Gentle Acupuncture

02/12/2025

Tu Youyou, born in 1930 in Ningbo, China, is the first mainland Chinese scientist to win a Nobel Prize in a scientific field (2015). Trained in pharmacology and traditional Chinese medicine, she led China’s Project 523 to find a cure for chloroquine-resistant malaria during the Vietnam War. Studying ancient Chinese medical texts, she discovered that sweet wormwood (qinghao) had been used to treat fever. Realizing that heat damaged its active ingredient, she developed a low-temperature extraction method that produced a highly effective antimalarial compound—artemisinin.

Tu tested the extract on herself before treating patients, all of whom recovered. Artemisinin went on to save millions of lives and became the WHO-recommended first-line treatment for malaria. Despite her global impact, Tu remained humble, crediting both ancient wisdom and her team. Her discovery is considered one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the last fifty years.

Medicine laureate Tu Youyou turned to Chinese medical texts from the Zhou, Qing, and Han Dynasties to find a traditional cure for malaria, ultimately extracting a compound – artemisinin – that has saved millions of lives.

18/11/2025

Shonishin is a gentle, non-invasive form of Japanese pediatric acupuncture. It’s specially designed for babies and children — and even for sensitive adults — to balance the body’s energy without using needles that pe*****te the skin.

Here’s how it works 👇

🌿 1. The Technique

Instead of needles, practitioners use small specialized tools (made of silver, gold, or stainless steel) to stroke, tap, or rub the skin.

The movements are light, rhythmic, and soothing, focusing on meridians (energy channels) and specific points to stimulate the child’s vital energy or “Qi.”

⚖️ 2. The Principle

Children’s Qi moves more quickly and is more easily disturbed than in adults.

Shonishin helps gently regulate Qi and blood flow, calm the nervous system, and strengthen the body’s natural healing mechanisms.

The aim is to restore balance and support healthy growth and development — not just treat symptoms.

💫 3. What Happens in a Session

A session usually lasts 15–30 minutes depending on the child’s age and condition.

The practitioner observes skin tone, energy, sleep, digestion, mood, and other signs.

Treatment is gentle and often enjoyable for the child — many find it relaxing, like a light massage.

🌸 4. Benefits Commonly Reported

Shonishin can help with:

Sleep problems and restlessness

Colic, reflux, digestive issues

Frequent colds or weak immunity

Eczema and allergies

Developmental or behavioral concerns

Anxiety, sensory sensitivity, or hyperactivity

Bedwetting or constipation

🧘‍♀️ 5. For Parents to Know

No pain, no needles, and no side effects.

Works best when treatments are gentle and consistent — often once or twice a week for a few weeks.

Many parents also find it a bonding, calming experience for their child.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.

www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

11/11/2025

Beautiful gathering yesterday at Coast Life Midwifery . Topic this week👇

🌸 Postpartum Acupuncture – Nurturing Mothers Back to Balance

After giving birth, your body and mind go through incredible changes. Acupuncture offers gentle, natural support to help you recover, restore, and feel like yourself again.

✨ Benefits of Postpartum Acupuncture:

🌿 Hormone balance: Helps regulate mood, reduce anxiety, and ease “baby blues.”

💧 Supports lactation: Encourages healthy milk flow and relieves issues such as blocked ducts.

⚡ Boosts energy & recovery: Replenishes Qi and blood to combat fatigue and restore vitality.

💆‍♀️ Pain relief: Soothes back, shoulder, or pelvic pain from pregnancy and delivery.

😌 Better sleep & emotional wellbeing: Promotes relaxation and deeper rest.

💖 Strengthens the connection between mind, body, and baby.

Acupuncture is a gentle and holistic way to support your body’s natural healing during the precious postpartum months.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.

Www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

10/11/2025

Monday and Wednesday Flaxton clinic.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.
Www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

04/11/2025

✨ Exciting news! ✨
Gentle Acupuncture is now at Coast Life Midwifery in Maroochydore every Tuesday and Thursday.

Offering Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy, adults, and children, supporting wellness and balance for the whole family.

🌿 Learn more at www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

30/10/2025

After five wonderful years at Secrets from the Honey Tree in Eumundi, we’ve said our goodbyes.
Heartfelt thanks to Andrea Lopez for your friendship, support, and endless love. These have been truly special, healing years in this sacred space.

✨ Here’s to new beginnings! stay tuned! 😉🙏🫶

27/10/2025

Reflection on the Ancestral Knowledge of Chinese Medicine

Our ancestors looked to the heavens and the earth
and saw the body as a mirror of the cosmos.
They listened to the wind,
watched the seasons turn,
felt the pulse of rivers and of human veins.

They spoke of Qi — the breath of life —
flowing like mist between Heaven and Earth.
Health was harmony,
illness a disharmony in the great song.

The heart was not only flesh,
but spirit.
The liver not only organ,
but emotion, courage, and growth.

From root to leaf,
from mountain stone to morning dew,
they found medicine.
In stillness, in breath, in food,
in ritual, in care.

To walk the way of Chinese Medicine
is to walk with the ancestors —
remembering that we too
are children of Heaven and Earth.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.

www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

Flaxton clinic and Coast Life Midwifery Maroochydore

Welcome to Gentle Acupuncture We provide a range of treatment options to keep the whole family healthy and balanced. At Gentle Acupuncture, a combination of classical acupuncture and moxibustion techniques are utilised to address women's health, pregnancy, paediatrics, men's health, mental/ emotiona...

07/10/2025

Acupuncture is widely used for musculoskeletal conditions because it can address both pain and dysfunction. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these conditions are often seen as patterns of Qi and Blood stagnation, channel obstruction, or underlying deficiencies that make the body more vulnerable to injury. Modern research also suggests acupuncture influences the nervous system, circulation, and local tissue healing.

✅ Common Musculoskeletal Conditions Treated

Back pain (acute & chronic)

Neck and shoulder pain

Sciatica

Osteoarthritis (knee, hip, hand)

Tendinopathies (e.g., tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, Achilles tendinitis)

Sports injuries (strains, sprains, muscle tightness)

Postural pain (office-related or repetitive strain)

Fibromyalgia and chronic pain syndromes.

💡 Mechanisms (modern view)

Stimulates endorphin release (natural pain relief).

Improves local circulation, reducing inflammation and swelling.

Modulates nerve signaling, calming overactive pain pathways.

Promotes muscle relaxation and better range of motion.

Supports tissue repair by increasing growth factors.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.

www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

02/10/2025

Acupuncture is often used to help people with migraines, and research shows it can provide meaningful relief for many. Here are the main benefits:

⭐ Potential Benefits of Acupuncture for Migraines

Reduces frequency of attacks
Regular acupuncture sessions may lower how often migraines occur.

Lessens intensity and duration
Many people report milder pain and shorter-lasting migraines after treatment.

Decreases reliance on medication
Acupuncture can reduce the need for painkillers or migraine-specific drugs, which helps avoid side effects or overuse headaches.

Improves circulation & relaxes tension
By calming the nervous system and relaxing tight muscles (especially in the neck, shoulders, and head), acupuncture may relieve physical triggers of migraines.

Balances stress & emotional triggers
Stress is a major migraine trigger. Acupuncture can regulate the body’s stress response and improve sleep quality, which may prevent attacks.

Supports overall wellbeing
Many patients notice better energy, digestion, mood, and sleep—all of which can reduce migraine vulnerability

Certain mineral (ion) deficiencies can contribute to migraines. The brain and nervous system rely on a delicate balance of electrolytes and minerals to function properly. When levels are low, it can trigger or worsen migraine attacks.

🔑 Ion & Mineral Deficiencies Linked to Migraines

Magnesium deficiency

One of the strongest links.

Magnesium helps regulate nerve transmission and blood vessel relaxation.

Low levels are associated with increased migraine frequency and aura.

Calcium & Potassium imbalances

Both are crucial for nerve signaling and muscle contraction.

Disturbances may contribute to headaches, muscle tension, and neurological sensitivity.

Sodium

Too low (hyponatremia) or too high can trigger headaches.

Often linked to dehydration or overhydration.

Iron deficiency (anemia)

Can reduce oxygen delivery to the brain → leading to fatigue, dizziness, and headaches, sometimes migraines.

Zinc & Copper imbalance

Less direct evidence, but they influence neurotransmitters and oxidative stress, both of which play a role in migraines.

✅ What Helps

Diet rich in leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, fish, and adequate hydration.

Supplements (especially magnesium citrate, glycinate, or taurate) can help some migraine sufferers.

Testing: A blood test for iron, ferritin, magnesium, and electrolytes can identify deficiencies.

👉 Migraines are usually multi-factorial, so ion deficiencies may be one trigger among many (stress, hormones, sleep, food, dehydration).

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.

www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

29/09/2025

Acupuncture can be safely used throughout pregnancy when applied by a qualified practitioner, and it’s often chosen because it’s gentle, drug-free, and adaptable to the body’s changing needs. The approach shifts slightly depending on the stage of pregnancy:

First Trimester (0–12 weeks)

Focus: supporting implantation, reducing miscarriage risk, and easing early pregnancy symptoms.

Common reasons for treatment:

Nausea, vomiting, morning sickness

Fatigue

Anxiety

Threatened miscarriage (supportive role)

Acupuncture goals: stabilize and strengthen Kidney and Spleen Qi, calm the Shen (mind), regulate hormones.

Second Trimester (13–27 weeks)

Focus: maintaining balance, supporting digestion, circulation, and the physical changes as the body grows.

Common reasons for treatment:

Heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids

Back pain, hip pain, sciatica

Leg cramps, edema (fluid retention)

Sleep issues

Acupuncture goals: harmonize Spleen and Stomach, support Kidneys and Liver, ease musculoskeletal discomforts.

Safe point selection becomes broader, but still avoiding strong “downward-moving” points unless medically indicated.

Third Trimester (28–40 weeks)

Focus: preparing for birth, relieving late-pregnancy discomforts.

Common reasons for treatment:

Back pain, pelvic pain, carpal tunnel

Swelling, insomnia, anxiety

Breech presentation

Acupuncture goals: tonify Qi and Blood, relax the body, prepare the uterus for efficient labor.

Pre-birth treatments (from week 36–37): often given weekly to soften the cervix, calm the mind, and optimize labor readiness.

Labor & Postpartum

Labor induction may be used if overdue.

During labor: acupuncture/acupressure can reduce pain, regulate contractions, and calm anxiety.

Postpartum: treatments focus on replenishing Qi and Blood, supporting lactation, treating postpartum depression or anxiety, and helping recovery.

✅ Safety notes:

Always see a licensed acupuncturist with experience in obstetrics.

Acupuncture is considered safe in pregnancy when used correctly, with minimal side effects compared to medications.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.

www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

Flaxton Clinic and
At Coast Life Midwifery

24/09/2025

Acupuncture can be very supportive for people experiencing symptoms of adrenal fatigue (though in Western medicine, it’s not an official diagnosis, it often overlaps with chronic stress, burnout, and HPA-axis dysregulation). From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, adrenal fatigue is usually understood as a pattern of Kidney Qi, Yin, or Yang deficiency, sometimes combined with Liver Qi stagnation or Spleen Qi weakness.

How acupuncture helps:

Regulates the stress response: Calms the sympathetic nervous system and supports the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”), which reduces cortisol surges.

Strengthens Kidney energy: In TCM, the Kidneys govern vitality, endurance, and hormonal balance.

Balances Yin and Yang: Helps restore energy if exhausted (Yang deficiency) or calm overactivity if there is anxiety, insomnia, or heat signs (Yin deficiency).

Improves sleep and mood: Addresses restlessness, irritability, or depression tied to adrenal stress.

Supports digestion and immunity: Since chronic stress often affects digestion and lowers immune resistance.

✨ With regular sessions, people often notice improved energy, calmer mood, and more stable sleep/wake cycles.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children.

www.gentleacupuncture.com.au

22/09/2025

Acupuncture and moxibustion can be beneficial for the whole family, though the approach and techniques are adjusted depending on age, constitution, and individual needs.

Here’s a breakdown:

🌱 Children

Gentle techniques are used (often acupressure, shōnishin [pediatric tools], or very fine/light needling).

Commonly helps with digestion, sleep issues, allergies, colds, bed-wetting, anxiety, and growth support.

Moxibustion (especially warming moxa near the skin) is often used to boost immunity and digestion.

🌸 Adults

Useful for stress, fatigue, headaches, musculoskeletal pain, hormonal balance, fertility, and digestive issues.

Preventative care: regular sessions can strengthen the body’s resilience, improve energy, and maintain balance with the seasons.

🌳 Elderly

Helpful for chronic pain (arthritis, back/knee pain), circulation, insomnia, memory support, and strengthening vitality.

Gentle moxibustion is often used for warmth, especially if there is coldness or weakness.

🌞 General Benefits for All Ages

Strengthens immunity and resilience.

Balances emotions and supports mental health.

Enhances sleep and digestion.

Prevents seasonal illness.

⚠️ Important:

Always go to a licensed, experienced acupuncturist who can safely adapt treatments to the person’s age and condition.

Children, pregnant women, and frail elderly need extra care with point selection and technique.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for pregnancy adults and children

www.gentleacupuncture.com.au