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Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years. It is based on the principle that the human body circulates blood and nutrients. This gives the body the ability to heal injuries continuously. With treatment we establish a healthy flow of blood to the affected area(s) so that the body can start repairing itself. Acupuncture works fast and has clinically proven, high success rates for numerous health problems. One of the great benefits is that it is a drug free therapy with virtually no side effects. The needles used are sterile and disposable and they are so thin that the insertion is painless.

​At Natural Solutions we work with a wide variety of health problems and we focus on: fertility related issues, IVF and hormonal problems and mental health problems. ​

Acupuncture can also be used as a preventive measure, to reduce the risk of disease or injury, to stay as healthy as possible.

Chinese Herbal Medicine
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine in Sydney

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It is a feeling of fear and apprehension about what is to come. There are plenty of things that may cause most people to feel anxious for example the first day at a new job, public speaking or going for a job interview. Anxiety however is more than just feeling stressed or worried. While stress and anxious feelings are a common response to a situation where we feel under pressure, they usually pass once the stressful situation has passed. Anxiety is when these anxious feelings don’t go away – when they’re ongoing or happen without any particular reason or cause.

What Is Anxiety

Who gets anxiety disorders?

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia and can affect anyone, of any age. On average, one in four people – one in three women and one in five men – will experience anxiety at some stage in their life. In a 12-month period, over two million Australians experience anxiety.

What does anxiety feel like?

Anxiety can feel differently in different individuals. It can show up as feelings of fear and helplessness and can be accompanied by scary physical symptoms such as breathing problems, a pounding or racing heart, tingling hands, sweating, chest pain and dizziness. You might feel butterflies in your stomach, experience nightmares, panic, or painful thoughts or memories that you can’t control. You may fear a specific place or event.

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Anxiety Disorders

What are the types of

Anxiety Disorders?

There are many different disorders in which anxiety is a key feature, including:

  • Panic Disorder: characterised by bouts of intense fear or terror that develop quickly and unexpectedly
  • Phobia: excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity
  • Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviours
  • Separation Anxiety Disorder: fear of being away from home or loved ones
  • Hypochondriasis: anxiety about your health
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): anxiety following a traumatic event

How does Chinese medicine view anxiety?

Chinese medicine practitioners believe that physical health issues are connected to a person’s emotional state and vice versa. Emotions are viewed as an integrated aspect of organ functions, and are sometimes the root cause of disease. Each emotion corresponds to a particular organ. For example, the spleen is commonly linked to (excessive) worry. If there is anxiety, the function of the related organ is out of balance. By inserting fine needles into various points on the body, such as the fingers, hands, wrists, ankles, and feet, we redistribute the energy, in order to improve the symptoms.

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What is the current research status on

Acupuncture and Anxiety?

A recent study published in 2021 (1) concluded that acupuncture therapy aimed at reducing anxiety in patients with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) has certain beneficial effects compared to controls.

In 2017 the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA) funded The Acupuncture Evidence Project (2) : a comparative literature review of the effectiveness of acupuncture in 122 common conditions. Acupuncture for anxiety was assessed as having a ‘potential positive effect’.

What is involved in an acupuncture session for anxiety?

Every session starts with discussing your current symptoms and overall health. To get further information we will then feel your pulse and have a look at your tongue. We decide on the points that we will be using that session and insert fine needles into those points. The needles will stay in place for 20-30 minutes during which you can rest and relax. After the needles have been removed you can get up again and continue your day.

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What can I expect after my

Acupuncture Session?

Most people rest deeply whilst having acupuncture and feel very relaxed after the session. There is nothing in particular that you need to do or not do afterwards, just do what feels good to you. In the days after the treatment you will start to notice the positive effects the session has on your health and wellbeing. The effects are accumulative, that means that after more sessions the effects tend to last longer. We will discuss during your first session what is to be expected in your particular case and how many sessions will be needed.

Acupuncture for Anxiety - What Can I Expect After My Acupuncture Session?

Can I claim my acupuncture session on insurance?

Most Private Health Funds cover acupuncture however it is important to check your level of cover with your health fund prior to your treatment. We do have HICAPS facilities so if you’re covered you will only have to pay the gap.

Cosmetic acupuncture is the exciting new kid on the block for anti-ageing treatment. It’s gaining popularity very quickly because of its ability to naturally create that fresh and glowing look we all want. It is for a good reason that it is also being called the new, natural Botox. For those that don’t like the sometimes unnatural look of Botox treatments or are concerned about injecting a toxin in your face, cosmetic acupuncture is the perfect solution.

WHAT IS

Cosmetic Acupuncture?

It is a treatment targeted to help with beauty concerns like facial skin problems, wrinkles and fine lines, sagging skin, puffy eyes, pigmentation and dark spots. It involves acupuncture with the thinnest and finest needles but it is much more than that. The needles are so fine that even for those that are needle shy, cosmetic acupuncture is usually a very relaxing experience.

Fertility Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine in Sydney
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facial cosmetic acupuncture treatment

What is a

Cosmetic Acupuncture

Session Like?

A cosmetic acupuncture consultation looks like this:

  • A consultation to find out what your concerns are and what your skin is like. Cosmetic acupuncture is not just about your face, we also want to know if there are any underlying health conditions that you are experiencing that might be related to your skin.
  • A skin cleanse to prepare.
  • Application of high grade Jojoba oil.
  • Gua Sha which is a gentle, scraping massage with a rose quartz stone.
  • Body acupuncture to treat the root of your skin problems.
  • Facial acupuncture.
  • Hot towel.
  • Light facial massage.
  • Jade roller application to seal the pores.

How long does a cosmetic acupuncture session take?

The complete process of a cosmetic acupuncture consultation will take about 60 min for your initial consultation and 45 min for follow ups.

How does

Cosmetic Acupuncture work?

The benefits of cosmetic acupuncture can be explained on 3 levels:

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The needles stimulate the circulation and blood flow in the skin resulting in a glowing look. This effect is immediate so even after one or two sessions you will be surprised how healthy you look.

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The anti-ageing effect is because the needles create a micro trauma. The body responds to this with the production of collagen and elastin to heal the area.

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Cosmetic acupuncture also targets the muscles. It releases the tight muscles that are causing frown lines and it can tone the muscles that have sagged.

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How often do you need to have cosmetic acupuncture?

The complete process of a cosmetic acupuncture consultation will take about 60 min for your initial consultation and 45 min for follow ups.

Can all acupuncturists do

Cosmetic Acupuncture?

The application of cosmetic acupuncture requires advanced training. If you want to experience high quality treatment that gives you good results make sure your acupuncturists has completed this advanced training.

At Natural Solutions Acupuncture Katy Chan has completed training under Australia’s leading cosmetic acupuncturist Dr Vivian Tam in Melbourne. She is fully qualified to offer cosmetic acupuncture of the highest level.

How much does cosmetic acupuncture cost?

The value for money of cosmetic acupuncture is excellent. An initial consultation and treatment at Natural Solutions Acupuncture is $180 and follow up treatments are priced at $160 per session. Compared to the price of the use of botox it is a much more affordable anti-ageing treatment.

What is depression?

We all feel sad or moody from time to time but depression is more than just a low mood. When these feelings are experienced intensely, for long periods of time (weeks, months or even years) or appear without any reason, it is called depression. Depression is a serious condition that affects mental as well as physical health.

depression

Who gets depression?

Depression can affect anyone, of any age. It is more common in women than in men and most commonly appears between 15 and 45 years of age. On average 1 in 6 women and 1 in 8 men will experience some level of depression. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In Australia, it’s estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.

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Acupuncture for Depression - How Does Depression Feel Like

What does

Depression feel like?

Depression feels different for everyone. Common symptoms are:

  • sadness or hopelessness
  • restless and/or irritable
  • loss of interest in hobbies and activities
  • thoughts of self-harm or suicide
  • fatigue

A lot of people also struggle with sleep, either sleeping too much or too little. Thinking and concentration problems, weight loss or gain and physical problems such as aches and pains are often reported as well.

What are the

Types of Depression?

There are many different types of depression, some of the more common ones are:

Major depression (also called major depressive disorder, clinical depression, unipolar depression or simply ‘depression’)

It involves low mood and/or loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities, as well as other symptoms as listed above. The symptoms are experienced most days and last for at least two weeks. Symptoms of depression interfere with all areas of a person’s life, including work and social relationships.

Dysthymic disorder

The symptoms of dysthymia are similar to those of major depression but are less severe. However, in the case of dysthymia, symptoms last longer. A person has to have this milder depression for more than two years to be diagnosed with dysthymia.

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

is a mood disorder that has a seasonal pattern. It’s characterised by mood disturbances that begin and end in a particular season. Depression which starts in winter and subsides when the season ends is the most common. It’s usually diagnosed after the person has had the same symptoms during winter for a couple of years.

Antenatal and Postnatal Depression

Women are at an increased risk of depression during pregnancy (known as the antenatal or prenatal period) and in the year following childbirth (known as the postnatal period). Almost 10 per cent of women will experience depression during pregnancy. This increases to 16 per cent in the first three months after having a baby.

How does

Chinese medicine view depression?

Chinese medicine practitioners believe that physical health issues are connected to a person’s emotional state and vice versa. Emotions are viewed as an integrated aspect of organ functions, and are sometimes the root cause of disease. Depression can have multiple causes from a Chinese medicine perspective. We make sure we take sufficient time to determine what organ system or element is dysfunctional so that we can work on the root of the problem. We do this by asking specific questions about your health and wellbeing, we feel your pulse and we take a look at your tongue. By inserting fine needles into various points on the body, such as the fingers, hands, wrists, ankles, and feet, we rebalance the body and mind, in order to improve the symptoms.

Depression is traditionally treated with medication and/or psychological intervention. Sometimes this works great and symptoms disappear, in other cases life remains a struggle. If you are one of those people for whom traditional treatments do not work as well as they should or if you prefer alternative treatments, acupuncture is a great way of managing your symptoms. Remember we’re not against medical intervention and acupuncture can be used in conjunction to medication or counselling.

Logo for Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Society - Acupuncture for Anxiety
What is the current research status on

Acupuncture and Depression?

In 2017 the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA) funded The Acupuncture Evidence Project*: a comparative literature review of the effectiveness of acupuncture in 122 common conditions. Acupuncture for depression was assessed as having a ‘potential positive effect’.

* McDonald J, Janz S. The Acupuncture Evidence Project: A Comparative Literature Review (Revised edition). © Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association Ltd, 2017.

What is involved in an acupuncture session?

Every session starts with discussing your current symptoms and overall health. To get further information we will then feel your pulse and have a look at your tongue. We decide on the points that we will be using that session and insert fine needles into those points. The needles will stay in place for 20-30 minutes during which you can rest and relax. After the needles have been removed you can get up again and continue your day.

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What can I expect after my

Acupuncture Session?

Most people rest deeply whilst having acupuncture and feel very relaxed after the session. There is nothing in particular that you need to do or not do afterwards, just do what feels good to you. In the days after the treatment you will start to notice the positive effects the session has on your health and wellbeing. The effects are accumulative, that means that after more sessions the effects tend to last longer. We will discuss during your first session what is to be expected in your particular case and how many sessions will be needed.

Can I claim my acupuncture session on insurance?

Most Private Health Funds cover acupuncture however it is important to check your level of cover with your health fund prior to your treatment. We do have HICAPS facilities so if you’re covered you will only have to pay the gap.

What are the different

Type of Infertility?

Primary infertility refers to couples who have not become pregnant after trying to for at least one year.

Secondary infertility refers to couples who have been pregnant at least once, but are now unable to.

Unexplained or idiopathic infertility means that no reason can be found for couples to not fall pregnant, this counts for up to 30% of people with infertility.

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What are some known

Reasons for infertility?

  • Ovulation disorders meaning that there is infrequent or no ovulation at all.
  • Fallopian tube problems.
  • Endometriosis is a condition where the cells that line the uterus also grow in places outside the uterus. This can distort the tubes and ovaries or block ovulation. For more information see our Blog “How to effectively manage Endometriosis”.
  • Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex hormonal condition referring to many partially formed follicles on the ovaries that never grow to maturity. Women who have PCOS may experience irregular menstrual cycles or no menstruation, excessive facial or body hair growth, acne, hair loss and mood changes.
  • Fibroids are benign lumps of tissue that can grown inside and around the uterus. The location and size will determine if they affect fertility.
  • Male infertility affects around half of all infertile couple. Most common are problems with sperm production, movement or shape, sperm antibodies, chromosome and DNA abnormality and hormonal problems.
How does Chinese medicine view

Infertility?

Chinese medicine uses different measures to find out what might be the problem in case of a couples infertility. We extensively examine the medical history, including blood tests and other investigations that have been done but we have some extra tools that give us more, much needed information. Often we will ask the woman to record her BBT’s (Basal Body Temperatures) for a while which gives us a lot of insight in the hormonal cycle and we also feel the pulse and look at the tongue for more clues. This means that also in case of unexplained infertility, we often find some information that we can work with to support fertility.

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What is involved in a

Fertility Acupuncture Session?

In your initial session we take our time to go through your history and gather all the information we need to get to a Chinese medicine diagnosis. It is important you bring all your blood results and reports from other investigations with you.

Every session starts with discussing your current symptoms and overall health. To get further information we will then feel your pulse and have a look at your tongue. We decide on the points that we will be using that session and insert fine needles into those points. The needles will stay in place for 20-30 minutes during which you can rest and relax. After the needles have been removed you can get up again and continue your day.

Fertility & IVF Acupuncture - What is involved in an Acupuncture Session for IVF?

What can I expect after my

Acupuncture Session?

Most people rest deeply whilst having acupuncture and feel very relaxed after the session. There is nothing in particular that you need to do or not do afterwards, just do what feels good to you. In the days after the treatment you will start to notice the positive effects the session has on your health and wellbeing. The effects are accumulative, that means that after more sessions the effects tend to last longer. Generally for fertility acupuncture we will need to see you over the course of at least 3 months. We will discuss during your first session what is to be expected in your particular case and how many sessions will be needed.

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Why are there conflicting research outcomes for

Acupuncture and IVF?

Using acupuncture with IVF has been well researched over the past decade with conflicting results. Some of the problems that contribute to the discrepancy are:

  • there are many different types of acupuncture which cannot be compared to each other
  • traditional acupuncture diagnosis is not in line with orthodox diagnosis
  • in trials acupuncture is often standardised whereas in clinic treatments are individualised
  • no appropriate placebo to traditional acupuncture exists

How long does menopause last?

Most women transition through these changes for 5 to 10 years. For most, it’s closer to about 5 years, but symptoms might come and go for other women for longer.

What are some natural remedies for menopause symptoms?

Exercise

Make exercise regular part of your daily routine. It boosts serotonin levels which improves your mood, your appetite and your sleep.

Acupuncture and Herbs for Menopause

Herbs

At Natural Solutions we prescribe customised herbal formulas which is the best way to go, but you can also use some over the counter herbs that have hormone balancing properties. Examples of these are ginseng, evening primrose oil, liquorice root, black cohosh and chaste tree. It’s best to consult with a natural practitioner before taking any of these, especially if you have other medical conditions and take medications. A natural practitioner has extensive knowledge of which herb to use to treat your exact symptoms, which dosages are safest and advice about which herbs can be safely used simultaneously.

Have a healthy and balanced diet: Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and limit processed foods, added sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and refined oils. Fill up on high-fibre foods and drink plenty of water.

Reduce and manage stress

Many women experience increased anxiety, moodiness and even episodes of depression during the menopause years. Managing stress in your life is one important way to reduce symptoms. Effective ways of reducing stress are exercise, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, aromatherapy, spending time in nature, and dedicating time to spiritual practices.

Acupuncture and essential oil for Menopause

Use Essential Oils

Clary sage oil is the most effective essential oil for balancing hormones. It can help offer relief from menopause symptoms including increased anxiety and hot flashes. In addition, roman chamomile oil reduces stress, peppermint oil can help cool the body from hot flashes, and thyme oil can help naturally balance hormones. At Natural Solutions we use the high quality DoTerra oils, you can buy them here.