| Joe Duffy's Spirit Level RTE
Part 1 - 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImDF6Bd4R7A
Final Part
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ye3ac-zuvQ
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Newspaper Articles
Getting the Point
The Sunday Business Post
November 2003
by Fiona Ness
These days, you’re not anybody unless you’ve had your Qi (chi) rebalanced. Even six-week-old babies are having theirs tampered with, so that their parents can grab a few hours uninterrupted sleep.
So who was I to whimper when it was suggested I try having my qi rebalanced to treat a chronic knee injury, on which conventional medicine had, had no effect?
I had been suffering pain from a floating kneecap for about five years, so more than one acupuncture session would be necessary to heal the condition, according to David Shipsey of Dan-Tien complimentary health studio. Shipsey says abdominal acupuncture will be the fastest method of achieving results.He says this ancient form of Chinse medicine has been largely forgotten about by practitioners, because body acupuncture was standardised during the cultural revolution in China.
As I am a complete novice on the subject of acupuncture, Shipsey explains to me how the treatment will work. In traditional Chinese medicine, the body is believed to have 12 meridian lines. Energy – Qi – circulates along the meridian lines. When these channels become blocked, the energy cannot flow, resulting in low energy and sickness. Each meridian is connected to a specific organ, and the body has more than 350 acupuncture points. When treating a condition, the acupuncturist isolates these points and inserts a needle. Each acupoint acts as a gateway to the channels, so when a needle is placed here, the energy is released and the body’s own healing process can continue.
The session began with a detailed consultation, tongue examination and six pulse readings. Initially reluctant to discuss the intricacies of my digestive process with a total stranger, I was soon rattling off my list of self-diagnosed ailments, from knee pain to insomnia and beyond.
Shipsey says many mental and emotional problems can be treated with acupuncture, including depression and stress. Shipsey also treats hospital patients with chronic pain as the practice is approved by both VHI and Bupa.
After the consultation, I removed my shoes and socks and lay down on the couch. Shipsey dotted points on my abdomen, but also on my head, hands and feet, where he would place the needles. I was told to expect a buzzing when the needle was inserted, and was encouraged to keep talking as the needles went into my stomach. When the needles were placed in my feet and hands, I felt my nerves jump, as though I was biting down with a filling on a piece of silver paper. However, this feeling was instantaneously replaced with a warm, pulsing sensation spreading up my hand and arm. The stainless steel needles vary in size from half an inch to three inches long, the length determined by the illness and the patient’s size. They come in sealed packs and are disposed of after use.
Shipsey says clients often drift off to sleep for the rest of the session, but I lay stock still, acutely aware of the needle I knew was sticking out of the top of my head.
Although it was not a miracle cure in one session, the effects of the treatment were surprisingly immediate. One week and a weekend of surfing later, my knee joint is markedly more mobile. I was also able to sit through a five-hour car journey without having to pull over and flex a painful knee joint. And all for the price of a visit to the doctor.
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The Gentle Art of Acupuncture
E.S.B Magazine 2002
by Dave Shipsey B.Sc (Hons) Grad. Dip. C. Ac.
Nanjing China (Registered Acupuncturist)
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) & Acupuncture are ancient forms of natural healing. They originate from Taoist and naturalist philosophies and developed over approximately 3,000 years of theory, clinical trials and observation. These are holistic therapies and as such they try to restore a sense of balance in all aspects of one’s life. This is achieved by manipulating Qi (the bodies essential energy) either through needles, acupressure, massage, heat or electric pulses, to restore health, harmony and well-being.
Qi circulates throughout the body in a network of channels or meridians connecting yin and yang organs, internal and external aspects of the body. Each acu-point acts as a gateway to the meridian, so that the acupuncturist can stimulate the body’s own healing process to restore its natural balance. The diagnostic principles of TCM enable the practitioner to decide on the best possible combination of points to use, in order to relieve the symptoms and treat the underlying cause.
As a therapy it is recognised by the World Health Organisation in the treatment of over 100 conditions. It can be used to treat both Acute and chronic. internal & external disorders. The range of conditions treated are wide and varied and includes both physical and emotional problems such as arthritis, migraine, allergies, stress, depression, high/low blood pressure, hepatitis, insomnia etc (see www.dan-tien.com).
Ireland has two regulatory bodies, Acupuncture Foundation Professional Body and Acupuncture Chinese Medicine Organisation, which govern practitioners. Members must be trained and certified to a minimum standard and must comply with strict codes of ethics and practice.
Registered acupuncturists are approved by VHI, BUPA and the ESB’s medical provident fund, which will reimburse up to €19 per session. In the UK 2 out of 3 GP’s refer clients to have acupuncture, and 84% of NHS pain clinics use acupuncture.
Why Acupuncture?
- Natural Holistic Therapy
- Virtually no side effects
- Helath enhancing/cures ill health
- No contra indications with prescribed drugs/can ease side effects of drugs
- Suitable for all ages
- Suitable during pregnancy
- Suitable for Immuno compromised people.
What does acupuncture feel like?
Needles are very fine (often as fine as a human hair) and designed to pass through the skin. There should be little or no awareness of the needle being inserted. When it reaches the acu-point, the feeling varies and is often described as a warm radiating feeling or tingling sensation as the qi flows to the point (the feeling can be increased or decreased according to the patients body constitution and wishes). During treatment people often feel so comfortable and relaxed they fall asleep. As well as relief from a particular condition patients often report such benefits as improved sleep, increased energy, vitality and concentration and an improved sense of general well being. Needles are sterile and disposed of after one use.
As a practitioner there is nothing more safisfying than to see the look of delight, disbelief and amazement on a persons face as stimulating one point in the leg releases a frozen shoulder, or as a couple of ear points resolve the pain of sciatica. One should not have to accept pain and discomfort as being due to ‘growing pains’, ‘old age’ or ‘stress’. Because a condition has become a familiar part of one’s life does not mean that it has to be part of one’s life; its never too late to try acupuncture.
Although it may seem paradoxical, acupuncture is a gentle healing art, which encourages the body’s natural power to heal itself.
If you would like to make an appointment or for further information please contact Dave at 01-4738845 or check out the website: www.dan-tien.com
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Garda Review
February 2004
Speaking In Tongues
Many people misunderstand acupuncture as a tool for well-being. Neil Ward accepted an invitation by Dan-Tien’s expert Dave Shipsey to give it a try.
Pinpointing The Problem
On arriving at Dave Shipsey’s complimentary health studio in Christchurch, Dublin, I was filled with curiosity and a little apprehension. I needn’t have worried. By the time we actually got around to any treatment I was completely at ease, having spent nearly half an hour discussing my digestive and sleeping habits, and general well-being in the kind of detail that my GP has never had the time to go into. There was even something of a therapeutic value in having someone listen to my medical history and take a keen interest in my dietary and resting habits, as well as my emotional states and anxieties. To help Dave pinpoint any problems he used ‘Tongue Diagnosis” – an age old technique that involved lookin at my tongue four or five times.
The Tongue Tells All
Dave says, “Tongues vary – in colour, moisture content and texture – some may even quiver. It takes experience to read a tongue but it is an accurate indicator of the body’s state.” This diagnosis is often augmented by taking the pulse. There are six pulses on each wrist which correspond to each of the organs e.g. right hand pulse indicates the condition of the Lung/ Large Intestine, Stomach/ Spleen/Kidney/Urinary Bladder. “The pulse will confirm your diagnosis from the other methods such as asking, observing palpatating tongue, etc.”
At The Sharp End
It was not at all painful – for me the very notion of acupuncture had always conjured images of the old ‘Hellraiser’ posters. How wrong I was. The sensation is not unpleasant, almost unnoticeable if coninciding with an intake of breath. The Chinese-made needles are very fine, sterile and used only once. Treatment typically involves 8-10 needles, “Less is more, “ says Dave. I slept very well, without a single ache or pain.
Each needle provoked a different reaction. Some seemed electric; others more anaesthetic – some radiated outwards and some just concentrated energy. For fifteen minutes or so, I was left in a state of grace – not daring to move – or perhaps incapable of movement. But the brain was left with a child-like clear view of the world. I could possibly have drifted off to sleep, but stayed awake to enjoy the feeling.
Dave explained, “Different treatments suit different people The same treatment may treat different conditions in different people; the same ailment may be treated in a variety of different ways depending on the person.”
Getting The Point
It was several hours later that I was still feeling the benefits – almost like a mild hypnosis – but it raised as many questions as it answered. Yes, I probably do drink too much coffee; life would be better without that rushed lunch...
This session would have cost the same price as a visit to a GP – yet the therapist spent significantly more time in diagnosis through an extensive consultation – and also provided a therapy. Dave diagnoses were accurate and several days later – and the treatment on my right knee is still effective; the lasting effects were that I have taken a longer look at myself regarding the common habits that I know should change – and I felt I had more energy for the first few days after the treatment. I simply would not have visited the doctor without something very specific for him to treat. Like most people I suspect, I sould go to my GP when I need antibiotics, strong pain killers or a referral to the hospital.
Acupuncture has now been widely accepted and recognised by the medical profession in Ireland. The Garda Medical Aid Society ( and other health insurances) will pay towards treatment by registered acupuncture professionals. The Garda Medical Aid Society will cover up to €30 per visit for a maximum of ten visits in a 12 month period, subject to a letter fo referral from a GP.
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Alternative Options
GCN March 2004
by Rachel Armstrong.
As anyone who suffers from insomnia knows, the minute you tell someone about your condition they’ll have some weird, wonderful and useless cure. Well, I’ve tried them all, including meditation relaxation and inebriation with varying levels of short term success. Acupuncture, I was assured, is different. It gets to the heart of the problem and unblocks the energy flows that are keeping me up at night.
Acupuncture was first discovered as a result of arrow wounds suffered by soldiers on the battlefields of ancient China. Sometimes a soldier with an arrowhead embedded in his leg or arm would report the sudden disappearance of long-standing symptoms in other parts of his body, such as headaches or digestive disorders. Since then, it’s become the main medicinal practice in China – people use it to treat almost every ailment there – and it’s now a firm fixture on the alternative therapy scene across the globe.
Dave Shipsey, who runs Dan-Tien, a complimentary health studio in Dublin’s Christchurch, must be one of the greatest men I have ever met. If his chilled out demeanour is anything to go by, acupuncture is the way forward for stress heads like me.
He started my session by very thoroughly going through my medical history and asking such delightful questions as the colour of my pee. Then he asked me to stick out my tongue. Every part of your body has a corresponding point on your tongue so, along with my medical history, Dave could determine the areas that needed work. Then he took my pulse with three fingers, each pressing at a different time, as if my arm was a trumpet. He continued to scribble things down and nod sagely. Then he talked me through what parts of my body he thought I might be having problems with and advised me on foods to avoid and so on. All this and I hadn’t even seen an arrowhead yet.
When it was time for me to get up on the bench, Dave explained that I was to get Abdominal Acupuncture (he is Ireland’s only practitioner of Abdominal Acupuncture) which is a very ancient, micro form of acupuncture that was almost totally lost following China’s cultural revolution. It is very gentle and there is little sensation. It is powerful in its action and is particularly useful for stubborn conditions.
As Dave put each needle into my skin he spoke to me explaining what each should do, what sensation I should feel and how long it would last. Then a heat lamp went on over my torso, classical music in my ears and I was left to my own devices. Lying there, I was aware of the needles in my body but they didn’t hurt in the slightest and I drifted off to sleep.
Dave advises that people get a few sessions of acupuncture, the number depending on the condition being treated, to really feel the effects. As Dan-Tien is VHI and BUPA approved, this shouldn’t cost the earth. My sleep patterns improved immediately, though. I’m not as angst ridden at bedtime anymore and the tossing and turning has at least temporarily abated. My girlfiriend now swears by acupuncture and she’s sending me back for more.
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The Sunday Business Post
10 November 2002
Just A Little Needlework
by Elizabeth McGuane
THE TREATMENT
What it is: Acupuncture
What it promises: Everything from general health to relief from sports injuries, back pain and arthritis, migraines, insomnia, depression, addiction, infertility, and so on.
How it works: The basic tenet behind the therapy is that energy, or Qi, passes through a series of channels beneath the skin that connect the interior and exterior of the body and the internal systems to each other. The aim is to bring these systems into balance, by inserting needles (the width of a human hair) into points along the channels connected to organs seen to be sources of imbalance.
Pain rating: 0 out of 5 – if done properly.
What it costs: At Dan-Tien clinic on Dublin’s Bride Street, the first diagnostic session is €65, and each subsequnt session €50-55. The number of sessions recommended will vary depending on the individual.
What it delivers: It’s possible to get results immediately, while some patients will see improvement after several weeks. It’s important to make sure you see an acupuncturist registered with The acupuncture foundation of Ireland or similar.
Suggest acupuncture to most people and you might be met with a pupil-dilating expression of terror, as if you’d mentioned a nice relaxing trip to the dentist. But, while misconceptions about the therapy are rife, the actual experience can be one of deep relaxation and surprisingly immediate and effective results.
Arriving at the Dan-Tien clinic on a wet and manic Friday afternoon, my session began with a very thorough interview about my physical and emotional wellbeing. This made me a bit too aware of my own digestive processes and it was a bit odd having someone inspect my tongue four or five times. But it is the most important part of acupuncture treatment as, much like a western medical diagnosis, it pinpoints the source of health problems.
After a question and answer session lasting 45 minutes, the treatment began. With peaceful music playing, I removed shoes and socks and lay back with more than a little apprehension, despite my best efforts to seem nonchalant. As each needle was inserted, I was told what the benefits of each point being treated were, and found I felt very much in control (it helps not to look at the needles).
Once they had all been inserted – one in each arm, two in each leg, and one between the eyebrows (this gave a wonderfully warm radiating glow all across the forehead and wiped out the headache I’d had al day), I was left to relax under a heat lamp for about half an hour, and nearly drifted off to sleep.
Afterwards, I felt light, headache-free and almost giddy. That night I had the first good night’s sleep I’d had in weeks, and feel the benefits were enough to make me want to brave the needles a second time.
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