Nick Lowe MSc Acupuncture

19/03/2026

Plantar Fasciitis. A recent trial found that over 75% of people who received acupuncture had more than a 50% improvement in their pain. These are really good results!

I am seeing more and more people with plantar fasciitis in my practice recently getting and am getting similar positive results. I frequently combine acupuncture with soft tissue massage around the calves; this treatment is well worth trying!

Acupuncture showing positive results for plantar fasciitis.

After 4 months "the responder rate in the high-intensity acupuncture group was 76.7 %, compared to 36.7 % in the waitlist control group.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229926000129

24/10/2025

I was delighted to receive the prize for best oral presentation at this year's Research Council for Complementary Medicine (RCCM) conference.

This research forms part of the Pragmatic Data Analysis Project which aims to study the complexity involved in real-world acupuncture and traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) practice. The first part of this series focuses on the quantitative analysis of patient outcomes including pain, health-complaint improvement and global health. These preliminary results give practitioners, patients and stakeholders a useful estimation of the patient outcomes we may expect from routine clinical practice settings.

https://youtu.be/JZlpgGwVurY?si=mCq0mF7oe50JuGjv

https://rccm.org.uk/rccm-2025-conference-connecting-and-collaborating-in-tcim-research/

RCCM's Zetta Thomelin interviews Nick Lowe winner of the oral presentation at the RCCM Conference 2025

07/04/2025

I've seen a good few cases of costochondritis over the last couple of years; all of which have responded well. This recently published case series showed a 85% mean improvement in pain scores after a short time after relatively few treatments. It looks like acupuncture is a very good safe option for costochondritis which can be quite a painful and scary condition as it can mimic cardiac chest pain.

Free accessLetterFirst published online July 7, 2021Acupuncture appears to be a rapidly effective treatment for costochondritisRosemary Alexander https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0457-033X [email protected]View all authors and affiliationsVolume 40, Issue 1https://doi.org/10.1177/09645284211027582Conten...

06/02/2025

Great weekend of teaching for the new Diploma of Tui Na & Advanced Bodywork in Exeter with East West College last weekend!

We looked at integrating Tui Na & bodywork techniques into Acupuncture practice with a specific focus on lower back issues and sciatica.

For anyone interested, the course can be done in modules. In the next weekend we are looking at neck and shoulder issues - 21st-23rd March

https://www.eastwestcollege.co.uk/tuina

29/01/2025

The latest research indicates that acupuncture is a promising treatment option for peripheral neuropathy. These symptoms can be very difficult to manage with other drugs and therapies and it looks like adding acupuncture has the potentially to help significantly.

I am seeing peripheral neuropathy more commonly in my clinic lately. Results can take time, especially in chronic cases, but for those that stick with the course of treatments for 6+ weeks I am seeing good and lasting results. Well worth trying.

We were delighted to welcome Matthew Bauer on the podcast to discuss the evidence base of acupuncture for peripheral neuropathy. Also don't miss Matthew's summary of the most important research ever done on acupuncture!Matthew Bauer became interes...

03/11/2024

Sciatica and Lower Back Pain

Recent research showed acupuncture gave great results for people with sciatica with improvements lasting up to a year later! This builds on previous research which found that acupuncture could significantly speed up the time and probability it takes for a herniated disc to heal.

I have over 12 years’ experience working with sciatica and lower back pain. If you have been struggling with this, it could be well worth giving acupuncture a go!

Acupuncture was found to be significantly more effective than placebo acupuncture for sciatica in patients with herniated lumbar discs. A large effect size was found in this trial with acupuncture giving a lasting reduction in pain levels by over 60% at a years follow up. The acupuncture approach was semi-standardised but flexible based on traditional channel pattern differentiation for each patient.

Results from a recent high quality trial published in JAMA. Yet another trial this year confirming acupuncture is not just a placebo.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2825064?guestAccessKey=6288cecb-4296-4e9c-8d42-8960ced5e0fd&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=101424https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/

01/10/2024

A high quality trial with acupuncture showing significant benefits for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This is likely due to acupuncture's demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects, specifically for the bowels as well as systemically. I regularly see pretty good results in my clinic for the varying types of IBS and gut inflammation more generally.

Previous studies have confirmed that acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) provided an additional benefit over usual care alone. Therefore, we performed a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for refractory I...

04/06/2024

A great interview with renown Chinese weightlifter Lü Xiaojun who believes that for him, acupuncture has been more effective than deep tissue massage therapy for treating muscular injuries. He feels that acupuncture needling provides a deeper level of muscular rejuvenation to support his training. Always interesting to hear the qualitative perspectives of athletes on which rehabilitation methods work best for them!

FOLLOW MARTINS' PROGRAMMINGDownload and subscribe to Wreck-It Power for only $12.99 per month!http://onelink.to/wreck-it-powerThe BEST Protein is ...

22/09/2023

In our latest podcast, we talk to Dr Richard Clark about plantar heel pain/plantar fasciitis and acupuncture. Richard discusses both his research and clinical experience. Although its not one of the most common things I see in my clinic I have definitely found acupuncture to be helpful in most cases!

13/08/2023

"Acupuncture can significantly improve Clinical Pregnancy Rate and Live Birth Rate among women also undergoing IVF treatment." Conclusions from a recent systematic review of 25 clinical trials studying 4757 women.

This evidence confirms what many acupuncturists like myself have regularly found in our practice. Women undergoing IVF can definitely consider using acupuncture as well to help maximise their chances!

Purpose To evaluate the effects of acupuncture on IVF-ET outcomes. Methods Digital databases, including Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science and ScienceDirect, were searched from their inception to July 2022. The MeSH terms we used included: acupuncture, in vitro fertilization, a...

03/05/2023

My osteoarthritis patients have often been told; “it’s just old age, nothing we can do about it!” Unfortunately, this can result in people not seeking further treatment, exercising less frequently and becoming overly reliant on pain medication.

The good news is that a lot of research has shown that acupuncture can be effective for different types of osteoarthritis. In the last decade, high quality evidence from a number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found acupuncture to be more effective than muscle strengthening exercises, pain medication and other usual care. Acupuncture has been shown to reduce pain intensity, as well as improving functional mobility and quality of life.

I regularly see patients with osteoarthritis in my clinic, whether it’s affecting the neck, shoulder, hip or knee. Overall, patients report very positive results from their acupuncture treatment (sometimes also combined with massage therapy). Whilst the osteoarthritis itself cannot be ‘cured’, its often possible to significantly reduce the pain and inflammation, as well the range of movement in the affected joints. This helps people become more active again and improve their quality of life!

If you are struggling with osteoarthritis, please feel free to get in touch to see if acupuncture could help you.

High quality evidence from a number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found acupuncture to be effective for osteoarthritis, superior to both sham acupuncture needling and usual care, including pain medication.