About David Bennett

David Bennett’s acupuncture style

Today in the West there are many styles of acupuncture treatment available from the mechanical dry-needling practiced by physiotherapists, recent innovations using electro-acupuncture stimulation techniques to the way out esoteric ideas that few understand.

The gold standard to look for is a practitioner who is registered with the UK’s main professional body, the British Acupuncture Council (www.BAcC.org) and David Bennett has been a member since it’s inception in the late 1990’s. To be a member a practitioner has to have a minimum of 3 years training from an accredited college, is bound by a strict code of conduct, ethics and safe practice and has to prove an ongoing commitment to the very highest standards of treatment. You should look for this first in choosing a practitioner.

Classical Acupuncture

David practices Classical Acupuncture which has stood the test of time. At the root of his practice he utilises a system called 5 Element Acupuncture that is characterised by a specialised approach considering people as unique individuals. For example, 10 different people with seemingly similar digestive problems will be treated in 10 different ways, each according to their own particular set of circumstances. As such he will spend time in understanding not only how your symptoms are impacting on you but also how they may have arisen in the first place. Treating the root of the imbalance is essential in creating health within you.

David has additionally undergone extensive training in Japanese acupuncture systems both here in the UK and abroad. This enables him to also directly help to alleviate your symptoms whilst resolving the underlying causes. There aren’t many practitioners in the UK that can combine root and branch treatments in this way and his waiting list is testament to the success of this approach.

Notable landmarks along the way include:

• 3 ½ years on one of the first contracts to deliver acupuncture within the NHS at the HIV centre in Kings College Hospital, London.
• Teaching faculty member at the School of Five Element Acupuncture (SOFEA), London until the early 2000’s.
• Extensive post graduate training in a variety of Japanese systems of practice with qualifications in Manaka, Shonishin (peadiatric acupuncture) and a year long course 2002-2003 in Toyohari acupuncture with Stephen Birch and Junko Ida in Holland. David was an active member of the International and European Toyohari Associations for many years and as such he gained invaluable experience working with a number of senior Japanese Sensei at workshops across Europe.
• Ongoing development of his 5 Element practice with international teacher Niki Bilton at Wider Horizons, a small study group for advanced practitioners that meets 2-3 times a year. David has been a member for approx. 15 years. Additional work with other notable teachers including Elizabeth Rochat de la Vallee, Judy Becker-Worsely.
• Formed and facilitated the junior practitioner mentoring group ShuHaRi for several years at his clinic in Rottingdean. Due to ongoing demand from recently qualified practitioners a new cohort is to start in 2018.

Since 1999 David has managed the Marine Clinic, a small but perfectly formed complementary health centre based in Rottingdean, just along the coast from Brighton. From there he runs his own very busy acupuncture practice (he has not advertised this service for the last decade as he is kept busy solely from word of mouth referrals) and as the lead therapist, manages the other practitioners working from the clinic. This has given him a broad overview of the complementary health world and he is able to guide people to the most effective therapies for them.

In 2015 David was invited to join a collaboration of London practitioners specialising in the treatment of people with fertility problems and became their senior practitioner working from Harley Street.

David currently works from Wimpole St, London and the Marine Clinic, Rottingdean (www.marineclinic.co.uk)