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Kirsten Germann

acupuncturist, clinic supervisor

Lic.Ac., MBAcC

Kirsten Germann qualified as an Acupuncturist in 1994 from ICOM. She is a member of the British Acupuncture Council. Since then she has been working at the Eastbourne Clinic of Natural Medicine and at the Chilston Clinic in Tunbridge Wells as well as at ICOM Clinic in East Grinstead.

Kirsten has been teaching and studying yoga for many years, travelling extensively to India to further her knowledge and is currently working on several charitable projects in South India. In recent years, Kirsten has been part of an Acupuncture Training Program in northern Myanmar (Burma), enabling local traditional doctors to use Acupuncture as an effective tool to help their many patients.

Kirsten enjoys working with clients for a broad range of conditions: allergies, asthma, migraines, hormonal disturbances, depression, cravings, addictions, muscular injuries and pain, chronic conditions like arthritis, MS, paralysis, nerve related pain, the after effects of stroke and also complex conditions that cannot yet be diagnosed or helped by orthodox medicine, as well as general balancing. She particularly enjoys working with children.

Kirsten also offers courses of facial rejuvenation Acupuncture.

Visit Kirsten’s website

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Tony Todd

acupuncture & Herbal medicine Practitioner, lecturer, clinic supervisor

Lic.Ac., MBAcC, MSc, BSc (Hons) Oriental Medicine Acupuncture,  PG Cert, MRCHM

tony todd acupuncturist east grinsteadTony Todd has been practising Acupuncture and moxibustion since 2000 following his graduation from the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM). He also practises Chinese herbal medicine and Shiatsu.

Tony joined the Register of Shiatsu Practitioners in 1993 and undertook further studies in Tuina (Chinese massage) and Acupuncture in Shanghai, China during 1993 and 1994.

He continues to study with leading teachers in the UK, Europe and Japan. This has included training in Manaka style Acupuncture as well as Japanese meridian therapy and Korean Hand Acupuncture. He is a member of the European Branch of the Toyohari association. In 2005 he trained in Kanpo (Japanese herbalism), followed by further studies in Chinese Herbal medicine, specialising in Shanghan Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue with Arnaud Versluys and the Institute of Classics and East Asian Medicine (ICEAM). In 2013-4 Tony completed studies in Internal and External Acupuncture with Andrew Nugent-Head and the Association of Traditional Studies .

In addition to his clinical practice, Tony teaches Acupuncture at ICOM and for the Institute of Classics and East Asian Medicine (ICEAM). Tony was module leader for first year Chinese medicine at ICOM from 2002 to 2016. He is also a clinical superviser at the college and a senior academic advisor, serving on the Academic Advisory Board. At ICEAM he specialises in abdominal patterns for herbal medicine, and in this capacity he has taught internationally in Australia, the USA as well as in Europe.

Visit Tony’s website

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Galit Hughes

acupuncture Practitioner, clinic supervisor

Lic.Ac., MBAcC

Galit was born in Jerusalem, Israel and trained as a Swedish massage therapist in 1988. In her early twenties she travelled to England to study Acupuncture at the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM).

Now, many years later, Acupuncture has become her way of life. She believes Acupuncture is not alternative medicine, it is Medicine, and that it is now time for Acupuncture to become integrated with mainstream Medicine, in order to heal the whole body, not just the symptoms of illness.

Galit uses a combination of Acupuncture/accupressure, moxibustion, massage, cupping and facial rejuvenation Acupuncture as required. She also offers lifestyle and dietary advice. Most importantly she is a good listener and encourages her clients to talk about what is currently affecting them.

Galit’s passion as a therapist is for clients to become interested in their own health; for them to learn what they can do for themselves to support and improve their own physical, emotional and mental well-being. She runs workshops alongside her Acupuncture clinics to support her clients to achieve this.

From 1990 to 1994 Galit trained to become an Acupuncturist at ICOM, East Grinstead and became a member of the British Acupuncture Council. After graduating she married her British husband, Rob, and had 3 beautiful children, now young adults. From 1995 she taught and practised Acupuncture at MEDICINE Acupuncture College in Tel-Aviv.

Galit’s family returned to the UK in 1998, and, alongside building up her Acupuncture practice, she was the leader of the massage module at ICOM until 2006. In 2004, she and Rob bought and became the Directors of Horam Natural Therapy Centre in East Sussex and in 2010 they acquired Gaia Natural Health in Forest Row, East Sussex. Sadly Rob died unexpectedly in 2018.

Currently Galit teaches Acupuncture at ICOM and runs acupuncture clinics from Horam Natural Therapy Centre, Gaia Natural Health and ICOM as well as facilitating Inner Guidance workshop and one-to-one sessions from her home studio and via video calls. More information about the Inner Guidance Process can be found here and details of upcoming courses can be found on the workshops page of her website.

Galit enjoys working with people with a wide variety of conditions and uses an integrated approach to help them in their journey to health. She specialises in Acupuncture for fertility and was trained with Zita West in London. She works with women in all different stages of life: supporting them from a young age to balance their hormones; later on to improve fertility and support them during pregnancy, birth and afterbirth care; as well as with menopausal symptoms later on.

Galit also loves treating children (no need to use needles if they don’t want them) and she is the author of  ‘Baby Massage – A Comprehensive Step-by Step Guide’, published in 2000.

She is also a qualified Hypnotherapist, a Kundalini Yoga teacher, Inner Dance and Inner Guidance Facilitator and Access Bar Practitioner. She has been dancing since a very young age and did a GCSE in classical and modern dance. As well as teaching belly dance for many years, she now incorporates dance and movement in her workshops.

Visit Galit’s website

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Tom Ings

college principal, Acupuncturist, Lecturer & Clinic Supervisor

Lic.Ac., MBAcC, BSc (Hons) Oriental Medicine Acupuncture, PGCert

As the Principal and former Director of Studies at ICOM, Tom has taught across various modules at ICOM since 2008. He graduated in 2007 and works in a busy community clinic in Brighton and in the college clinic.

His strong interest is in the psychology of Chinese medicine, in its potential to help patients live more freely and more wisely. It becomes increasingly evident that our state of mind is of paramount importance to our sense of well-being. He is passionate about the possibilities Chinese Medicine has to help in this sphere.

Tom is the course co-ordinator for Chinese Medicine 1, Point Location 3 and Personal and Professional Development 1. He is also a clinical supervisor in the student clinic.

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Sarah Major

Clinic Director, Practitioner, Lecturer

Lic.Ac., MBAcC, PGCert

Sarah began studying Acupuncture in 1991 and graduated from the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM) in 1995, Since then she has practiced continually and grown a strong reputation as a general practitioner in the field of women’s health. She has carried out in excess of 30,000 individual Acupuncture treatments and gained further qualifications in Massage and Herbal Medicine from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine (CICM) in 2000, and as a Teacher in 2009 (from Brighton University).

Sarah has led, and lectured on various undergraduate courses at ICOM, including Point Location, Applied Chinese Medicine and Practical Clinic modules, across all three years of the training course since 2008. She has hosted numerous CPD training programmes for postgraduates qualified in Acupuncture to support their practice of treating issues related to gynaecology, fertility and pregnancy.

In her academic capacity she has assisted in editing the college’s Points Manual and been instrumental in the development of a new (weekend course) curriculum. She continues to be involved in the evolution of the courses and the assessment criteria.

Sarah has gained a reputation for treating couples experiencing problems in conceiving naturally, as well as supporting IVF treatment. She has helped hundreds of couples achieve a healthy and successful pregnancy and birth. Using adjunctive acupuncture techniques such as cupping and moxibustion, Sarah is experienced in considering each case at an individual level, addressing not only the physical issues but working with other aspects of her patients’ nutritional, muscular, psychological and emotional health.

Sarah also specialises in Facial Acupuncture including Micro Needle Therapy (MNT), an extraordinary facial rejuvenation technique which boosts the skins production of collagen for noticeable results.

Since 2018 she has undertaken the role of Clinic Director at ICOM with the aim to promote the clinic to the wider community and raise the profile of the College’s Clinic.

Sarah has been involved in a training program for traditional doctors in Myanmar (Burma) and travelled there in 2018 and 2019 to educate and support the development of an Acupuncture training college where she worked and trained doctors within the Wachet Jivitadana Sangha Hospital in Sagang, seeing up to 130 patients per day receiving Acupuncture treatment. This exciting program will be expanded to offer an exchange opportunity, whereby graduates of ICOM will be able to work within the hospital and at the Archariya Metta Acupuncture Training Centre in Mandalay.

As an original member of Zita West’s national network of affiliated fertility support Acupuncturists, Sarah has completed extensive postgraduate training to enhance her practice and has trained under the renowned Facial Acupuncturist, Paul Adkins.

Visit Sarah’s website

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Elio Basagni

acupuncturist, Lecturer

Lic.Ac., MBAcC, BSc (Hons) Oriental Medicine Acupuncture, FHEA

Elio’s mission is to disseminate the idea that Acupuncture can be the answer to the crisis affecting all evolved health systems globally: a modern answer with old roots; a medicine that puts patients at the centre of the clinical stage again, treating them as individuals and consequently guiding them towards taking responsibility for their own health needs. To this purpose, Elio has spent the last 15 years deepening his clinical skills and understanding of the Classics. He feels part of the movement known as “Classical Chinese Medicine”, led by scholars like Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée, Jeffrey C. Yuen and Dr Li Liuhong.

Since 2010 he has worked in the ICOM clinic as a senior Practitioner and Clinic Supervisor. In 2010 he also founded the I-community project – a multibed clinical setting – in order to address the need of the local community for more frequent and affordable treatments, whilst maintaining the accuracy, care and attention to the patient, which are the trademark of ICOM.

Besides his busy clinical practice, Elio has been a teacher of Chinese Medicine, Point Location, Personal and Professional Development, as well as a member of the Clinic Supervision Team at ICOM. Elio served as the Principal of ICOM between 2019 and 2023 and was the College Assistant Programme Leader/Director of Studies from 2012 to 2018.

In the last decade, he has contributed to the design and development of the academic and clinical curriculum of the ICOM Acupuncture programme, working together with the University of Greenwich and the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board.

He was awarded a BSc honours with a first-class degree in Oriental Medicine – Acupuncture by the University of Brighton, having completed a four-year full-time course at the International College of Oriental Medicine where he also gained a Therapeutic Massage diploma. In June 2013 he achieved a Master in higher education at the University of Greenwich and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). In 2019 Elio was one of the international peer reviewers of the draft document produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the Standardisation of the Terminology used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Elio practises and teaches liuhebafa tai chi style which he started studying in 1993 under the guide of Daoist Master J. W. Shadow.

Patients attending Elio’s clinic require most commonly treatment for:

  • musculo-skeletal problems (sciatica, back, shoulder and neck pain as well as all sort of joints problems – including tennis or golfer’s elbow, knee problems);
  • digestive problems (IBS, constipation, reflux, chronic loose stools, food intolerances, bloating etc.)
  • headaches (migraines, headaches related to hormones, weather, fatigue etc.);
  • menstrual and fertility related issues (painful periods, PMT, infertility IVF support, menopausal symptoms like hot flushes etc)
  • emotional issues (depression and anxiety related problems, including palpitations, panic attacks etc);
  • chronic fatigue,
  • fibromyalgia,
  • sleep disturbances
  • respiratory disturbances (allergic rhinitis, Asthma etc),
  • immunity or autoimmune related issues
  • general balance.

He is a member of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC). 

Visit Elio’s website