Practitioners We Love: Get to Know London Acupuncturist Gulshan Noorani.

At Soma Clinic, we often refer to practitioners outside of Singapore, because a village is sometimes needed to support the patient!

In each of these Features, we want to share the work of practitioners who we think will benefit our patients. In this article, we feature London Acupuncturist Gulshan Noorani from Pretty Healthy who has a busy practice in London, UK.

This is how Gulshan treats Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL)

Several years back, we had an English patient aged 40 who had multiple miscarriages from both natural and IVF conception.

Within a month of her first consult, this patient (hereafter called the ‘English patient’) was to relocate to the UK.

This English Patient was referred by Soma Clinic to Gulshan Noorani in London.

Under Gulshan’s care, the patient’s left ovary, which was shown to not release any eggs, was found to be fully functional in time for the next IVF cycle.

Gulshan was there supporting the English patient during preparation for IVF and also on the day of embryo transfer.

The English patient had a positive pregnancy test, carried till term and delivered a beautiful healthy baby with no labor complications.

Gulshan Noorani is a well-loved Acupuncturist based out of Central London.

Gulshan is a wonderful TCM practitioner. She is sensitive to the patient, at the same time knowledgeable and passionate about the effectiveness of Chinese medicine in the treatment 0f a variety of conditions.

What was your journey to becoming such a well-loved acupuncturist in London?

I am of Indian origin but born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In my late teens, I became a stateless person during the expulsion of Indians from the DRC and had to emigrate to Canada.

After graduating from Concordia University with a degree in art history and painting, I pursued my love of painting until I was totally broke and got a job in an insurance company and became an expert in life claim adjudication and litigation.

In 2006, at the young age of 49, I sold my apartment in Toronto and moved to the UK to be with my mother and went back to school.

Nutrition was my hobby and I always loved nutrition. Before the the advent of the internet, I would always buy books on food and nutrition.

While doing a 3-year diploma course at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM), I discovered Chinese Medicine Theory and fell even more in love that I had to learn more. Continuing my further education, I completed the 3-year BSc in Acupuncture followed by a 2 year MSc in Herbal Medicine.

Upon completing the 8 year study period, I was hired by the well-known Asante Academy of Chinese Medicine to work in their clinic and at the Whittington Hospital (North London) maternity and pain clinics.

Thereafter, I started my own private practice and now work within the Islington Chiropractic Health Clinics in London as an Acupuncturist.

I do not just work with women and fertility, and enjoy treating pain and other chronic conditions too.

What does it take to become a skilled acupuncturist?

Being a skilled acupuncturist takes more that just learning the basics as there are many ways in which one can use this magical needle.

What sustains my practice (and my love of acupuncture) is continuously developing my skills in the area of pain-relief and seeking out simple ways to treat the root cause of disease.

What are top 3 misconceptions people have about acupuncture?

Myth #1: Acupuncture is painful.

Well, it doesn’t have to be. By using using finer needles and less needles, one can still effectuate change through acupuncture.

Myth #2: Acupuncture is for pain only.

Not true. Acupuncture can be used to address underlying conditions, chronic health issues and help balance organ and hormonal functions.

Myth #3: Acupuncture is only useful when you are unwell.

Not true. Acupuncture can support the body even when healthy. By clearing stagnation caused by emotional and daily life stresses, it can help maintain health.

How do you use acupuncture to treat perimenopause?

#1: Acupuncture can be used to cool the body down

As the body’s yin (cooling function) weakens, heat arises, especially at night, which may result in night sweats.

A good balancing method is to use acupuncture that generates yin fluids, which then cools and clears heat.

This is also known as tonifying the water element and clearing heart fire.

#2: Acupuncture is helpful for insomnia

Insomnia often occurs during menopause because heat rises up and harasses the heart-mind.

Acupuncture helps to enrich yin fluids so that the heat does not rise up and harass the heart-mind.

#3: Acupuncture helps to reduce heart palpitations

During menopause, there may be a tendency toward anxiety and heart palpitations.

By enriching yin-fluids and the water element, acupuncture is able to calm the heart mind and reduce palpitations.

You are trained in distal needling. What is that?

Distal needling is putting needles not in the area of pain, but much further away, closer to where the hands and feet are.

Treating distally can be more beneficial in many situations.

For example, ankle injury resulting in chronic pain: by needling the opposite side wrist on the meridian pathways that correspond the area of pain in the affected ankle will result in almost immediate reducing of pain.

This signals to the brain that this area is free of inflammation and it can now send nutrients to heal the ankle.

Get in Touch!

At Soma Clinic, we support women through fertility, pregnancy and postpartum. We also connect with other people who can support your journey through to motherhood! Here’s how to get in touch with Gulshan Noorani online.