Acupuncture
Traditional needling, planned after an individual assessment, to restore and maintain balance across a wide range of conditions.
Core treatmentLeigh-on-Sea · Southend-on-Sea
Traditional acupuncture, planned around how you want to feel. Feel like yourself again.
Traditional acupuncture with James Hartley. Many years of experience, and a first consultation that costs nothing so you can decide in your own time.
- First consultation free
- Professional register member
- Fully insured
- Many years of experience
The map James works from
Touch a line and see where treatment would actually be directed
Traditional acupuncture follows pathways called meridians. Rather than reading about them, run your finger along one. Each is written out in plain English, with what people normally walk in with.
Pick a line on the body
Hover a pathway, tap it on a phone, or pick one from the menu above. Nothing here is a diagnosis, it is simply the map James is reading from when he plans your treatment.
People come in with
All pathways, front view
Back view
Meridians are the traditional framework James works within, and this map explains where treatment is aimed. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not a promise about the result. What you would actually have is decided at the consultation, in person.
Not sure if this is for you
Three questions, then your actual next step
No email required to see the answer. Nothing is booked until you say so.
Question 1 of 3
What brought you here?
How long has it been going on?
Have you had acupuncture before?
Your starting point
Likely route
First appointment
Cost to find outNothing. The first consultation is free.
What this answer assumes
- It is built from what James treats and how he normally starts, not from anything about you personally.
- It is a guide to the first appointment, not a diagnosis and not a treatment plan.
- How many sessions anyone needs varies. That is worked out with you at the consultation, and nobody is asked to commit to a course before then.
- Acupuncture is used alongside the care you already have, never instead of it. Keep seeing your GP or consultant.
What James treats
Nine therapies, one plan built around you
Filter by what brought you here. Every route starts with the same free consultation.
Tui Na massage
Licensed therapeutic Chinese massage, used on its own or alongside needling where hands-on work moves things faster.
Hands-on therapyAuriculotherapy
Ear-point acupuncture, used alongside body treatment when a more targeted approach suits the condition better.
Targeted approachCancer rehabilitation
Supportive treatment during and after cancer care, informed by James's volunteer work with a local cancer support group.
Named specialismFertility and IVF support
Acupuncture alongside a fertility journey, including through IVF cycles, timed around the treatment you are already having.
Named specialismPregnancy care
Treatment adapted through each stage of pregnancy, with appointments arranged around how you feel week to week.
ServiceWomen's health
Traditional acupuncture across a range of women's health concerns, planned around the individual rather than the label.
Individual planPain management
Chronic and acute pain, from necks and shoulders to headaches that have been part of the furniture for years.
Named specialismQi Gong and Wing Chun
Movement taught alongside treatment, for people who want to keep the work going between appointments.
Practise at homeWho you would be seeing
James Hartley, many years of experience
He left a career in the City of London to retrain.
- Honours degree in acupuncture, from a course accredited by the UK's professional register.
- Licensed to practise Tui Na, the Chinese therapeutic massage used alongside needling.
- On the UK's professional register for acupuncturists. Fully insured, and works to the register's codes of professional conduct, health and safety.
- Volunteer acupuncturist with a local cancer support group.
- Teaches Qi Gong and Wing Chun, and brings the movement side into treatment where it helps.
Three sample cases. Problem, what was done, what changed.
ProblemTrying to conceive, going through IVF.
TreatmentAcupuncture alongside the IVF cycle.
OutcomeA positive pregnancy test.
Emma, fertility and IVF support
ProblemNeck and shoulder pain.
TreatmentA course of acupuncture.
OutcomeTwo days running with no pain at all.
Rachel, neck and shoulder pain
ProblemSinus headaches for over twenty years, with neck and back pain. Other remedies had not worked.
TreatmentTui Na sessions.
OutcomeHeadaches practically non-existent, and more energy.
Tom, chronic headaches
In their words
The messages patients sent afterwards
Sample responses, written for this demonstration build.
We were in the middle of our third IVF cycle when it finally happened. I cannot say for certain how much the acupuncture contributed, but it gave me a calm I had not felt in years, and I am grateful for that alone.
Emma
Fertility and IVF support
I arrived barely able to turn my head to the right. After the first course of treatment I went two full days without any pain at all, for the first time in months.
Rachel
Neck and shoulder pain
After more than twenty years of sinus headaches, and having tried every remedy my GP could suggest, I finally found something that works. I contacted James and explained my symptoms; within a few Tui Na sessions the pressure in my face was gone, and I had more energy than I remember having.
Tom
Chronic headaches
Before you pick up the phone
The questions people actually ask
Including the ones nobody likes asking out loud.
Does it hurt?
Most people feel very little at the point of insertion. The needles are hair-fine, nothing like an injection needle, and many patients find the sessions deeply relaxing. If anything feels uncomfortable during treatment, say so and it is adjusted straight away.
Are the needles clean?
Every practitioner on the UK's professional register for acupuncturists works to safe practice standards that require single-use, pre-sterilised needles, which go into a sharps bin straight after the session. Nothing is ever reused.
Is acupuncture safe during pregnancy or IVF treatment?
Yes, when it is carried out by a fully qualified and insured practitioner. James is on the UK's professional register for acupuncturists, and lists fertility and IVF support among his named specialisms. Pregnancy care is planned around the stage you are at and coordinated with the care you are already receiving.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on the individual and the condition being treated. After the initial assessment, James sets out a tailor-made health plan so you know what is being recommended and why, before you commit to a course of treatment.
What does treatment cost?
The initial consultation is free, so you can discuss your situation before spending anything. Treatment fees depend on the plan agreed at that consultation and are confirmed with you before any treatment begins.
What happens at a first appointment?
The first step is a free initial consultation covering your health history, what you want to achieve and whether acupuncture is the right route for you. From that, James puts together a tailored treatment plan. Appointments are arranged flexibly around work and family commitments.
What conditions does James Hartley treat?
Pain management, fertility and IVF support, pregnancy care, women's health, cancer rehabilitation support and general wellbeing, using acupuncture, Tui Na massage, auriculotherapy and related traditional techniques.
Is James Hartley qualified and insured?
Yes. James holds an honours degree in acupuncture, a licence to practise Tui Na, and is a fully insured practitioner on the UK's professional register.
Where is the clinic?
The Old Surgery, 12 Broadway, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 1AA, serving Leigh-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea and the surrounding area. Book a free consultation or call 01234 567 890.
Worth knowing
Nothing here expires. That is rather the point.
There is no countdown on this page and no offer that runs out on Friday. What there is, is the plain arithmetic of leaving something alone.
- 01Pain that has been there for years took years to settle in. Tom lived with sinus headaches for over two decades before finding something that worked. Those are twenty years nobody gets back.
- 02Fertility and pregnancy work is timing-sensitive. Treatment is planned around the cycle or the stage you are at, so the sooner it is discussed, the more room there is to work with.
- 03The consultation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. The only thing you spend is an hour finding out whether this is the right route at all.
One step, not ten
Book your free consultation
Three short questions. No account, no card, no course of ten sessions to sign up to.
Prefer to talk01234 567 890
Or emailhello@meridianacupuncture.co.uk
The clinicThe Old Surgery
12 Broadway
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 1AA
12 Broadway
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 1AA
AppointmentsArranged flexibly around work and family commitments, including people who need long-term care. Cancellations need 24 hours' notice, otherwise you may be liable to pay the full fee.