Acupuncture

Guiding your body into its natural state of wellness

These are just a few concerns that affect the people we see.

It’s frustrating as it can stop you from doing what you love. It can be tiring facing these problems day in and day out. You wish you could just get back to feeling good again. So you can enjoy your usual activities and get on with your daily life without the extra struggles.

What is your normal?

You don’t have to put up with the problem any longer. We’re here to dig deep and get to the bottom of it once and for all.

Our aim is to support your internal organ function and circulation so that your body can maintain a state of balanced wellness without regular treatment.

Conditions we treat with Acupuncture

Specific terms you may have looked up include:

Maybe your busy monkey mind keeps you awake at night. Stress is contributing to your troubles conceiving. Or you're starting to get down as life's pressures mount.

Acupuncture is used to help relieve symptoms on its own or working with a team. Many women seek acupuncture when trying to conceive working alongside their ob/gyn.

Well we manage these symptoms - and so much more:

Types of appointments available

• Initial consultation: 1.5 hours
• Standard consultation: 1 hour
• Paediatric consultations: between 30-45 minutes

What happens during an Acupuncture session?

From the moment you contact us, getting your body back to balance is our goal.

First session (Initial consultation)

Your first session will include treatment after a detailed discussion about your health. Along with acupuncture, your practitioner may use other complementary treatments, such as cupping to ease muscle tension or to help with other ailments.

You can expect:

Got any results or reports?

Send us your:

We’ll be able to get you back on track faster if we have the big picture. No worries if you haven’t seen anyone yet. Our Acupuncturists are fully qualified and are dedicated to finding the how, why, what, and where of your pain.

Follow up sessions (Standard consultation)

Together we’ll keep tabs on your health. We’ll create a clear map of what needs to be done and where you’re headed.

We’ll be flexible and adjust what we’re doing as needed so we keep seeing continual improvements that will help you live a better, healthy, balanced ‘normal’.

FAQs about Acupuncture

I’m scared of needles - should I get acupuncture done?

Many anxious patients who come for their first treatment are surprised at how comfortable and painless it is. There are 2 main reasons:

1. Acupuncture needles are extremely fine and insertion is painless
2. Acupuncture needles are typically inserted just into the layers of the skin. This is much more shallow than the needling performed by chiropractors and remedial massage therapists with dry needling where the needles penetrate deeper down into the muscle tissue.

Can I get a rebate?

Most likely. Acupuncture is recognised by most major private health insurance providers. To make sure you’re covered, please check with your health insurance providers before your first session.

Where’s the evidence that acupuncture works?

This medicine has been used for thousands of years. There is also evidence-based research which has found it improves a range of health conditions from a western medicine perspective. For example, check out this research published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal: Acupuncture for Chronic Pain - Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis.

It was found that:

1. Acupuncture is effective in the treatment of chronic pain
2. There are significant differences between true and sham acupuncture - acupuncture is more than a feel-good treatment (placebo)

What’s the difference between acupuncture and dry needling?

While at first glance, there are some similarities between acupuncture and dry needling, they are actually quite different. A few main ways are what is treated. And how deeply the needle is inserted.

Both acupuncture and dry needling both involve the insertion of needles as fine as a human hair into particular points on the body.

However, acupuncture needling treats a wide range of conditions. It is based on the knowledge and theory of a system of medicine which is thousands of years old.

Dry needling is a technique used to treat painful knotted muscles and is performed by health professionals such as chiropractors or remedial massage therapists. Needles are inserted strongly - and then manipulated to get a muscle to twitch. This gets rid of pain or releases a trigger point. It works best if you have muscle injuries or pain.

Acupuncture needles are typically inserted into the layers of the skin - rather than deep into the muscle. This is much more shallow than the needling performed by chiropractors or remedial massage therapists with dry needling, where the needles penetrate deeper down into the muscle tissue.

How many sessions are needed?

The aim of acupuncture is to support the internal organ function and circulation so that the body is able to maintain a state of balanced wellness - without regular treatment.

The number of sessions you need depends on how chronic your problem is. For mild conditions, two treatments may be enough. For more long-term imbalances, the process takes longer.

In the first few weeks, one or two appointments a week are ideal to get the quickest response from your body. As your condition improves, you may only need to visit once a week, or once a fortnight. The duration between appointments increases until you no longer need treatment.

Is acupuncture safe?

The practice of acupuncture in Australia is regulated by AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency).

Acupuncturists need to be registered and consistently keep updated with safety procedures and guidelines. Our practitioner is fully qualified and has many years of training. What’s more, over 1,000 hours have been spent helping patients in clinics.

Acupuncture is generally considered to be safe and gentle. The utmost care is taken to ensure your experience is comfortable and pain-free.

But, like all health treatments, occasionally there are adverse reactions in individual cases. This is why we do a thorough assessment first.

Are there any side effects?

There are no harmful side effects of acupuncture. Occasionally there may be mild soreness or a small bruise at the site of insertion. Sterile, single-use disposable needles are used and the risk of infection is extremely minimal.

In the rare case you experience side effects you’re worried about, don’t hesitate to contact us for advice.

About your Acupuncturist

All our Acupuncturists have formal qualifications along with plenty of hands-on acupuncture experience in different clinics, helping people with different needs.

You’ll find them really easy to talk to and understand. Importantly, they’ll be there for you in between sessions - checking in on you, answering any worries or questions you may have, and getting insight from other health practitioners in the clinic (with your consent of course).

What’s more, to keep their skills and knowledge updated, they are always learning.

• Dr Chee Yeoh

Acupuncture in Melbourne’s western suburbs

We’re based in Moonee Ponds and are visited by patients from the Western suburbs of Melbourne, and beyond. Includes:

Acupuncture at Body and Brain Centre

• Qualified and reputable professionals with many years of experience
• Respectful and approachable environment
• Take home exercises that empower you to take charge of your health