Acupuncture

What is Traditional Chinese medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dates back thousands of years and is a system of primary health care that includes acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and remedial massage (An Mo Tui Na). In Australia, the most popular forms of TCM health care are acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

The primary feature of modern TCM is the premise that good health relies on the restoration and maintenance of harmony, balance and order to the individual. TCM takes a holistic approach to understanding normal function and disease processes and focuses as much on the prevention of illness as it does on the treatment.

What is Acupuncture?

Several thousand years ago, East Asian practitioners discovered that the body forms disharmonies as a result of the various physical and mental stresses of life. Oriental medical theory explains these disharmonies as an imbalance of opposing forces called yin and yang. This imbalance disrupts the movement of the body's vital energy (qi) along the meridian pathways, which are channels through which the body's energy is thought to flow. Acupuncture restores the smooth flow of qi. By inserting and manipulating hair-thin needles at specific points, acupuncture is able to return the body to its natural balance and promote the body's ability to heal itself.

Acupuncture returns the body to its
natural state of balance and harmony.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

Yes. Acupuncture is used by millions of people every year. Acupuncturists are required to undergo extensive education, including detailed study of human anatomy and training in Clean Needle Technique. I am a qualified Acupuncturist registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency (APHPRA), Chinese Medicine Board of Australia (CMBA) and a current member of the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA). As required by law, I use pre-sterilized, disposable, single-use needles to ensure your complete safety.

How does acupuncture work?

Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine, sterile, single use, disposable needles into specific sites (acupuncture points) along the body’s energy pathways (meridians) to clear energy blockages and encourage the normal flow of energy, or Qi, through the body. The practitioner may also stimulate the acupuncture points using other methods, including acupressure, moxibustion, cupping, laser therapy, electro-stimulation and massage, in order to rebalance the flow of qi.

What are the benefits of acupuncture?

The Acupuncture Evidence Project was published in 2017. It is a review of the evidence supporting the efficacy of acupuncture currently available.
Of the 122 conditions reviewed, evidence of effect was found at various levels for 117 conditions. The findings of the review include:
Conditions with strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture included allergic rhinitis (perennial & seasonal), knee osteoarthritis, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (with anti-emetics), migraine prophylaxis, chronic low back pain, postoperative nausea & vomiting, headache (tension-type and chronic) and postoperative pain.
Conditions with moderate evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture included acute low back pain, acute stroke, neck pain, obesity, anxiety, perimenopausal and postmenopausal insomnia, asthma in adults, post-traumatic stress disorder, constipation, hypertension (with medication), irritable bowel syndrome and menopausal hot flushes.