About me

Merre Bristow BSc (Hons) LicAc MBAcC
Traditional Acupuncturist

I am qualified with a BSc (Hons) degree in Acupuncture having trained at the prestigious College of Integrated Chinese Medicine (CICM) in Reading, Berkshire.

CICM is one of the largest institutions in the UK offering training in acupuncture and is unique in teaching an integrated style, combining Traditional Chinese Medicine with Five Element Constitutional acupuncture (for more on this see the CICM website on the useful links page). The degree course is validated by Kingston University.

I am a Member of the British Acupuncture Council, our professional governing body, and am bound by strict Codes of Safe Practice and Professional Conduct. This ensures that my patients are offered the highest standards of professional care during their acupuncture treatment.

What is a Traditional Acupuncturist?

The title of Traditional Acupuncturist is a distinction made by the British Acupuncture Council to differentiate its’ members from Western or medical acupuncturists. Traditional acupuncture is a holistic approach to health based on over 2,000 years of development and refinement in the Far East. The skill of a traditional acupuncturist lies in the ability to make a diagnosis based on the principles of oriental medicine and design a personalised treatment plan for each unique individual. The minimum entry requirement to the profession is 3-year undergraduate degree-level training.

Western or medical acupuncture is a more recent development practised predominantly by doctors and physiotherapists which uses acupuncture techniques within their existing scope of practice on the basis of a western medical diagnosis