fantastic company called Comparesoft, which is a B2B software comparison site. They are the fastest growing B2B software comparison platform that helps thousands of professionals each year save time, money, and hassle when deciding which software is the best for their business. My role spans many areas including pre-sales, helping to oversee the operations, building the product, user research, data analysis and much more. The company achieves year-on-year growth and continues to see the team size grow.
Volunteering
I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world. I’ve always volunteered my time to charities while working and studying. This includes working for numerous years as a School Governor, Plant Watering Assistant at my local National Trust, Trustee for an education charity in Burkina Faso, and a Business Advisor/Local Board Member for Young Enterprise.
I’ve been really fortunate with these charities to make a huge impact on people’s lives.
I’m a Triathlete
In my spare time, I train quite religiously for triathlons. My swimming and running are decent although my cycling needs to be improved. I’ve always been a good swimmer, swimming competitively in childhood and having been a swim coach for a while too.
Being involved in the sport is the reason why I enjoy treating Musculoskeletal conditions. Putting my body under stress means I know what knee pain, back pain, and the like feels like. I also know first hand how effective acupuncture can be in helping with these conditions so that you are back training as soon as possible.
For me, it is an amazing way to relax after a day of hard work.
CONTACT ME
CONTACT ME
Like what you saw? Contact me for a free initial conversation or book in for a session.
Hours
Mondays and Wednesdays
8am–7pm
Phone
01252268802