Experience the Difference that Comprehensive Chinese Pulse Diagnosis and Over 50,000 Patient Visits Makes
- What is Acupuncture in Melbourne?
- What do Melbournians Use Acupuncture For?
- What Does an Acupuncturist Do?
- What are the Benefits of Acupuncture?
- What are the Risks?
- Your Melbourne-Based Acupuncturists
- Can Anyone Do Acupuncture in Melbourne?
- What is Comprehensive Chinese Pulse Diagnosis?
- What Happens at An Acupuncture Treatment Session?
- Finding a Good Doctor of Chinese Medicine in Melbourne
- The History of Acupuncture in Melbourne
- Acupuncture Grows in Melbourne
What is Acupuncture in Melbourne?
Acupuncture uses ‘hair-thin’ needles to stimulate improved blood flow to the areas of your body that need it.
A long time ago, the Chinese figured out that if you press in a particular place on the body, it will stimulate blood flow and recovery of muscles and organs elsewhere in the body.
Good blood flow leads to better health. This is because everything your body needs to function well is in your blood.
So, in a nutshell, acupuncture stimulates your body’s natural repair and regeneration ability for better health.
What do Melbournians Use Acupuncture For?
Acupuncture continues to grow in popularity in Melbourne. Many are seeking drug-free options to improve their health for a better life.
Although we can help with many health issues, the main areas that people seek treatment for are:
- Pain – back pain, sciatica pain, neck pain, knee pain, plantar fasciitis pain, headaches, migraines, fibromyalgia pain.
- Stress relief
- Fertility and pregnancy – IVF support, nausea, back pain, carpal tunnel pain.
- Womens health – period pain, endometriosis pain.
- Weight loss
- Cosmetic
- Overall health and vitality
What Does an Acupuncturist Do?
A registered practitioner uses the following techniques in practice:
Acupuncture
Chinese herbal medicine
Chinese herbs are prescribed in individually tailored, high strength formulas. Chinese herbs are derived from natural plants. Like Western medications they do specific things in your body to alleviate symptoms and improve health. The actions of Chinese herbs include improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, boosting energy, clearing phlegm and heating and cooling the body.
Tui na
Gentle muscle and fascia massage and manipulation to reduce pain.
Cupping
Using glass cups applied to your body. Cupping applies suction to your skin and is used mainly for muscle and tendon pain and injury. Cupping feels strong in the first few minutes and then becomes more comfortable. They are usually left on for around 10 minutes. Cupping will often leave ‘bruise’ marks on your skin. These are not painful and usually clear in a bout a week.
Diet therapy
Chinese medicine has a particular view on foods. We will encourage you to eat foods that will help and avoid foods that will cause problems. What we recommend you eat will depend on what our diagnosis of your organ health is.
What are the Benefits of Acupuncture?
- Improved blood flow for improved health
- Deep relaxation due to your body’s natural endorphin release
- Pain reduction
- We’re treating both the symptom and the root cause at the same time
- Drug-free healing
What are the Risks?
You’ll often feel the needle when initially inserted, but only for a few seconds. Very occasionally some minor bleeding, swelling or a small bruise might appear where the needle was. But this is not painful and will clear soon enough.
Can Anyone Do Acupuncture in Melbourne?
No, only health professionals registered as acupuncturists (or GPs with endorsement) with AHPRA can provide you acupuncture. The Chinese Medicine Board of Australia regulates the industry.
Other Melbourne practitioners may do ‘dry needling’, which uses the same needles as we do but it generally is done for muscle problems in the location of the pain.
What is Comprehensive Chinese Pulse Diagnosis?
Chinese pulse diagnosis is where a skilled practitioner reads your radial pulse at your wrist.
By feeling the subtleties of your blood flow through your radial arteries at different positions on your wrist, that practitioner can determine a lot about your state of health.
We use this incredibly important diagnostic tool in our clinic every day to provide the best treatment possible for our patients.
What Happens at An Acupuncture Treatment Session?
An acupuncture session typically lasts for up to 45 minutes. Your Chinese medicine practitioner will talk to you about how your health issue is progressing to see if they have to make any adjustments to treatment. Your practitioner will also read your pulse.
You’ll then lie on one of our comfy heated beds. We’ll do your acupuncture and then leave you in blissful quiet to enjoy the deep healing and relaxation that acupuncture can bring.
Many patients say they walk in and then float out!
Your Melbourne-Based Acupuncturists
Doctors of Chinese medicine Bruce Stafford and Sandra Wu have carried out over 50,000 patient visits between them.
This substantial experience helps us in identifying and treating health issues in the most efficient way we can.
Finding a Good Acupuncturist in Melbourne
If you are looking for acupuncture in Melbourne, here’s some tips about finding a good acupuncturist.
- Location – if you can find a good acupuncturist nearby, it will save you a lot of travel time to go there. This is because most patients will require a series of treatments. Search ‘acupuncture melbourne’ to see if you can find someone nearby, then search your particular area. But this said, don’t be afraid to travel a little further for better care.
- Reviews – when searching online, look at the Google reviews to see what others are saying. Use reviews just like you would with any other service.
- Referrals – ask family and friends if they know any good acupuncturists in Melbourne.
- Web site – spend five minutes having a look around the acupuncturist’s website. Does it look professional? Do you like what you are reading?
- Registration – make sure the practitioner is registered with the Chinese Medicine Registration Board. To check registration go here: www.chinesemedicineboard.gov.au
The History of Acupuncture in Melbourne
When looking for acupuncture in Melbourne use the above tips to find the right practitioner for you.
According to acupuncture.com.au there are over 200 acupuncturists in Melbourne. Practices can be acupuncture only, Chinese herbs only or both acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Acupuncture has long been available in Melbourne, particularly from Acupuncture practitioners migrating to Australia from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Some of the first acupuncture clinics opened up in Melbourne back in the 1960s and 70s, but were typically in areas with higher Asian populations. Asians were much more familiar with acupuncture and also spoke the same language as practitioners. I sometimes come across people who recall receiving acupuncture in Melbourne back in the 1970s, but these are few and far between.
Acupuncture Grows in Melbourne
Acupuncture in Melbourne has grown considerably since the 1970s. Originally dominated by Asian practitioners, more and more Caucasian practitioners have studied acupuncture and Chinese medicine and opened acupuncture clinics in Melbourne. Well regarded and comprehensive acupuncture courses are offered in Melbourne by RMIT and Southern School of Natural Therapies.
There are Chinese medicine practitioners in the Melbourne CBD as well as Melbourne’s Northern suburbs including Moonee Ponds, Essendon, Brunswick and Strathmore. There is a higher density of practices closer towards Melbourne city.
In Melbourne there are plenty of clinic choices so:
- Have a good look at websites
- Look at Google or other reviews
- Understand what they are good at.
Our Melbourne Clinic
Our clinic is located in Moonee Ponds, an inner suburb of Melbourne on the border of Essendon and Brunswick.
Book a Session
We generally provide a free 15 minute Chinese Medicine Health Breakthrough Consultation* for anyone who’d like to come in and discuss their health issue with a Doctor of Chinese medicine.
We will read your pulse and talk to you about your health issue to help you decide if acupuncture and Chinese medicine will help you.
*This service is provided free by our practitioners. There are no conditions and no other paid services subsidise these free appointments.