Patient Experiences

It should be noted, that everyone’s experience of acupuncture is completely unique to them and based on many individual factors. No claim is made for the effectiveness of acupuncture for any of the complaints mentioned (due to current restrictions set by the Advertising Standards Authority). For information on research showing acupuncture to be effective for various complaints and current research, please see the Research Fact Sheet page.

These are just a few descriptions of patients experiences – my sincere thanks to all those who have contributed and for allowing me the absolute privilege of working with you.

″I first went to see Lee as I was suffering from panic attacks and anxiety. Obviously talking about this was very difficult for me but Lee is so professional, approachable and easy to talk to. He soon put me at ease and didn’t make me feel a freak for feeling the way I did.

It soon became evident to Lee that my extremely painful periods, diet, immune system and lifestyle choices needed addressing at the same time. The advice given couldn’t have come soon enough and is now part of my everyday lifestyle.

The consultation always started with a chat to establish how I was feeling, what had been happening in my life, and then the pulse taking followed. Pulse taking on your wrists is so unobtrusive yet so much can be told from this procedure. Without fail, Lee told me what he was going to do, and given my high anxiety states I was always put at ease.

Sometimes, not many needles were used, and other times more, depending on what I needed at the time. When the needle hits the point it can feel dull or sometimes like an electrical buzz. Neither, I think are bad feelings, in fact I think they are amazing. The needles would sometimes be left in until I couldn’t feel them, or just a short in/out.

After the treatment, I always felt relaxed and nothing really phased me, which given my anxiety levels was extremely beneficial.

I saw Lee regularly for years and I wouldn’t hesitate to say the cumulative effects of acupuncture have helped me immensely. I no longer have panic attacks, my anxiety levels are low, my periods are not as painful, and my general lifestyle is now much healthier.

I have recommended so many people to try acupuncture as I have had such a positive outcome. Lee has helped me no end and to anyone debating whether to try acupuncture, just make that first appointment and there will be no going back. Lee will transform your life!″

Jane K

“I don’t say this lightly; Lee has without doubt changed my life immeasurably. I feel incredibly privileged to have found such a skilful yet humble gem. I don’t think that he is merely an expert, I KNOW that he is a Master and to say that you are in the very best of hands does not do him and his services and care justice. From the mastery of his far-reaching treatments to his day to day grounded general care, the South West is so very lucky to have access to his wisdom and life changing knowledge and skillset. If only there were more Lee’s in this World!”

Steph H

“After suffering from terrible debilitating migraines and discovering I had a small meningioma in my brain, I went to see Lee for pain management.

After the very first session I felt a release. Each week the pain got less and less. After just a month of seeing Lee weekly I was able to go back to work and am nearly pain free, just get a little headache but nothing like before.

I’ve now started seeing Lee monthly. I honestly believe that if I didn’t have acupuncture, I would not be back at work. Lee is so calming and is amazing. I really look forward to my sessions as I know for that hour my mind and body will be totally relaxed.

Thanks Lee, you’ve helped me to start living my life again.”

Jo G

“I have had a number of acupuncturists over the years, but I feel so fortunate to have found one of such excellence. Lee has the rare qualities of empathy, intuition and enormous skill. I had a small stroke that affected me very badly and I am sure that his treatments have been the result of my speedy recovery. Cannot rate highly enough.”

Mich J.

“I am so grateful to Lee for everything he is doing/has done for me, and the things he has taught me I can do for myself.

Acupuncture was recommended to me at the beginning of 2016, but I struggled on thinking that my feelings would pass. They didn’t, in fact they got much worse and at the end of 2016 I contacted Lee who really listened to me and my ongoing symptoms.

The fact that someone was listening and understanding at all was intriguing enough for me to give an alternative to prescribed medications a go. At the beginning of 2017 I started treatment and I can honestly say I feel amazing, and back in control after only 5 treatments. I now have a very open mind to alternative treatments, for all manor of illnesses/conditions and wouldn’t hesitate to continue using The Classical Acupuncture Practice.

Shelley K

″I was recommended by a friend to see Lee as I was generally ill and a bit down in the dumps, and I thought that acupuncture sounded interesting. On my initial consultation with Lee, first he did some pulse-readings. He then asked me questions and tested my response to some needles. Lee then suggested that I go to the dentists as he thought there was some sort of issue there.. (I put it down to my wisdom teeth coming through).  The dentist said that I had a large but hidden cavity in one of my teeth – I honestly had no idea. This was causing me to feel so run down! I realised then that Lee was the real deal and I was hooked.

I started seeing Lee once a month (ish) and can not sing his praises highly enough. I met him as a smoking, mildly depressed, highly anxious, slightly neurotic walking malady. However, after a year my life has completely changed. I have quit smoking, I have fallen in love and I have found a career path which I never thought was possible. And that’s without mentioning the massive improvement in my health!

Lee is such a kind, present and caring person, you can’t help but feel relaxed and safe in his company. After every session I felt like I had been ‘reset’ and I would come away feeling like I had really been listened . I was also given some great advice to live better.

As for the needles and acupuncture it’s self, I’ve never experienced anything like it. At first, the amazing reaction from the needles (not pain, just an energy) and then after, the most relaxing few minutes of my month – as it all does it’s stuff… (I don’t claim to actually know how it works – it just does).

Acupuncture is everywhere and commonly used, but Lee is not. The combination of a genuine, sincere practitioner who really knows what he’s talking about and a form of alternative medicine, such as acupuncture has quite honestly and without exaggeration changed my life. I will be forever grateful to him, and semi-seriously considered for a while commuting from Essex to Devon to continue treatment!

He truly is brilliant at what he does and clearly committed to improving people’s physical and mental health with passion, kindness and very thin needles. A big fan, who wishes Devon was much closer.″

Karen H

“I first went to see Lee on the recommendation of a friend who knew I wanted to try acupuncture for ongoing fertility issues. I already had an appointment booked at another practice but she was insistent that I rearranged my appointment and waited to see Lee. And I am so glad I did. Lee has not only introduced me to the health benefits of acupuncture –  demonstrating a phenomenal breadth of knowledge and skill – but over the two years I have been treated by Lee we have developed a very special therapeutic relationship which has supported me through some difficult life challenges including the sudden and traumatic loss of a close relative.

Lee is without a doubt a very experienced and skilled practitioner. But it is his genuine, compassionate, humanistic approach that sets him apart from the rest. On one occasion he opened his practice late one evening (on his day off!) to give me some extra support when I was anxious about miscarrying a much longed for pregnancy. He shows such kindness and commitment to the well-being of his patients that exceeds all expectation. Lee is also a very wise soul who has completely changed my world view and I am a better, happier, healthier person for having been treated by him. I also have a beautiful baby boy!”

Emily W

“My name is Jonny and I am 14.

I had my first session with Lee when I was 11. I suffered with enuresis problems since birth and had tried several treatments – none had worked.

So when I tried acupuncture I did not really think it would work either, but Lee was confident that it would and that it would take about 6 or 7 sessions to fix my life long problem! True to his word, after 7 sessions, everything was perfectly fine and I have not had any problems since.

I would recommend acupuncture to anyone, for any problem, Lee is also one of the nicest, and most gentle, people I have ever met.”

Jonny S

″I have found that over the years Acupuncture really works for me. More recently when lots of difficult things were going on in my life I went to Lee for acupuncture for preventative reasons…I know that when emotionally pressurised there is a tendency to become ill.

Knowing that there was a place where I was listened to with compassion and all symptoms were acknowledged was very reassuring.  Having acupuncture helped maintain stability on physical and emotional levels and allowed me to ‘weather the storm” life seemed to be sending my direction.″

Kate R

“I started to see Lee for acupuncture treatment following a number of very positive recommendations from close friends, who knew that he would be able to help me. I’ve had regular migraines for over 15 years and nothing I’ve tried has really helped. I started by having acupuncture every 2 weeks or so, then gradually reduced this down to monthly appointments. This was to coincide with the most likely time I would be most susceptible to having a migraine.

My migraines dramatically reduced in intensity and frequency after a few months and I felt a huge sense a freedom not having to expect to get a migraine every month. But the treatment with Lee was so much more than that. His holistic approach meant that we talked about all aspects of my life and Lee had acupuncture treatments that could help with those emotional difficulties too.

I lost my Mum to cancer ten years ago and I talked to Lee in detail about this. The treatments he gave me helped me to feel much more grounded than I had felt since she had passed away. During one treatment in particular I suddenly felt able to talk about deep emotions surrounding losing my Mum that I had never spoken about before. After that treatment I felt a huge sense of relief and lightness at having been able to release those emotions.

I will be forever grateful to Lee for opening my eyes to the huge physical and emotional benefits of acupuncture, and for being such a hugely caring, calming and supportive person. He helped me through some very difficult times, and I never felt rushed during a treatment session. He always had time to actively listen. I always left a treatment session feeling emotionally balanced, energised and with a calm mind.”

Nancy H

I first came to acupuncture on the recommendation of a friend who, like me, was a lifelong asthmatic with all the attendant chest problems which that brings. I had a bevy of inhalers and was also being prescribed frequent antibiotics for chest infections, but, although I just about managed to get along, my chest was always tight, reverting to real shortness of breath and wheeziness at the slightest provocation such as cold weather, a dusty atmosphere or catching a cold.

Acupuncture did not produce an immediate cure or a total cessation of all the symptoms (NHS medicine also acknowledges that there is no ‘cure’ for a condition such as mine) but, even after the first treatment, my breathing felt easier and I was reaching for my reliever inhaler less frequently. That improvement has continued over the years.

Yes, there have been times when I’ve needed antibiotics as the result of catching a cold which has ‘gone to my chest’ and sometimes my chest has tightened just after treatment before easing and relaxing. But overall my breathing is much better as a result of the acupuncture treatment and my chest feels strengthened and supported in a way which was not the case before.

But it is not only my chest which has felt the benefits of acupuncture. Each treatment is very calming to both body and mind and I invariably come out from a session feeling relaxed and strengthened. It has helped other illnesses and problems too. It identified a problem with my gall-bladder well before the hospital diagnosed it and it has really helped the digestive discomfort and pain which I had both before and after having my gall-bladder removed.

Treatment from Lee really helped when I had an extensive outbreak of eczema and he has also helped with circulatory problems in my legs and with varicose veins.

Before I had acupuncture I had some misgivings about what it would be like having needles put into my body, but there is absolutely nothing to fear. Each session (and they are usually an hour long apart from an initial two-hour session where the practitioner takes time to find out about you as a person and your medical history and symptoms) is a very leisurely and relaxed experience.

After an initial chat about how you have been since the last session, you lie on a couch and Lee takes your pulses on both wrists – a quiet and almost meditative process. Then gradually he puts needles in at the points which he thinks are appropriate. Sometimes there are several needles; sometimes only two or three. Sometimes a needle is put into a point and then withdrawn almost immediately, but more frequently, at least in my case, the needles are left in for approximately 15 minutes during which time you can feel your body really easing and relaxing.

Because you are lying down you usually don’t see the needles but, when I have occasionally glimpsed them, I’ve been amazed at how fine they are, almost like a single hair. Because they are so fine, you hardly feel any prick when they are inserted  – and not nearly as much of a prick as you feel if you have a blood test at the doctor’s. What you do feel is a slight ache at the point where the needle has been put in, and then a warming and calming sensation which can often be felt in other parts of the body too.

But it’s not just the physical process which is important. There’s also the relationship element too. Lee is a very warm, friendly person and very easy to talk to – and, because the sessions are about an hour long you get to know him well, almost like a friend. Add to this the fact that he offers advice and support regarding things like lifestyle and diet, each session becomes much more holistic than the brief consultation you generally get with your GP – even assuming you’re lucky enough to see the same GP twice!

Lee has sometimes talked about acupuncture as a journey, and I think that’s a very good way of describing it. It’s not a quick fix – although I felt improvements even after the very first session I had. But to enjoy the real benefits you need to persevere. If you do, my experience is that symptoms really are alleviated, even a long-term condition becomes much easier to live with, and you really are strengthened both physically and as a person too.

Rex C

″When I first went to see Lee for acupuncture I wasn’t at all sure what to expect. I had recently had a health scare which ended up showing that I had fibroids, I was also borderline for an underactive thyroid, recovering from being anaemic and my electromagnetic sensitivity was very pronounced due to a response to the scans I had needed. It’s fair to say I wasn’t feeling great!

A couple of friends recommended acupuncture as being good for gynaecological issues and overall wellbeing and Lee came highly recommended too so I booked a session not at all sure I liked the idea of paying to have needles stuck in me! And wow I am so glad I went

From the very first couple of sessions I knew I had found something (and in Lee someone) that could really help me. There is something very special about the depth of listening that takes place in a session, it’s not just the usual question and answer stuff you might expect but when Lee felt the pulses in my wrists it felt like he was having a conversation with the very blueprint of me, of how I could be as well as how I was at that moment.

Maybe it was because he was comparing the pulses he was feeling, with what he hoped to feel, I don’t know. It was a very deep and yet very respectful conversation without any words. I can be quite shy and private and it was almost a relief to just let the pulses do the talking, they could explain far more clearly what was amiss than I could find words for. At the same time because the conversation was with all of the pulses it felt like all of me was heard and reassured that help was at hand, that better balance was just a few needles away.

I really appreciated the way that Lee included me in deciding the best treatment at each session, so I could ask any questions, say ‘fine, go for something a little more challenging’ or equally ‘please be gentle I’ve got a busy week ahead’!

As far as the needles went, it’s safe to say that not only did they not hurt (hurrah!) they were so fine (as thin as a hair) and used so sparingly it almost didn’t seem possible that they could make a big difference. But oh they did, they really did. They opened my senses to a whole aspect of listening and being aware of the energy in my body that I hadn’t known was possible.

It was fascinating to feel the needles at work, sometimes I could feel effects far from the needle (and Lee would then explain why) sometimes the effect was physical (helping my asthma) sometimes it was to do with my frame of mind, easing tension or wonderfully, restoring a sense of spontaneous happiness and laughter that had been missing since I had M.E almost 20 years ago.

I discovered that I experience the different elements of the Qi as having their own sounds and images and I love that aspect of it, it helps me to make sense of how I feel on any given day and where possible I can work accordingly. During a treatment I experience each needle as having it’s own voice and yet they all come together through a treatment to create their own combined story as the treatment finds it’s balance point. No matter how out of sorts I felt at the start of a session Lee could always help my system to find harmony by the end – which is a real gift.

I can honestly say that acupuncture has changed my life in ways I hadn’t even imagined when I first went to see Lee. The symptoms from the fibroids are much improved and the acupuncture definitely keeps them in check and more comfortable. I no longer have a thyroid problem, period pain and PMS are much less, my energy is better, I recover quicker from colds etc and I have re-found a lighthearted smiliness that for a long time I wondered if it would ever return.

Not only that but Lee also has a huge knowledge of the way in which the Qi is affected by lifestyle, diet etc and so by incorporating some of his teachings in this respect I can help to stay stronger between sessions.

I only wish I had found acupuncture sooner! Thank you Lee for the start of a fascinating journey…″

Claire A

“When Lee first started treating me, well over 10 years ago, I was already convinced of the benefits of acupuncture, but I quickly realised that Lee was a practitioner on another level – a master of his art, highly intuitive, with great spiritual depth and wisdom, and also a human being of great compassion and warmth.

I seemed to lurch from crisis to crisis, physical and emotional, over the following years but Lee never failed to provide insight into my situations and the underlying causes of one malaise or another while tackling their manifestations in mind and body and guiding me back towards well-being, equilibrium – and hope. In that time I began to take steps towards launching myself on a new career, which seemed pretty fanciful at the time, but is now what I do.

After I moved away from Cambridge, I willingly did the four hour round trip to see him several times a year in order to keep body and soul together – and would have covered many more miles to be properly heard and supported through the trials of life in the way that Lee seems uniquely equipped to do.

During this period my sister was involved in a very serious car accident on the other side of the world and Lee, who came to know of it indirectly, did everything he could to help me from a distance, providing invaluable moral support and understanding about her trauma and recovery process.

I have no doubt that I will be knocking on his practice door in Devon in the future; Lee is no ordinary acupuncturist.”

Claire P

“I’m utterly envious of the lucky people of Devon.

It was physical exhaustion that took me to Lee (via a friends recommendation) but within a couple of sessions it became very clear that there was so much more going on with me.

The needles used in acupuncture are not a big deal and are so thin you hardly notice them. What you feel is the ‘sensation’ of the acupuncture point itself when it’s activated and after a second this subsides also.

The effects of acupuncture are different for everyone, but for me the initial effect was like someone had pulled the plug on pent up emotions and the uncontrollable outpour was somewhat daunting to a self confessed control freak.

However, Lee helped me every step of the way, tailoring my monthly acupuncture sessions around a holistic work-up gained through easygoing, supportive conversations about my well-being (which were pure therapy to me) and of course Traditional Chinese Medicine pulse diagnosis.

Gradually, through various ups & downs, I started to heal and my monthly sessions, which were essential to my comfort for a period of time, organically reduced to coincide with the seasonal changes.

When I look back on my ‘bleak time’ I am eternally grateful that I had Lee to help me through it all.
He is one of the most inspirational people I know with an innate wisdom that is extraordinary (& we don’t get to use such a noun very often).

Lee is much more than an exceptional acupuncturist, he is quite simply unique.”

Cassandra H

“Honestly, I have so much I want to write I hardly know where to begin! I first went for a treatment with Lee in 2009 on the recommendation of a friend. From then on I saw him regularly, mostly monthly, for the next seven years until he moved from Cambridge to Devon.

Lee is so much more than a highly experienced and skilled acupuncturist – he’s like a very wise sage and therapist, all rolled into one. Since seeing Lee I have completely changed my perspective on life – I have explored new avenues and expanded my horizons while also improving my whole wellbeing with changes to diet and lifestyle.

When we suffered an unexpected family tragedy Lee came to our home to support us and his presence brought a calm and peace that was invaluable. There’s a touch of magic about Lee – he’s a very special man – and I will definitely be making the trip from Cambridge to Devon to have treatments as often as I can!”

Jo W

“I have found acupuncture to be quite outstanding, I have had this treatment for many minor problems including arthritis and asthma.   Each time I have had an appointment with Lee I have found it to be relaxing and even the “so called” needles are nothing at all to worry about, they are nothing like those you have for a blood test or injection.  As the needles are put in you get a mini electric sensation which lasts a second, no pain sometimes a mild ache, certainly nothing to worry about.

It is quite miraculous, the arthritis pain fades away, if not immediately certainly over the next few hours (but we are all different),  I have gone in for my appointment unable to clench my fingers and walked out with them behaving normally.  With asthma I have found it to be amazing as I have been to an appointment quite breathless and leave after treatment, taking huge breathes of air…now how does that work – I truly believe its magic ( of course an extremely gifted acupuncturist helps).

An unexpected and great side effect of acupuncture is that I am really relaxed and am less stressed and I sleep like a log.  I like to have acupuncture now as a regular treatment, I am quite sure it helps keep me well, less stressed and enables me to sleep soundly.

Lee is a talented, knowledgeable acupuncturist, he makes it easy for you to relax and he listens carefully to what you have to say then decides how to treat what is going on in your body, this I think is the secret, acupuncture treats the whole person not just a symptom and I believe it is better if possible to deal with things without tablets but regular medicine and acupuncture run well side by side.  I have always told my GP that I have acupuncture and have always been encouraged to carry on, so I did for 10 years now.

Devon is so lucky to have such a talent among them, acupuncture can do no harm so give it a try, you may well be very pleased you did.  I certainly was!”

Ann C

Lucy R

Sarah T

Lesley S-M