Brisbane Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), an ancient form of healing supported by over 2000 years of documented history.

TCM principles evolved through meticulous observation of nature and of the universal laws that govern change and creation. It stands the test of time, it adapts to all cultures and can be used effectively to address many imbalance.

Qi or vital energy is the core of TCM philosophy. When Qi flows smoothly throughout the body, there is no pain, we are creative, effective and dynamic, we spontaneously  express all our emotions in a healthy way and thus have a joyful and fulfilling life.

At times the free flow of Qi can become obstructed by either external factors (e.g. trauma, sudden weather change) or internal factors (e.g. diet, unexpressed emotions).

By using  fine, sterilised, single use needles which are inserted at specific points on the body, acupuncture enhances a smooth flow of energy throughout the body enhancing a sense of well being and relaxation.

A number of recent studies found acupuncture to be twice as effective as conventional care for treating chronic low back pain. Acupuncture is also known to be much safer especially considering that chronic low back pain is a leading reason people take opioid pain medications.  For more info about these studies click on study n. 1  and study n. 2

Probably the most comprehensive study ever done in regard to the effectiveness of acupuncture, looked across literature world wide with a focus on systematic reviews and meta analyses (the highest form of evidence available)  and fund evidence of acupuncture effectiveness for 117 conditions.

Amongst these: Chronic low back pain – Headaches (Tension type and chronic) – Migraine prophylaxis – Knee osteoarthritis – Postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting – Allergic rhinitis (perennial and seasonal) – Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. For more detailed information read the 2017 Acupuncture Evidence Project

Massage is the oldest known healing art predating all orthodox and complementary therapies.

Massage works on physical, mental and emotional levels, restoring balance & harmony to a troubled mind and a tense body.

I use a combination of Shiatsu (Japanese acupressure) & Tui-Nà (Chinese acupressure).

These massage techniques naturally stimulate the body’s natural healing power and helps to prevent and treats musculoskeletal conditions as well as speeding up recovery from injury.

Pressure and other methods of stimulation are applied to acupuncture points and along meridians to enhance the free flow of Qi/energy throughout the body by removing the energy blockages that are causing pain or discomfort.

Massage allows to feel irregularities in the skin (hot/cold – damp/dry), in the muscles (tensed/ flaccid) and in the body’s response (softening/contracting) and by adjusting the treatment accordingly, each massage is both diagnostic and therapeutic.

Originally from Lake Garda in Italy, I have lived with my family in Ashgrove since 1997.

My interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) began in Italy 1989 when riddled by stress-related health issues i was looking for an holistic and drug free approach to feeling better.

For many years I regularly visited a local Shiatsu/Acupuncture practitioner. I felt intrigued by this “new” approach to health. I never thought this interest would eventually become my profession. Yet life events often play a much more crucial role in deciding our future than we’d like to think.

When I arrived in Brisbane in 1995 I enrolled in a couple of Chinese medicine subjects at the Australian College of Natural Medicine in Fortitude Valley (now Endeavour College).

I loved it so much that by the end of my first week of study I had enrolled in 6 subjects and 5 years later I graduated a Brisbane Acupuncturist with a Bachelor of Health Science in Acupuncture and in TCM Remedial Massage.

Our physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects are all interconnected.

As we take an active role in our healing we gain an understanding that our health is cultivated with every choice we make, in every aspect and in every moment of our life.

Indeed our “feeling healthy” has more to do with how engaged we are with our healing process than with the actual condition we may suffer.

Choosing what to feed our body as well as our mind. Choosing how we “prepare” for resting as well as choosing to exercise. Choosing how we relate to our friends, our family, our ailments and our self. Every choice we make, and how aware we are in recognising the intent behind our choices, is a major part of what our healing process is all about.

Our feeling healthy is not only reflected by the presence or absence of illness, but is mainly reflected by the level of ease, or lack of it (dis-ease), we experience each moment, as we live through the constant transformation of our physical, emotional and spiritual energies.

Our healing process is an opportunity to carefully reassess whichever aspect of our life is out of balance. It requires our ongoing attention, wise choices, and appropriate action.

When we start to live our life in alignment with our healing process, HEALING and GROWTH in some form or another are already happening.

The more we become familiar with the dynamics of our energy (the QI manifesting through our body/mind/spirit) , the more we learn about our unique healing process and the more empowered we feel. The sometimes amazing outcomes from this healing approach (and indeed to our life) are merely a natural by-product of cultivating our health.

I only see one client at the time, therefore you will have my full undivided attention for the duration of your session.

If feeling healthy is a subjective experience, healing is a dynamic process through which we are able to craft an exceptional life and live it to our full potential.

Qi, Yin, Yang are concept sometimes difficult to grasp but easier to experience.

As QI can be different things in different situations it can be difficult to grasp it.

Undertsanding Qi: Qi is the energy/force from which everything is constantly formed and transformed into something else, is at the basis of all phenomena in the universe. Qi is not good nor bad … is … just Qi … the substrate of everything formed and formless.

Our QI raises as we become angry and our face gets red. Our Qi descends or sinks when we get a sudden fright. The Qi of the air we breathe mixes with the Qi of the food we eat to transform in the Qi we use in our daily activities. The Qi of our organs is what the organs are as well as what the organs do.

Similarly the Qi of the tomatoes seed is the life force that has the potential (given the right conditions) to transform in to a tomato plant first, a tomato fruit later and in to a tomato seed again. Yet the tomato QI is present in all of the above stages of growth, only manifests in different forms. Much more about “gardening therapy” later on.

Following are some quotes, which might help clarify the concept of Qi.

Human life as described by Zhang- Zai (philosopher and cosmologist 1020-1077 AD) “Every birth is a condensation every death a dispersion (of Qi). Birth is not a gain, death is not a loss ..when condensed, Qi becomes a living being, when dispersed it is the substratum of mutations”

Maciocia in his book “The foundation of Chinese Medicine” says:

• Qi is an energy that manifests simultaneously on the physical and spiritual level.
• Qi is in constant state of flux and in varying states of aggregation.
• Qi indicates the refined essence produced by the internal organs which has the function of nourishing the body and mind (The Food Qi is produced by the digestive organs through the transformation of food).
• Qi indicates the functional activity of the internal organs (what an organ does)

Maciocia also says “One’s Qi is the result of the interaction of the Qi of Heaven and Earth”. This statement emphasize the close relationship between our Qi and the (external and internal) environment we live.

Understanding Yin and Yang is crucial in understanding how we cultivate our Qi.

Following are some quotes which sums up the concept of Yin and Yang.

Maciocia in his book “The foundation of Chinese Medicine” says:

• Yin & Yang represents two stages in the process of change and transformation of all things…
  Yin & Yang are opposite but complementary.
• Yin & Yang are interdependent. Nothing is totally Yin or Yang. One can not exist without the other. One contains the seed of the other. One can change in the other. Although opposite they form a unity.. (manifesting through our Qi)

Over many centuries Daoism first and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) later, have observed, studied and gained a deep understanding of Qi and the laws that governs it. From this understanding, TCM evolved in to an amazing holistic healing system, which places a huge emphasis on cultivating our Qi.

Indeed the more we learn about our Qi and how it transforms, the better we get at cultivating it. The interesting thing is that we cannot cultivate an healthy Qi without cultivating our diet, our sleep, our relationships, our jobs satisfaction, our character and our soul.

In cultivating an healthy QI we don’t only cultivate an healthy body and mind, we craft an exceptional life. It goes hand in hand.