In the Chinese 60-year cycle, this is one of the most powerful Fire combinations. Yang Fire represents the sun: bright, direct, expansive and highly visible. The Horse is itself a Fire sign, associated with peak summer energy, speed, charisma and independence. When Fire sits upon Fire, the result is intensity, momentum and visibility. After several years in which Fire was less dominant in the annual cycle, 2026 marks a clear energetic shift. In Five Element theory, Fire gover

I went back through WhatsApp to find my first message to Elen - 13 March 2023. Since then, our chats have flowed through acupuncture, dogs, crystals and small magic moments. What felt like casual conversation was, in fact, the quiet beginning of a way of working together—and of this community acupuncture project. Elen and I met on the sidelines of our daughters’ football match in Victoria Park, East London. Standing there week after week, we offered coaching insights to one a

Over recent years, the gut microbiome has become a key focus in the wellness world—linked to everything from mood and metabolism to immunity. This raised a fascinating question: could acupuncture change the bacteria in your gut? I explored this question in my review of the research which was recently published in The Journal of Chinese Medicine. A Quick Refresher: What is the Gut Microbiome? The gut microbiome is essentially your internal ecosystem—trillions of bacteria, viru

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that Paul Johnson has been awarded a Fellowship of the British Acupuncture Council (FBAcC) —...

To mark World Cancer Day  we are proud to highlight the incredible journey of our graduate, Sarah , as she brings the power of...

Studying through a Pandemic: future-proofing our acupuncture careers By Melanie Cullis, third year student In six weeks, the class of...

Alice Douglas, LicAc MBAcC I have the best job in the world.  I say this all the time, but I really do mean it. When I finished my A...

By programme leader Paul Johnson A new year, a new start? The Christmas break is a period when people often take some time out to think...

By Vanessa Menendez-Covelo, CCA graduate 2019,  vanessacovelo.com   I expected 2020 to be exciting, but maybe not so much! I hit the...

By Kate Henley I am honoured to be chosen to amongst the 10 participants to be travelling to Harbin in the Heilongjiang province in...

It isn’t until you get to the end of studying Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that you really understand the questions...

By James Woodward. I first discovered acupuncture through my interest in Japanese reiki. A few books I had read gave me hints that some...

This month’s blog is an extract from an article written by our head of Acupuncture Point Location for the current edition of the Journal...

By Mark Whitham, Lecturer, City College of Acupuncture That’s a question everyone considering a career in Acupuncture is probably asking...

By Anne Fallan, CCA graduate summer 2016 It has been quite a year since I graduated from the City College of Acupuncture! I took 3 weeks...

By Paul Johnson, Joint Acupuncture Course Leader, The City College of Acupuncture Twenty years ago, whenever you saw the word...

Treating in our student clinic The final part of studying either acupuncture or Tui Na at CCA involves working in our student clinic....

By Paul Johnson, 2017 Absolutely. The people who come to me for treatment do so for a number of different reasons. For some people, I am...

Acupuncture and gardening have a lot in common It may sound daft, but they actually do. When I was studying acupuncture, purely by chance...

By Rosy Hawkins, 2016 Graduate Studying acupuncture at CCA was probably the most rewarding experience of my life to date. I count myself...