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Tend Therapies - Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

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Margaret River, WA
Tend Therapies - Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Dr Bridie Ritchie (TCM)
Classical and Integrative Acupuncture, herbalism & bodywork. AHPRA registered. AACMA member.

Practising from Margaret River Acupuncture & Busselton Allied Health Hub

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 For all bodies
💛🖤❤️ Wadandi Boodja Based in Margaret River and proudly servicing the south-west of Western Australia, Bridie combines Traditional East Asian therapies and Western health science to offer a holistic and integrative approach to health care. She is an AHPRA registered Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and can use a broad toolkit of therapies to support your health goals. Acupuncture sessions, herbal medicine consultations, and massage services can be claimed through private health- check your fund for coverage.

11/11/2025

Herbs are so beautiful. Look at those colours 😍

The granule herbs we use in clinic dissolve in boiling water and are intended to be taken warm. They make taking Chinese herbs a bit more easeful and accessible as you don’t need to do the decoction/cooking like you do with raw herbs.

I still love my raw herbs, and in some cases they are my preference for patients. But when it comes to people actually remembering and taking their formulas, granules are the star of the show.

We also stock common formulas in patent tablet or “pearls” in clinic too- which are even easier to take!

Chinese herbal medicine is used to support a wide variety of acute and chronic conditions, often where body systems have become depleted, overactive, or out of sync. Common areas include:
- Fatigue, burnout, and stress recovery
- Digestive and gut health (bloating, IBS, reflux)
- Sleep, mood, and anxiety regulation
- Women’s health: menstrual irregularity, fertility, menopause, postpartum recovery
- Skin conditions: eczema, acne, dermatitis, psoriasis
- Respiratory health: coughs, allergies, asthma
- Pain and inflammation: arthritis, muscle tension, headaches
- Immune and post-viral support

If you are interested in Chinese herbal medicine, but don’t know if it’s a fit for you, just reach out and I’m happy to have a chat.

12/10/2025

Have your eyes ever glazed over as I (or your East Asian Medicine practitioner) started yabbering on about Qi, Blood, Yin, or Essence? You're not alone.

These core concepts come up a lot in this medicine, and while the words might sound familiar, they often mean something different to what you’d hear in a GP’s office. (Blood, for example, is more than just what's in your veins. It’s also about nourishment, grounding, and emotional resilience.)

Heres a run down of the four vital substances according the East Asian medical traditions — what they are, why they're worth caring for and what are the closest Western 'equivalents'. As always, this kind of content is not about diagnosing or fixing --> clinic is for that

07/10/2025

☯️ Community Clinic is Now Open to New Patients! ☯️

Community Acupuncture makes it possible for more people to access regular treatments, even if finances are a barrier. For the last 6 months I've only been offering return sessions because of timing constraints, however, I've decided to tweak the intake form so I can now offer these low-cost sessions to new patients who need them too!

Access low-cost acupuncture in a relaxed, welcoming clinic setting. Initial appointments are $75, including 30 min consult + 30 min treatment.

📅 Sessions run fortnightly on Saturday mornings from Margaret River Acupuncture in the Reef Center on Fearne Ave.
💌 DM me to see if this is right for you, or book online today via the link in my bio

06/10/2025

Have you heard about Auricular Acupuncture?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the ear is seen as a microcosm of the whole body — a map where each region corresponds to areas of the body and meridians.

By gently stimulating specific points on the ear, we can help regulate Qi (energy), calm the mind, and restore inner balance.

From a Western perspective, auricular acupuncture interacts with the vagus nerve, a major pathway linking the brain, heart, lungs, and digestive system.
The vagus nerve has small sensory branches that reach the outer ear, especially around the co**ha and tragus. When these points are stimulated — through acupuncture or even light pressure — signals travel to the brainstem, activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

The result?
🌬️ A slower heart rate
💤 Deeper breathing
🌊 A sense of calm and regulation throughout the body

Modern research increasingly supports what East Asian Medicine has long understood: gentle stimulation of the ear can soothe the nervous system, harmonize internal rhythms, and bring both body and mind into balance.

☯️How we treat using auricular points in clinic:

Ear Seeds — tiny seeds or beads placed on key points to support calm, sleep, and stress balance over several days.

Needling — fine acupuncture needles used in-clinic to release tension, support the nervous system, and restore Qi flow.

Electro Stimulation — a gentle electrical pulse added to ear needles to deepen relaxation and relieve pain.

Ear Massage — simple self-care using touch to move Qi, ease anxiety, and calm the Shen (spirit).

13/08/2025

I keep a little stash of raw herbs at home, but it’s not a full dispensary, so when I’m making decoctions for myself I can’t just fall back on tried-and-true classic formulas. Making use of what I have becomes a fun little puzzle.

In today’s mix I have Gui Zhi (Cinnamon Twig), Fang Feng (Saposhnikovia Root), Sheng Jiang (Fresh Ginger), Zi Su Ye (Perilla Leaf), Bo He (Peppermint), Chuan Xiong (Szechuan Lovage Rhizome), Zhi Gan Cao (Honey-Fried Licorice Root), and Bai Shao (White Peony Root).

I’ve had a slight headache and a scratchy throat (no surprise with the wind today!) A lot of these are exterior-releasing herbs with warming properties. The Bai Shao might seem a bit random, but I’m in my luteal phase, so want to give my Liver channel a little extra love. I’m also keeping the other herb doses a bit lower than usual, so it’s not a big punch to the system. Balance is the aim of the game ☯️

You’ll notice the Bo He (peppermint) has its own little pot, as this herb is very aromatic I only add it to my decoction for the last 5mins of cook time.

I love playing with raw herbs. You learn so much about them by looking, feeling and smelling throughout the process.

And no, this is not going to be very tasty 🙃

27/07/2025

I’ve gone and done it. Yep… Substack. I’ve been wanting a place to dive a bit deeper, beyond the quick tips and soundbites of the socials. Somewhere to share what I’m learning and thinking, and hold myself accountable to a regular practice of distilling these ‘wonderings’ into something (hopefully) useful or at least a bit entertaining.

My first post, “The Missing Piece,” is all about my current professional development in Classical Acupuncture; the bits I felt were missing at uni, the “ah ha” moments from mentorship, and why I think this old medicine still really matters.

Putting things out into the world can be scary. But I remind myself it’s totally okay for it to be a snapshot of now: imperfect and in-process.

So if you are keen to dig into ideas and learnings related to natural medicine from East Asian traditions (with a bit of western health science in this mix) all the while trying to emulate the slow, gentle attention this kind of practice asks of us… 📢 subscribe to Tendlines over on Substack for free monthly explorations 📢.

You know where to find the links. 🌻🫶🏼

https://open.substack.com/pub/tendlines/p/the-missing-piece?r=57gyq&utm_medium=ios

Address

Margaret River, WA
6285

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 6pm
Tuesday	9am - 2pm
Saturday	11am - 3pm

Website

https://www.tendtherapies.com/

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