This gives us the opportunity to be very thorough in our diagnosis and treatment, allowing us to treat multiple issues at the same time. This approach of one-on-one intensive treatment reduces the total number of treatments required.
Our herbs are prepared by the Safflower Herbal Dispensary in Melbourne, who obtain their liquid herbal extracts from Conforma NV in Belguim who adhere to the exceptional quality standards. For more information, visit
A search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials shows 8081 results containing acupuncture, as of May 2016. So the short answer is… yes! Acupuncture is an extensively researched medical science with more being done every day.
All acupuncturists in Australia are required to be registered with AHPRA (the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). Check your practitioners name is on the register of practitioners here
No, though dry needling is very similar to ahshi needling which is an acupuncture technique. Both work on releasing muscular tension to reduce pain.
In general, yes. The majority of the time you can get on with your normal routine after your treatment. Sometimes your rate of healing my benefit from a change in your routine, so check with your acupuncturist for more specific advice.
Generally, we don’t advise having a big meal right before a treatment, as lying down with a full belly can be uncomfortable. We also will not treat anyone currently under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The best way to find an acupuncturist is to do your research. Most clinics will be listed on sites like Whitecoat, and your doctor’s office may be able to provide a recommendation. You can also use websites like AACMA’s “Find a Practitioner” search engine. From there, you should check our article on “11 Things to Look For When Choosing An Acupuncturist” to help you find the practitioner who best fits your needs.
Many insurance companies offer a rebate for acupuncture treatment, at Ki Acupuncture all our practitioners are recognized providers with most of the major health insurers. Bupa & MBF do not currently offer rebates for Dr Nik Hnatiuk (due to his Degree being earned in England).
Acupuncture is a 2000-year-old traditional medical practice wherein the practitioner makes a diagnosis based off the health of the body as a whole, rather than an individual area (as is typical in Western medicine). Once the acupuncturist has made a diagnosis, he or she will create a treatment plan that involves stimulating the nervous system, endocrine system and blood flow through inserting tiny, sterile needles into the skin in specific spots. The brain interprets these signals and makes changes in the body. Successful acupuncture treatment often takes multiple visits, and the acupuncturist will usually prescribe practices to improve the patient’s lifestyle as a means of treatment.
The Acupuncture Evidence Project after reviewing the data from numerous systematic reviews, concluded that there is evidence of positive effect:
– Allergic rhinitis (perennial & seasonal)
– Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) (with anti-emetics)
– Chronic low back pain
– Headache (tension-type and chronic)
– Knee osteoarthritis
– Migraine prophylaxis
– Postoperative nausea & vomiting
– Postoperative pain
or evidence of potential positive effect:
– Acute low back pain
– Acute stroke
– Ambulatory anaesthesia
– Anxiety
– Aromatase-inhibitor-induced arthralgia
– Asthma in adults
– Back or pelvic pain during pregnancy
– Cancer pain
– Cancer-related fatigue
– Constipation
– Craniotomy anaesthesia
– Depression (with antidepressants)
– Dry eye
– Hypertension (with medication)
– Insomnia
– Irritable bowel syndrome
– Labour pain
– Lateral elbow pain
– Menopausal hot flushes
– Modulating sensory perception thresholds
– Neck pain (NAD, not WAD)
– Obesity
– Perimenopausal & postmenopausal insomnia
– Plantar heel pain
– Post-stroke insomnia
– Post-stroke shoulder pain
– Post-stroke spasticity
– Post-traumatic stress disorder
– Prostatitis pain/chronic pelvic pain syndrome
– Recovery after colorectal cancer resection
– Restless leg syndrome
– Schizophrenia (with antipsychotics)
– Sciatica
– Shoulder impingement syndrome (early stage) (with exercise)
– Shoulder pain
– Smoking cessation (up to 3 months)
– Stroke rehabilitation
– Temporomandibular pain
For most treatments we allocate an hour for the appointment, to make sure we have enough time to get the required result without rushing. Often we will not need the full hour and can finish early. Some treatments such as fertility follow-up’s and hayfever are often done in 45 minutes.
The number of sessions required depend upon a number of factors, such as your particular complaint, the length of time you’ve had the problem, your general health, your age, etc. Typically, multiple sessions are needed. We offer a free 15-minute evaluation consultation where we can discuss with you your case in detail and give you a better idea of how frequently your treatments should be to get the fastest results.
Most patients report no pain during acupuncture. The needles used are extremely small and thin. If there is any pain, it is usually described as a pinprick, and perhaps some soreness afterwards if we are working on very tight muscles. It is not uncommon to feel a tingling sensation, or to notice small muscles twitches if working on muscle trigger points. The needles are inserted on average 2-6 mm into the skin depending upon the needs of treatment.
You will be treated in a quiet, private room. Generally, your acupuncturist will spend a few minutes talking with you about your lifestyle and general health, in order to best get an idea of what treatment you need. Depending on the needs of the treatment, you will lie face up or face down on the table, occasionally treatments are done sitting up.
Depending on the type of treatment being done, either a selection of points are needled and kept in place for a while as you relax, or the acupuncturist may work one point at a time for the duration of the treatment. Many patients find this so relaxing they even fall asleep!
There is occasionally some soreness or light bruising at the insertion sites, but generally when performed by a qualitied acupuncturist, acupuncture has no negative side effects.
It is best to wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing to your appointment. Tank tops and shorts are a great choice since they allow for maximum access to the body. If your clothing needs to be removed to allow access to leg/back/shoulder etc. we have plenty of towels to cover you up.
Generally, getting ready for an acupuncture appointment is all about ensuring that you will be comfortable. Make sure you schedule wisely- For example treatments for insomnia are best done at the end of the day if possible. Make sure you eat something in the hours before your treatment, and be sure to avoid any drugs or alcohol.
If you are going to your first appointment, do your best to think about the details of your medical history. Have you ever broken a bone or suffered a major illness? Are you allergic to anything? Facts like that will help your acupuncturist treat you successfully.
If possible, wear loose-fitting clothing, and always make sure you cell phone is turned off before you walk into the clinic.
Acupuncture is absolutely safe to use with other treatments. In fact, many doctors are recommending acupuncture as a supplementary therapy to help support the efficacy of other healthcare solutions.
According to recent studies, yes, acupuncture is a safe therapy for children. Kids will often be treated with acupressure or laser; often the needles are not needed as kids respond very quickly to treatment.
You do not need a doctor’s referral to receive acupuncture treatment in Australia.
The basic minimum requirement for practicing acupuncture in Australia is a 4-year Bachelor’s degree in the field, though graduate and post-graduate training is available as well. Also, your training must be approved by the Chinese Medicine Board before you can practice acupuncture.
Most acupuncturists will have their degrees and qualifications on display in their clinics, but if not, you can always ask for proof of their training and certification. You can also research the qualifications of individual acupuncturists at sights like that of the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia.
Acupuncturists may practice acupuncture; electroacupuncture (acupuncture with the assistance of some very mild electrical currents); they can perform or prescribe Tui Na (Chinese Remedial Massage) and stress relieving treatments like acupressure, moxibustion, cupping, breathing techniques, exercise, and the use of heat. Acupuncturists may also prescribe herbs, plant, and mineral products; and they can prescribe dietary supplements to promote, maintain, and restore health.
Acupuncture does not rely on drugs or medication to treat patients. The treatment comes from the insertion of needles into key areas of the body which encourages the body’s own healing mechanisms.
Acupuncture needles are required by law to be both single-use and sterile. In fact, it is most common for needles to be ISO-certified in order to be used in a practice (ISO stands for International Organization of Standardization, and provides standards for quality control).
TCM stands for Traditional Chinese Medicine. When used as a suffix after an acupuncturists name, it is used to clarify that we are doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine and not claiming to be Medical Doctors (MD).
Chinese acupuncture is the most common, but there is also Japanese and Korean styles of acupuncture.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (also referred to as TCM) is the most common, and its goal is to balance the body. The aim is to balance organ/tissue function, mental and emotional health.
Japanese Acupuncture uses fewer and thinner needles than does TCM. Japanese acupuncture focuses primarily on the Five Element Theory, which involves the flow of energy between the internal organs in order to promote balance.
Korean acupuncture shares the same mindset of achieving balance through the Five Elements Theory, but uses many more needles than either the Japanese or Traditional Chinese methods. However, more needles does not necessarily mean that this method is any better or worse; it is all about what is going to be most successful for your body.
Acupuncture is safe during pregnancy, though some techniques are not used. A properly trained acupuncturist will know what not to do during pregnancy.
Acupuncture is just as safe for the elderly as it is for adults and children. Just make sure that you inform your acupuncturist of all of the medications and other treatments you are using.
According to a recent study, about one in ten (or 10%) of Australians have received acupuncture treatments, As more people become aware of the effectiveness and versatility of acupuncture, plus the huge body of evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture, so does the popularity of the practice.
While there is no evidence that acupuncture can eliminate malignancies in the body, acupuncture has been shown to be hugely helpful in treating the symptoms of both cancer and the treatments involved. Acupuncture can provide a non-narcotic way of relieving pain, either from the cancer itself or from surgeries, and can help with the nausea and other unpleasant side-effects of chemotherapy.
The Acupuncture Evidence Project after reviewing the data from numerous systematic reviews, concluded that there is evidence of positive effect for migraine prophylaxis (prevention) with acupuncture.
Fibromyalgia has only recently become a widely-accepted diagnosis with doctors worldwide, and because of this, successful treatments are still in the works. Fibromyalgia varies from person to person. Book in for a free 15 minute consultation to find out if acupuncture is an appropriate treatment for you.
Don’t let your fear stop you! There are many other therapies that acupuncturists are trained in that involve no needles whatsoever, such Tui Na (Chinese remedial massage), moxibustion, acupressure, Chinese herbal medicine, cupping, Guasha (scraping massage) or laser acupuncture. A good acupuncturist will be able to work with you to find alternative treatment methods to your complaints without ever pushing you to do something you are not comfortable with.
There is tons of research being done every day on the efficacy of acupuncture treatments in helping a variety of conditions and injuries. You can find such articles and studies at places like the Society for Acupuncture Research[30], the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Cochrane library, NIH, and Acupuncture Now Foundation.
Yes we can and often do. There are places it’s hard to reach yourself and having someone else do the work is far more relaxing, for these reasons we prefer to treat each other rather than ourselves.
http://www.acupuncture.org.au/
11 Things to Look for When Choosing an Acupuncturist
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