Touch, acupuncture & Chinese medicine for women
For women who have carried everyone for years, and whose bodies are quietly asking to be met.
You look after everyone. Work, children, parents, the house. You keep going.
But your body has started speaking louder. You sleep badly, or wake at 3am with a racing mind. Your stomach is in knots. Your head aches, your shoulders never drop, your cycle is changing. You feel flat, or you feel too much, and you cannot say which.
You have seen your GP. Maybe you have tried many things. Each symptom was treated on its own, and none of them was treated as you.
You don’t need to arrive with it all figured out. We start by listening.
Not sure about needles?
Acupuncture may be the word that brought you here, and it is often the reason you hesitate. That is completely fine.
We can begin with touch alone: acupressure, Tui Na, gentle myofascial and visceral work, cupping or gua sha. You decide if and when to add needles. Some women never do.
Touch alone helps a lot. But there is no replacement for acupuncture. In many cases touch alone will not lead to the same effect that needles do, though it may still help, and it is a gentle way to begin.
When we do use needles, I often need only a few, one to four. They are hair-thin. Many women have their brows done with microblading: a single acupuncture needle feels similar to a single stroke of it, and microblading uses hundreds.
I will always tell you honestly what I think will help most, so the choice stays yours. You stay covered, and you can say no to anything.
How I learned this work
I first became a mother of a son, and then my twins were born after a difficult pregnancy. Within fifteen months I was a mother of three high-need children. For many years I massaged all three every day, the twins most of all. That is where I truly learned touch: slowly, through love and repetition.
I learned first by exploring, then trained in Swedish massage, Tui Na and paediatric Tui Na, and later acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
For more than twelve years I have worked with women whose bodies have been holding too much for too long.
Before all this I was a research scientist. I still look for the pattern beneath your symptoms. But what I trust most is what the body shows me when it is finally met.
What women come to me with
Start with the one that troubles you most. We will look at the rest together.
What women say
“The acupuncture helped me to move from numbness to ‘feeling’ again.”
“Before coming to see Ela, I was all over the place. … My sleep improved. My energy returned: I am taking morning walks and started Pilates again. I feel so much better.”
A one-off De-Stress session of one or two hours, when you simply need to put everything down. No consultation needed, and the gentlest first step.
From £75
See sessions & prices →An Initial Consultation and first treatment, then a short plan with simple self-care at home in between.
From £110
See sessions & prices →Not sure yet? Send me a message and tell me a little about what is happening. I will answer honestly whether I think I can help.
Message me on WhatsApp →Yes. Many women feel unsure about needles, and that is completely fine. We can begin with touch alone: acupressure, Tui Na, myofascial and visceral work, cupping or gua sha. You decide if and when to add needles, and some women never do. Touch alone helps a lot, but it is no replacement for acupuncture: in many cases it will not bring the same effect, though it may still help. Often I need only a few needles, one to four. I will always tell you honestly, so the choice stays yours.
Wear loose, comfortable clothes. I work through clothing as much as I can. When I need to work on your back or legs, you stay covered with blankets or towels, and only the area I am working on is uncovered. You can always say no to anything, and I will work around it.
If you simply need to rest and feel what this work is like, book a one-off De-Stress session. No consultation needed. If you come with a health issue you would like resolved, start with an Initial Consultation, and we shape a plan together.
Of course. Send me a message on WhatsApp or by email, and tell me a little about what is happening. I will answer honestly whether I think I can help.
Coming from nearby?
The clinic is in Whaley Bridge, two minutes’ walk from the station. About 30 minutes from Stockport, 45 minutes from Manchester Piccadilly.
Travelling from further? Try a Deep Work day: four or six unhurried hours in one visit.
Come as you are. We start by listening.
Book a De-Stress session See sessions & prices