What people ask

Trending Health Concerns

The ones that come up every week

We get a particular set of questions here, because people arrive for quite different reasons — some for a persistent problem, some to be looked after for an hour. Both are legitimate and the answers are not the same.

"Is this a treatment or is it relaxation?"

Depends what you book, and it is worth being clear with us which one you are after. A remedial appointment for a specific complaint and an hour of massage because your shoulders are wrecked are different appointments with different aims. Neither is the lesser one.

What we will not do is dress up the second as the first. If you book for relaxation, you should get relaxation and nobody should be implying it treats a condition.

"Does the acupuncturist have to be registered?"

Yes. In Australia acupuncture is a regulated profession and practitioners hold AHPRA registration with the Chinese Medicine Board. You can check anyone on the public register. Massage therapists are not AHPRA-registered; they work through professional associations, which is a different arrangement and worth knowing.

"I have a medical condition — can I still come?"

Usually, with adjustments. Pregnancy, blood thinners, a pacemaker, lymphoedema, diabetes affecting the skin or circulation, recent surgery, or a condition that affects sensation all change what is appropriate. Tell us before, not during.

Anything new and undiagnosed goes to your GP first. We are not a substitute for that and we will not act like one.

"Will it help my pain?"

Sometimes, partly, and we cannot tell you in advance. Persistent pain rarely responds to one thing, and an honest plan involves movement and sleep as much as anything that happens on the table.

"How long, and what does it cost?"

An hour is the standard appointment and a first visit may run longer because of the history. Ask reception for current prices rather than relying on a page that may be out of date.