Meet the Northampton business owner hoping to spread the word about the benefits of acupuncture
Meet the Northampton business owner hoping to spread the word about the benefits of acupuncture across Northampton and beyond.
Paula Recabarren is the founder of Delapre Acupuncture Clinic 9, launched around a year ago following the closure of a different business in the town centre with other acupuncturists.
5E Wellness Lab was previously open in The Ridings Arcade and after it shut down as it could not survive the pandemic, Paula launched her new solo venture when the time was right.
Acupuncture is when fine needles are inserted in the skin at specific points along what are considered to be lines of energy, to treat various physical and mental conditions – and Paula wants more people to be open to giving it a go.
“It can be terrifying as it’s needles, I was the same,” Paula told the Chronicle & Echo. “It’s lovely as it doesn’t put a band-aid on an issue, it reaches the root and helps you understand how your body works.
“What I want to do is educate and empower people, and I give ideas of what they can do by themselves. I always like to leave someone better off than when they came in.”
Clients praise how comfortable they feel during the experience with Paula, who is results-driven and says she would not be as passionate if it had not worked for her personally.
“We start with a consultation of everything so people are taken care of and listened to,” said Paula. “My issue is that acupuncture ranges from £45 to £60 per hour and it’s not attainable for people. I don’t like that it’s an elitist therapy.
“People will have tried everything, reach the end of the line and then try acupuncture. We do take pain away and relieve it, but it all depends on your constitution and how long you’ve had the condition. None of it is a quick fix.”
To give back to the community, Paula is currently running an acupuncture wellbeing project with attendees of the menopause cafe sessions at Delapre Abbey.
The business owner received a £575 grant from the Far Cotton and Delapre Community Council to support the series of free sessions. This covers the cost of materials and the treatments take place at Paula’s home clinic.
Paula has chosen to offer her time voluntarily for this project because many women continue to struggle with pain, imbalance and adjustment during menopause. Acupuncture has been a big help for Paula and this has helped explore how it can assist others in the community.
“I went into perimenopause at 39 and I’m now 53,” said Paula. “I saw the benefit of acupuncture and coped until last year when everything came at once – brain fog, low and I couldn’t remember anything.
“I found the group and I can’t tell you the relief it was to hear it was normal. There’s so much love, care and openness.”
Paula wanted to give back to the group that has added so much to her life, and 18 women will have each received six weeks of acupuncture by the end of February.
She described it as “the most amazing journey” which has improved the women’s sleep, anxiety, digestion and pain.
Looking to the future of Delapre Acupuncture Clinic 9, Paula would love to establish a space outside of her home clinic with three or four cubicles for different patients to be treated at the same time.