Say hello to February’s Client of the Month: Acupuncture and Herbs. We spoke with director Lily Lai about how her services provide bespoke Acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatments.

What’s your name and your role in the company?

I’m Lily Lai, founder and director of Acupuncture and Herbs, a specialist Chinese, medical practice.

Tell us about your business

We provide safe and effective health solutions to clients using bespoke Acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatments. Chinese medicine is a practice which originated in China and has been widely used and regarded for thousands of years. The process helps to heal both mind and body during times of illness, and doesn’t just resolve injury, but also enhances the immune system, improves creativity and elevates clients’ overall outlook on life.

Our service consists of assessing each of our clients’ needs individually. This enables us to devise a bespoke treatment plan, which is carried out by one of our highly qualified health practitioners.

We provide core CM treatments such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and moxibustion and actively promote self-help activities.

Our solutions use all natural, free-free products and have numerable benefits. We’re hugely passionate about Chinese medicine and consistently strive to raise awareness of the advantages wherever and whenever we can, both in person and online, through health talks, blog posts and social media channels.

I believe that modern-day Chinese medicine needs to be more integrated into other healthcare practices. Thus, I proudly and actively collaborate with like-minded professionals, who like me, believe in a more patient-centered approach to healthcare.

I’m a huge advocate of incorporating modern sources of scientific literature to support Chinese medical practice. Through my academic research and lecturing, I encourage other practitioners to embrace a more evidence-informed approach to their clinical work.

What drove you to start the business?

I was inspired to study Chinese medicine after seeing my own father experience the benefits of acupuncture for side-effects from chemotherapy. It was this that drove me to embark on a 5-year full-time degree course studying acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in London and China.

During my clinical placements working in Beijing hospitals, I witnessed first-hand how quickly patients were able to recover from having a combination of Chinese medicinal and modern medicinal treatments. I was totally absorbed by that moment, which has influenced my passion and mission in bringing together a model of integrated healthcare to the UK.

What three pieces of advice would you offer to those looking to start treatment with a Chinese medicine practitioner?

Always check that your practitioner is registered with the relevant professional body

The key ones in the UK for Chinese medicine are the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine and the British Acupuncture Council. Clients should visit the websites of these professional bodies and search for their practitioner’s name before turning up for an appointment. If their practitioner’s name is on the register, then clients can rest-assured, as this means they have undergone the minimum standards of training and are insured.

Speak to your practitioner prior to booking in about your symptoms

Most practitioners nowadays will offer a free 15-minute consultation prior to your appointment. This is a great opportunity for practitioners to see if they’re the right person for the job – as some practitioners are more experienced in certain areas than others. It’s also a chance for clients to see if Chinese medicine is the best option for them. Most professional practitioners will be honest with clients from the offset and will tell them what course of action is best for their health issue.

Always speak to your main healthcare provider first

Clients should approach their GP or consultant before going to see a Chinese medicine practitioner. This is to prevent any existing medication or treatment from interfering with the Chinese healing process.

Why did you choose The Accountancy Partnership?

I’m looking to grow my business over the next 5 years, and as my business expands, I know that similarly, the financial side of the business will need attention too. After researching lots of accountancy firms, I found The Accountancy Partnership (TAP) and couldn’t be happier. I chose TAP because they have many glowing reviews from all different kinds of businesses, big and small. Thus, I knew that they would be perfect in supporting my business along my journey.

Would you recommend The Accountancy Partnership?

Totally!  I am hugely impressed at how hard the TAP team works to help understand the needs of my business. The team are quick to respond to any query I have and have been really helpful when explaining tax matters and in ensuring I make the right financial decisions.

Setting up and switching accountants to TAP was very straightforward, as is TAP’s software, Pandle. Through Pandle, my transactions are instantaneously synchronised or I can simply upload them directly – the process is clear and easy to carry out. The TAP team are on hand, for if any issues arise, of which I find extremely reassuring.

I love the dashboard feature in Pandle and can see that TAP is constantly improving the software – I look forward to seeing what exciting new features are upcoming. Each update seems to simplify the accounting process even more, and so it makes upcoming incentives such as Making Tax Digital seem less daunting.

I am a busy clinician and so being able to work efficiently and not have to worry about my accounts is really important. I can rest assured, knowing that I have TAP who’s proactive and efficient at managing my books. This enables me to spend more time carrying out the job that I am most passionate about – thank you the Accountancy Partnership!

What do you have planned for your business in the future?

I’m looking to build a team of like-minded Chinese medicine practitioners within my own clinic and am also hoping to publish a book in the near future.

Chinese medicine has much to offer for patients and many aren’t aware of the advantages. I am striving to make the benefits of Chinese medicine public knowledge. As without even having to visit a practitioner, we’re able to elevate our wellbeing and health massively, through Chinese medicine. This, in turn, can even help to lighten the load off of NHS services.

One particular project that I’m involved in currently is providing herbal alternatives to antibiotics.  Viral infections are the most common reason that antibiotics are prescribed by GPs in the UK – even though they do not fight against viruses.  I plan to show that herbal medicines can be safely and effectively used for symptoms of viral infections in the future. This will hopefully encourage GPs to prescribe or recommend herbs instead of antibiotics. Of which will help us to preserve the life of antibiotics so that they are only used to prevent the risk of serious infections.

To learn more about Acupuncture and Herbs, you can visit their website and find them on Facebook and Instagram.