the clinic @ southbank

Volker grew up in a family engaged in the cultivation of medicinal herbs. Following an apprenticeship as a gardener he came to England to study phytotherapy, acupuncture, Chinese and Japanese herbal medicine. Further studies led him to China, where he spent three years at Beijing and Shanghai Universities of Chinese medicine as well as studying privately with different master physicians. It also led to a deepening academic involvement with East Asian medicines pursued at the University of Cambridge, SOAS, and now the University of Westminster, where he is director of the EASTmedicine Research Centre. He is also a licensed practitioner of natural medicine (Heilpraktiker) in his native Germany.

Cinzia graduated from the College of Traditional Acupuncture in Leamington Spa in 1984. Together with her husband Volker Scheid, she established the West Terrace Clinic in Eastbourne, a multi-disciplinary center for complementary medicine. Running a busy practice for the next fifteen years Cinzia gained experience in treating a wide range of conditions and patients of all age groups. Cinzia left Eastbourne in 1999 for further studies of Chinese language and medicine at the Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine. She was particularly fortunate to be able to study with Prof. Li Ding and Prof. You Yiren, two of Shanghai's foremost acupuncture physicians.

Giusi began her career in complementary medicine by qualifying as a massage therapist with a special interest in oriental forms of bodywork such a thai yoga massage; this practice laid the foundation for a healthy obsession with Chinese medicine. After obtaining a BSc in acupuncture from the University of Westminster, she went on to study for her MSc in Chinese herbal medicine. She now combines the managing of the clinic with practising her own personal style of treatment which encompasses her previous bodywork training and Chinese medical theories.