Burnout, insomnia, chronic stress. These are everyday realities for too many in the post-pandemic world. With an oversubscribed NHS, more of us are turning to alternative therapies to treat ailments, and for an increasing number, acupuncture has become the go-to treatment for support with everything from menopause symptoms to chronic pain.
What’s caused this new interest in needles? ‘I think in many ways, wellness has taken the baton from the beauty industry. We’ve started to explore different ways of looking good and feeling good, beyond simply topical solutions,’ says Joanna Ellner, a former beauty director who quit her job in 2016 to train as an acupuncturist and is now a qualified practitioner. ‘Western medicine often