/ /

The Secret to Finding Balance

INTEGRATIVE WELLNESS WITH PHILIP ROSE-NEIL

Holistic Wellness 5 Minute Read

PHILIP ROSE-NEIL, FOUNDER OF LONDON’S ROSE-NEIL CLINIC AND FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE BRITISH ACUPUNCTURE COUNCIL, IS RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING ACUPUNCTURE PRACTITIONERS. HE’S RECENTLY EXPANDED HIS ACUPUNCTURE PRACTICE TO COMO METROPOLITAN LONDON, WHERE HE OFFERS CONSULTATIONS EVERY MONDAY. IN THIS COMO CONVERSATION, WE SPEAK WITH ROSE-NEIL ABOUT HERITAGE — BOTH HIS OWN AND THAT OF ACUPUNCTURE —, AND THE INTERCONNECTED NATURE OF MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT.

Philip Rose-Neil

Philip Rose-Neil is a British acupuncturist and former Chairman of the British Acupuncture Council. After studying for a Bachelor of Science from the University of Leicester, Rose-Neil trained in Traditional Acupuncture at the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Leamington Spa and Oxford Brookes. In 2023, he was made a Fellow of the British Acupuncture Council. 

What inspired you to become an acupuncturist?

I always knew I was going to be an acupuncturist; I followed the family business. My father, Sidney Rose-Neil, was an extraordinary man. He was born to a displaced family in London, and after accruing his fortune through conventional business ventures, then decided to dedicate the rest of his life to the study of functional medicine. At the time, acupuncture was a kind of back-room business: it was practised to some degree, but there was no regulation or qualification system. My father changed that. He pioneered the introduction of acupuncture to the West and founded the British Acupuncture Association as well as the hugely popular non-profit Tyringham Naturopathic Clinic in Buckinghamshire in the 1960s. 

My father was a real Renaissance man; a true polymath. He was what you might call  ‘ahead of his time’: vegetarian and pro-fairtrade long before the trend began, and with Socialist values that translated into affordable, means-tested payment for treatment at his clinic. My father inspired everyone around him to excel, including me. Growing up as a hostage audience to his practice — naturopathy, osteopathy, natural medicine and acupuncture — I saw firsthand the way integrative medicine can transform an individual’s life. As it was for my father, this is my absolute calling.

Heritage is clearly an important part of your personal journey with acupuncture. It’s also a large component of the practice itself. How do you combine millennia of tradition with a modern approach?

The professionalisation of acupuncture is really interesting. There’s obviously a vital heritage  from an anthropological perspective: acupuncture began thousands of years ago in China, with strong links to cosmology. It’s astounding how much ancient practitioners got right, given they didn’t have the science to explain why it worked in the same way we do now. 

You have to respect the roots — it’s all part of the mosaic that’s been created. There’s a lot of discussion in the acupuncture community about how far we should follow ancient practice and to what extent we can discard aspects that aren’t purely utilitarian. On the one hand, just because modern science hasn’t yet deduced why something is working, it doesn’t mean it isn’t. But equally you can’t venerate acupuncture’s beginnings too far: it has developed significantly since its origins. 

How can acupuncture complement Western medicine?

There was a seminal moment of convergence with Western medicine when acupuncture started to be studied by professors of evidence-based medicine at UK universities. Scientists are now studying why we have two hundred-odd physiological reactions to needles in different parts of the body. It’s an important step because it shows how acupuncture has truly outgrown the mistaken cliché of well-meaning enthusiasts with a spiritual interest. Acupuncture is increasingly seen as a frontline, cutting-edge treatment alongside conventional Western medicine for all sorts of debilitating conditions — migraines, for instance.

The other half of the equation is that Western medicine can be close-minded; it almost asserts that a detailed clinical diagnosis is the only path. But the body works along iterative processes. Acupuncture is a more interconnected approach that contributes to a more complete picture of the body, recognising the subtleties of the human system. All humans begin as a small bundle of cells; we sort of ‘origami’ our way out into complete bodies, so there will always be reflexive areas that have ripple effects on different parts of the body. Traditional elements of acupuncture such as pulse and tongue checks are similar to blood pathology in Western medicine — they’re our way of finding health indicators. Then the needle-insertion is where we harness and direct Qi throughout the body, for balance and realignment.  

Can you describe the concept of Qi, in simple terms?

Qi is a vitalistic model of explaining and understanding the body’s animating force. If you imagine the human body as a battery, Qi is the electricity that powers it. That electricity flows through pathways in the body called meridians. When it flows freely, you feel good. When it’s blocked you might feel sick or tired. Diet, exercise, emotions and environment can all affect the flow. Qi isn’t about some kind of magical life energy — it’s an elegant set of concepts to explain the dynamics of how the different parts of the body interact.


 

Are there different modalities of acupuncture?

Yes, there are a number of different modalities such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Western medical and Five Element. I have integrated and utilised all of these styles in my practice.


 

Mind, body and spirit: which part does acupuncture address?

I don’t see mind, body and spirit as three separate entities. We are one whole that combines the three. Our experience of the world is shaped by the dynamics we have within ourselves. If we feel better physically, our minds are happier and our spirit is too. If we’re spiritually depleted that means we’re physically off-balance as well. Acupuncture works on a physiological level to benefit every element of our total self.


 

What’s a common misconception about acupuncture?

That it hurts. You should barely feel the needles — they’re ultra-fine, single-use surgical stainless steel. These aren’t the same kind of needles used for vaccinations or root canal anaesthetics. Acupuncture can be very relaxing, with the feeling lingering afterwards. Of course it's essential to work with an acupuncturist who is qualified — as former Chairman of the British Acupuncture Council I can confirm that’s the gold standard.

Who should be having acupuncture?

Everyone! While I do have a particular interest in complex case management — chronic illness, neurological conditions and so on — I’m primarily a generalist. Our conventional health systems are overstretched and rely on evidence-based models. There’s a huge gap in the bio-psycho-social wellness space that isn’t addressed. All of us can benefit from a holistic, joined-up approach to health and wellbeing, especially given how overstimulated we all are in this modern world. 


 

To book an acupuncture consultation with Philip Rose-Neil at COMO Shambhala Metropolitan London, please contact our Wellness Concierge.

Share the Story

Related Tags

Related Articles