Acupuncture
Imagine how it would feel for your entire body to be in harmony. Every part of your body feeling relaxed, stress free and pain free. That is what happens when you have acupuncture.
The very fine needles are gently inserted, and you can relax, close your eyes, meditate or sleep during your treatment as the acupuncture takes effect. Points are chosen according to your Chinese medicine diagnosis, and left in-situ for 10-40 minutes depending on the treatment protocol.
Because of the risks in receiving acupuncture or needling from an unqualified or underqualified practitioner, the practice of acupuncture in Australia is now regulated by AHPRA. Practitioners are required to have completed a minimum 4 year degree training with thousands of hours of theory plus over 600 hours of clinical supervision. With recent popularity in needling by unqualified or unregistered people, usually called dry needling, we believe in only providing you with the highest quality care from registered practitioners who also continually exceed the minimum requirements for ongoing education.
Practitioners at our clinic are highly trained and experienced in using acupuncture, with 4 or 5 years of study and thousands of hours of experience under their belt. We are well versed in all the necessary safety precautions, and only ever use single-use, high quality disposable acupuncture needles. Our practitioners take great care to ensure the utmost comfort and a pain-free acupuncture experience - using the most gentle acupuncture techniques. You can inform us prior to your first session if you are anxious about having acupuncture and we can then tailor your treatment to accommodate this. In fact many clients report after having their first acupuncture treatment that they are surprised at how comfortable and painless the process was.
Laser Acupuncture
Laser acupuncture can be an excellent way for children or those who are anxious about needles to experience the benefits of acupuncture. This pain-free method can be used instead of traditional needle acupuncture in almost all instances.
The use of low level lasers is a recently modern addition to the practice of Chinese Medicine. Our clinic uses laser acupuncture for the treatment of children and for clients who have low pain tolerance or are anxious about having needle acupuncture. Laser acupuncture is suitable for the treatment of almost all conditions, your practitioner will be able to let you know if laser acupuncture is suitable for you during your initial consultation. Musculoskeletal injuries, dermatological conditions, and IVF support are some of the conditions that your practitioner may decide to use laser acupuncture as the best choice for your treatment.
Online Consults
Pressed for time and can't get out of the office? Stuck without a car and can't make it to the clinic? Or perhaps you are literally on the other side of the world.
It doesn't matter the reason, if you really want to get your health sorted, you can do this remotely from wherever you are in the world. We use Skype or Gotomeeting so that we can easily connect online, we can also have a phone consultation with you if your internet isn't great. We can discuss your health problems in detail, and work out what nutrition changes you need, along with a prescription for any necessary herbal medicines and supplements that you can get filled locally or we can ship directly to you. We can get you access to other world class therapists who also work remotely via Skype consultations so you get the best relationship counselling, mindset coaching, exercise rehab programs, and custom nutrition plans. We have a growing network of manual therapists around the world that we can refer you to if you really need to get hold of someone face-to-face for acupuncture, mayan abdominal massage or osteopathy.
Dry Needling
Dry needling is a name given to a set of needling techniques that are used for releasing stiff and knotted muscles. Very strong needle insertion and manipulation is used in order to cause a muscle twitch response, to disperse muscle tightness and pain, or to release a trigger point. Acupuncturists are trained in over 100 different needle techniques, including those which have been referred to in recent years as dry needling.
Dry needling is best suited to athletes and sports people who have musculoskeletal injuries. Conditions that respond well to dry needling include:
Sports injuries
Sprains
Strains
Overuse injuries
Chronic pain
Muscle spasms
Rehabilitation from surgery
It is common after dry needling to have some localised soreness from the needles, this usually passes after a good night's rest and is best relieved by applying a liniment or a heat pack. We recommend drinking plenty of water after a dry needling session to ensure that your body can quickly mobilise inflammatory compounds away from the area(s) of tenderness.
There are some circumstances where dry needling is not recommended, and can cause exacerbation of symptoms or worsening of an existing medical condition. If any of the following apply, extreme caution is suggested:
low blood pressure
low iron
postural hypotension, dizziness or tendency to pass out
"adrenal fatigue" or run down
sick with a cold or flu
have an acute infection
bleeding disorders
heart arrhythmias, abnormal heart beats
pregnancy
less than 3 months post-partum
breastfeeding
worried about the pain of needles
If you have any of the above conditions or concerns, we recommend you seek treatment from a fully qualified acupuncturist, who is skilled in determining if dry needling or another needling technique will be more appropriate for you.
Dry needling is a term most often used by health professionals whose primary training is in a different area other than acupuncture or needling (eg chiropractor, physiotherapist, myotherapist). It's important to find out how much training and experience your therapist has in needling, as some have had as little as one day of training. All our practitioners have had 4 years of training in all types of needling, and are experts in the use of needles. Our countless hours of acupuncture, dry needling and general needling gives superior outcomes for our patients every time.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion, or moxa, is the burning of a Chinese herb Mugwort Leaf (Ai Ye) over an acupoint. The herb comes prerolled as a cigar, which is then lit and held a centimetre or two away from the skin. The cigar is held there to warm the acupoint and removed before becoming too hot for the patient. The loose herb, is sometimes shaped into thin threads or small pyramids and placed directly on the skin, or on top of a slice of ginger, or on top of an acupuncture needle. The burning herb is creates a pleasant warming sensation, and is removed before becoming too hot for the patient.
According to the theories of Chinese medicine, moxa is used to expel cold and warm the meridians, and to promote the flow of energy through the body. Your practitioner will be able to determine if moxibustion is appropriate for you after completing a Chinese medicine assessment of your condition.
Herbal Medicine
Chinese Herbal medicine has been an important component of the health system in China and in the daily diet of Chinese families for thousands of years. Chinese herbs form an important part of many treatment protocols designed in our clinic, and can help to extend the effects of an acupuncture treatment - especially for people who would otherwise require acupuncture treatment multiple times per week.
When prescribed by an experienced practitioner, Chinese Herbal medicines are as safe as the food you eat every day. They are usually prescribed as either herbal pills, capsules or tablets, or as a granulated extract to be dissolved in hot water. Sometimes your practitioner will recommend the traditional method of boiling herbs to prepare a decoction. Whilst many herbal formulas are available in pills, granules and raw herbs, the format of herbs recommended to you by your practitioner will depend on the type of condition you have.
A very small proportion of Chinese herbal preparations contain animal constituents (eg. oyster shell), however no endangered species or unethical products are ever prescribed at our clinic. People with strict vegan requirements are easily accommodated for.
It is possible to safely add herbal medicines to your treatment, and in fact a lot of the time we recommend herbal medicine to assist with managing side effects of medication, or to address other health concerns. Our practitioners know how to avoid negative interactions between herbal medicines and pharmaceuticals - please make sure you tell your practitioner about all medications that you are taking so that any herbal medicine can be assessed for safety before being added to your treatment.
Your body chemistry and internal harmony will change with time, and it is important for your herbal formula to be regularly reviewed so that adjustments can be made. It might be a slight tweak, or it might be a complete overhaul of everything you are taking. It's a sign of progress! Continuing to take the herbs after they have fixed the issue may or may not be a good idea - ask your practitioner if you're unsure.
Gua Sha
Gua sha is one of two physical methods used in Chinese Medicine to release pathogenic "evil qi" via the skin. Particularly useful for the treatment of colds and flu, and also for releasing stiff muscles, gua sha helps to improve circulation and boost immunity by stimulating the skin. Friction is used to drag a ceramic or stone tool across the skin to release pathogenic qi. The area of the body is first lubricated with oil or water to avoid pulling on the skin or causing other discomfort. Pieces of jade and other items with a smooth edge are used. Gua sha is most often performed on the back, but as with cupping, gua sha can be used on almost any part of the body.
Gua sha is a very pleasant and enjoyable therapy that can feel similar to a massage. Due to the friction on the skin, it can sometimes leave marking on the skin that reflect the release of pathogenic "evil qi" from the body. These marks are typically not painful - but very exciting for others to see! Depending on the amount of qi released, the colouring on the skin can be quite deep with marks remaining up to a week later.