We offer the following range of treatments at Summerhill Clinic:

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of healing used in both Traditional and Classical Chinese Medicine.
It is part of a system of medicine that also includes Chinese Herbal medicine, It is based on the principle that there are energetic pathways, or channels, throughout the body that influence associated internal organs and structures. Energy from these channels can be influenced by needling specific points along the course of the channels on the surface body, identified as acupuncture points.
Each of these acupuncture points serves as an access route, to the deeper circulatory channels within. Extremely fine gauge needles are inserted at selected points, stimulating these points and thereby activating the body�fs natural healing abilities.
The vital energy of the body is called Qi (pronounced �echee�f). Although western medical science has yet to understand this energy, it can be imagined as a sort of electro-magnetic energy that flows throughout the body. When a person is healthy the Qi flows smoothly and strongly. If the flow is too week or too strong then illness will occur. If the flow is blocked or interrupted, as with sports injuries or arthritis, pain will occur. Acupuncture corrects the flow of Qi and effects positive changes in the way the body functions. Changes in Qi precede physical change; this is why acupuncture can be also be used as preventative medicine.
See homepage for more information.

Herbal Medicine

Chinese traditional herbal medicine, like acupuncture, is a system of treatment arising from a holistic philosophy of life. It emphasizes the interconnection of the mental, emotional, and physical components within each person, and the importance of harmony between individuals and their social groups, as well as between humanity as a whole and nature. Although Chinese medicine is neither the oldest system recorded by historians, nor the only form of herbal therapy practiced today, it is the oldest continuous surviving tradition of herbal medicine.

Aromatherapy

The use of essential oils (extracts or essences) from flowers, herbs, and trees to promote health and well- being. The essential oils are aromatic essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, bark, grasses and seeds with distinctive therapeutic, psychological, and physiological properties, which improve and prevent illness. There are about 150 essential oils. Most of these oils have antiseptic properties; some are antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, antidepressant and expectorant. Other properties of the essential oils, which are taken advantage of in aromatherapy, are their stimulation, relaxation, digestion improvement, and diuretic properties. To get the maximum benefit from essential oils, it should be made from natural, pure raw materials
Aromatherapy had been around for 6000 years or more. The Greeks, Romans, and ancient Egyptians all used aromatherapy oils. The Egyptian physician Imhotep recommended fragrant oils for bathing, massage, and for embalming their dead nearly 6000 years ago. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used aromatherapy baths and scented massage. The modern era of aromatherapy is dawned in 1930 when the French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse coined the term aromatherapy for the therapeutic use of essential oils. He was fascinated by the benefits of lavender oil in healing his burned hand without leaving any scars. He started investigating the effect of other essential oils for healing and for their psychotherapeutic benefits. Later, Madame Marguerite Maury elevated aromatherapy as a holistic therapy and is credited with the modern use of essential oils in massage.

Massage Therapy

The word massage is most likely to have emerged from the Greek word 'Massein', meaning �eto knead�f or the Arabic word 'mas'h' meaning 'to press softly'. Massage is one the oldest form of physical medicine known to man and can be traced back to the early Chinese medical manuscripts around 400BC. Massage was advocated by Hippocrates who was born in the fifth century and was known as 'the father of medicine' Between 1776 and 1839, a Swedish professor, Peter Ling, created a scientific system of therapeutic massage known as Swedish massage and established a teaching institute in Stockholm. Today, massage therapy is one of the fastest growing forces in the field of health care.

Massage is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy and is a system of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body. Massage does much more than create a pleasant sensation on the skin; it also works on the soft tissues (the muscles, tendons, and ligaments) to improve muscle tone. Although it largely affects those muscles just under the skin, its benefits may also reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves. Massage also stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system improving the elimination of waste throughout the body.

Although a single massage will be enjoyable, the effects of massage are cumulative and a course of massage treatments will bring the most benefits. Regular massage can have the effect of strengthening and toning the entire body mechanism, and so help to prevent unnecessary strains and injuries that might otherwise occur due to excess tension and any resulting structural weaknesses. Massage can have a modulating effect on the nervous system and thus help to increase energy and reduce fatigue.

Reflexology

Historically, the use of reflexology dates back to ancient China, Egypt, and Greece. However, it wasn't introduced to Western civilizations until the twentieth century, when a doctor named William Fitzgerald first introduced it to the West. He referred to this type of treatment as zone therapy. Reflexology uses deep pressure point massage with thumbs and fingers to points on the hands, ears or, more commonly, the feet, which correspond to specific organs and parts of the body. It is used for the relief of numerous conditions including PMS, nervousness, gastro-intestinal complaints, headaches and depression, among others.
Today, reflexology is used as a therapeutic treatment for a full range of conditions, including back pain, sports injuries, migraines, and arthritis. This type of therapy is even said to be helpful in treating infertility, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, and sleep disorders. Furthermore, many believe it to be particularly helpful in the treatment of a full range of stress-related conditions. However, it is not a cure for medical conditions or diseases. Perhaps one of the most important uses of reflexology is for stress relief. In today's world, individuals are faced with ever-increasing levels of physical, mental, and emotional stress. Reflexology therapy can act as an effective tool in relaxing the body and the mind, relieving stress, and helping to restore a general feeling of well-being.

Reiki

Reiki is an ancient Tibetan system of enlightenment and hands on healing art developed (or rediscovered) in the early 1900's by Mikao Usui (usui mikao ‰PˆäáP’j) in Japan. It has gained in popularity throughout the Western World. Reiki practitioners channel energy in a particular pattern to harmonize and restore order to the body whose vital energy has become unbalanced. Reiki energy has several basic effects: it brings about deep relaxation, removes energy blockages, detoxifies the system, provides new vitality in the form of healing universal life energy, and increases the vibrational frequency of the body.
Although there are a few positions in which the practitioner is in contact with the patient (such as cradling the head), most Reiki treatments do not involve actual touching. The practitioner holds his or her hands a few inches or farther away from the patient's body and manipulates the energy field from there.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a gentle, holistic system of therapeutics founded in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann on the principle that �glike cures like�h. That is, substances that in healthy persons would produce the symptoms from which the patient suffers are used to treat the patient. Homeopathic remedies are a unique, potentised energy medicine, drawn from the plant, mineral and animal worlds. They are diluted to such a degree that not one molecule of the original substance can be detected (after the 6c potency). Hahnemann further stated that the potency of a curative agent increases as the substance is diluted. In the assessment of you, the patient, homeopaths will take into account the range of physical, emotional and lifestyle factors in order to prescribe the right medicine(s).

Psychotherapy / Counselling

A treatment by psychological means, intended to improve or cure mental, emotional and behavioural problems in which a trained therapist establishes a professional relationship with the patient with the
aim of:

1. removing, modifying or retarding existing symptoms
2. mediating disturbed patterns of behaviour and
3. promoting positive personality growth and development

The commonest form of psychotherapy is direct personal contact between therapist and patient, mainly in the form of talking. Therapy may address specific forms of diagnosable mental illness or everyday problems in relationships or meeting personal goals. Treatment of everyday problems is more often referred to as counseling but the term is sometimes used interchangeably with "psychotherapy". Because sensitive topics are often discussed during psychotherapy, therapists are expected to respect patient privacy and client confidentiality.