Hugh MacPherson - Clinic Director

BSc(Hons), PhD 

Hugh MacPherson trained in acupuncture in London and China. He has worked at the York Clinic (formerly the Ch'ien Clinic) as an acupuncturist since its inception in 1982 and as Clinc Director since 1986. He is a member of the British Acupuncture Council with over 28 years of experience behind him as an acupuncturist. His patients come from all walks of life and his style is used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions. Hugh works at the York Clinic on only one day a week (Tuesdays) as he works at the University of York for the remainder of the week, conducting research into the effectiveness of acupuncture.

For sources of evidence on acupuncture for the following musculoskeletal conditions, including arm pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, elbow pain, fibromyalgia, low back pain, myofascial pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis of hip, osteoarthritis of knee, shoulder pain, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction, click here.

Video on acupuncture for chronic pain with Hugh MacPherson

There is growing evidence for acupuncture in the treatment of headache and migraine, and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) now recommends acupuncture for its beneficial effect.

Vdieo on acupuncture for headache and migraine with Hugh MacPherson

Hugh founded, and is currently a Trustee of, the York-based Northern College of Acupuncture. This college runs a range of educational programmes including a Master of Science degree course in acupuncture. For four years he was a member of the Executive Committee of the national body for professional acupuncturists, the British Acupuncture Council. 

Hugh also founded the Foundation for Research into Traditional Chinese Medicine, a registered charity, where he worked as the Research Director from 1997 to 2011. In 2003 he was appointed as a Senior Research Fellow to lead the Complementary Medicine Research Group at the University of York, where he is funded by the Department of Health with a Career Scientist Award. Overall, Hugh has received grants totalling over £2.5 million in the last five years for a range of projects evaluating acupuncture's effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Hugh is also the author of over 80 scientific and medical articles, and lead editor of two books: "Acupuncture in practice: case history insights from the West" and "Acupuncture Research: Strategies for building an evidence base". A new book jointly edited with Volker Scheid, "The integration of East Asian medicine into contemporary healthcare", has recently been pubished by Elsevier.

Personal website: www.hughmacpherson.com

To make an appointment with Hugh MacPherson, contact the York Clinic on 01904-709688 (between 9 and 5.30) or send an email via our contact page.