Yes! Safety is my number one goal for every session. Rarely patients will experience some lightheadedness after a treatment, which is usually resolved by sitting for a few minutes and sipping some water. Very rarely there is some bruising around where the needle was inserted, but this is very uncommon and usually clears up within a few days.

There have been some cases reported of acupuncturists and physios using dry needling causing serious harm in New Zealand. This can be easily avoided by using the safe needling techniques I learned and practiced repeatedly over my 4 years of training.

There are also certain conditions where acupuncture is contraindicated, in which case I would not use needles in the treatment, and can instead rely on other tools such as acupressure, cupping, or ear seeds.

The short answer, sometimes. Often my goal is for the needle insertion to be as painless as possible. Most patients comment they hardly feel anything. This is due to a combination of using a gentle needling technique, as well as using high quality needles that smoothly puncture the skin to a shallow depth. However, even with this gentle approach some patients find the sensation to be quite strong, and describe it almost like a mild electric shock that lasts for a few seconds. This is usually a very good sign that the treatment is going to be effective, as this is often a sign of ‘Qi’ being obtained.

For some patients, usually about one in ten, the initial sensation is felt very strongly. In these cases, less sensitive locations are chosen, and often other effective methods like cupping, moxabustion, or acupressure can be substituted.

Yes! I am very fortunate to have studied with Dr. Debra Betts, one of the preeminent acupuncturists for fertility and pregnancy in the entire world. She has guided me through treating pregnant patients from the early stages of “morning sickness” right up until the day before delivery. As always, safety is my primary focus during treatment, for both the mother and child.

This is a great question, that I often try to answer using two different view points. My training is in Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. From a TCM perspective, needles are used at specific locations along channels or meridians, to elicit a certain response of Qi. This can often be felt as a warm tingling sensation, but nearly everyone experiences and describes it in a slightly different way.

From a biomedical perspective, the channels or meridians, often closely correspond with the various nerves in the body. Acupuncture needles inserted near these nerves stimulate neurological responses, differing depending on where they are inserted. Acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the bodies natural anti-inflammatory responses, as well as modify the production of certain hormone responses. Some of these mechanisms have been studied quite throughly, while other biochemical responses are still being debated and studied. I am fascinated by the advances in the biomedical understanding of the efficacy acupuncture, and if given the chance would love to be involved in studies that further advance our modern scientific understanding of this medicine.

Yes! I am happy to take ACC. Please ensure that you have your ACC# as well as the date of the initial accident. Often times if the injury occurred more than a year ago ACC will not cover the treatments, however enquiries can be made in certain circumstances to cover those types of treatments.

No. I am happy to recommend Chinese Herbalists or Naturopaths where herbs would likely be an effective form of treatment.

Yes! I have found Tuina to be an incredibly effective technique for calming both the body and mind. I often incorporate Tuina into a treatment session before and after acupuncture when necessary. However, I mainly prefer to use acupuncture and acupressure, and do not offer Tuina only services.

Probably not. I do not like to put limitations on the power of the human body and mind to make incredible changes in a single moment, therefore I can’t definitively say no. However a more likely course of action is that acupuncture can help to reduce cravings, as well as provide a calm and relaxed environment to address some of the root causes of addiction and discover healthier alternatives and strategies for long term healing.

If you could please contact me to provide 24 hours notice of cancellation, that would be greatly appreciated.
There are no charges for cancelled appointments however provididing more notices means I can allocate your appointment time someone else who may be waiting.