Creating Health Transformations
With Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine, Eastern Diet Therapy
+ Lifestyle Solutions

The short answer:  NO.

Commonly the reaction I hear after inserting a needle for the first time is, “Oh is that it?” The pins are as fine as a hair on your head.  Often a sensation is elicited along the acupuncture meridian which feels like a dull ache, a tingle, a heaviness. Other reactions are relaxation, digestive gurgling, sleepiness.

When you come in you will fill out a standard health history form. After that we sit and talk about your main concerns plus any other health concerns bothering you.  We will conduct a TCM tongue and pulse diagnosis and talk about your lifestyle, diet, sleep, energy and stress levels etc. Once we have all the background stuff we move on to the treatment. Treatments are designed specific to what you need each visit and may include other therapeutic modalities besides acupuncture (listed above).Sometimes I suggest a change in your lifestyle or diet to implement at home.

Your first visit is 60 minutes.  We usually request that you arrive 10 minutes early to fill out the patient history form.  Subsequent visits are scheduled for 45-60 minutes.

In Australia Chinese medicine and acupuncture are tightly regulated by a government body (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and all practitioners need to have completed an approved university degree, be registered with AHPRA and belong to a professional association. Additionally practitioners must comply with Continuing Education annually to be registered. Dry needling, which is not acupuncture, is usually carried out by other health practitioners after attending a week-end workshop.

All needles are single use, disposable from quality assured manufacturers.  All herbs are approved by the Australian TGA and manufactured under stringent manufacturing process( GMP).  Chinese medicine is considered to be very safe, but as with all health treatments, may be associated with possible adverse reactions in individual cases.  Slight bruising occurs rarely.

No medical treatment is 100%f effective all of the time for 100% of the population. TCM is the oldest primary health care system in the world and practiced in hundreds of countries and has undergone thousands of evaluations – and it is still here. Try it for yourself and find out.

We use granule herbs that are mixed with warm water to make a tea. However, depending on the herbs used they can be bitter or your palate may not be used to them. This reaction to the flavour is part of the medicine and the herbs will change as your body responds and heals. If you dislike the taste we can prescribe the herbs in pill or capsule format.

I will ask a lot of questions and have reserved this time just for you. Out intention is to be non-judgemental, compassionate, very present and honest. Everything you share is completely confidential, so you can feel safe. Let us know what you need and what is going on. It is best to be hydrated and not caffeine high or blood-sugar low when you come for a treatment. Try not to have to rush off to work or a social event after your treatment and its best not to drink alcohol afterward. It is better to relax for a while. Wear loose clothing if possible to make treatment easier if necessary. If you do have to remove any clothing, the practitioner will leave the room until you are ready. Towels are provided for modesty.