We have a saying at the Blue Sky Clinic;
'Imagine what you could achieve if you had no limitations...'
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Welcome to Acupuncture Canberra - Blue Sky Chinese Medicine Clinic
An integrative approach to your health
Sometimes when our environment, lifestyle, work, family and play push us to our limits we stop performing at our best, we fail to meet our own health expectations, our energy drops, we get sick and we can't always do what we wish to in our lives.
At the Blue Sky Clinic, we are here to help guide your body and mind back to a state of balance, allowing you to reach your full potential.
We take an integrative approach to your health care. We listen carefully to your needs and work closely with you and your other health care providers to help improve all aspects of your life.
Our Chinese medicine specialists are here for your health.
What is Chinese Medicine?
Chinese medicine is the longest continuously practiced medical system still thriving and developing in the world today. Over centuries, Chinese medicine has developed a very clear and sophisticated understanding of the human body, its structure, function, health and disease.
Modern Chinese medicine combines time-tested experiential knowledge developed over a vast period of time with modern research methods aimed at improving safety and efficacy of treatment. The Chinese medical research community is taking an evidence-based approach to Chinese medicine, which is helping to inform modern practice and support its use in the broader health care system.
Every day there are more and more scientific studies published in Chinese medicine and general medical and scientific journals around the world. For example, results of an analysis of research into the effect of acupuncture on IVF success rates were recently published in the British Medical Journal.
Chinese medicine is becoming increasingly popular in Australia and throughout the world as an alternative to Western medical health care. As this continues, so to will research to help broaden our understanding while improving safety and effectiveness of treatment.
The United States National Institute of Health states in their consensus on acupuncture of 1997 that 'there is sufficient evidence of acupuncture's value to expand its use into conventional medicine and to encourage further studies of its physiology and clinical value.'
Key Advantages
Chinese medicine is holistic
One of the keys to Chinese medicine is its holistic approach. Holistic simply means that the system of Chinese medicine theory takes into account the patient as a whole, rather than looking only at the site of disease. A doctor of Chinese medicine is interested in factors ranging from emotions, climatic conditions, dietary habits, injury (past and present) as well as the disease itself in developing a diagnosis. In diagnosis these factors are drawn together into a set of signs and symptoms.
The strength of Chinese medicine is that it does take into account and make connections between factors that are not always considered to be important by other forms of medicine, factors such as emotional state, environment and diet.
Chinese medicine is tailored
Chinese medicine tailors the treatment to the individual. A patient's condition and constitution guides the doctor in creating a treatment plan that is specific to that person in order to give the best possible opportunity for recovery.
This is most evident in the creation of a herbal formula. Two patients may present with similar signs and symptoms and yet the course of disease may be quite different, their constitutions differ and so the formula may differ in composition, dosage and duration. Not only does it differ between patients, but it may differ between treatments as your condition changes and improves. There is no 'one size fits all' approach.
Chinese medicine is integrated
Integrative medicine is an important concept that allows the marrying of different yet complementary forms of medicine. The strengths of Chinese medicine integrate with the strengths of Western medicine in order to develop a more thorough and cooperative approach to primary health care and thus providing best possible outcomes for patients.
The Chinese medical tool kit
Acupuncture
Perhaps the most familiar element of Chinese medicine is acupuncture. Acupuncture is the process of inserting hair-fine sterile single use needles into specific acupoints to cause a physiological response in the body. Chinese medicine theory explains in detail the functions of specific acupuncture points and a doctor of Chinese medicine is trained to select acupoints specific to the condition of the individual patient. The patient relaxes while the needles are left in for a period of time ranging from 15-30 minutes for adults to only a few seconds for infants. Please refer to the terminology section to understand needle sensation.
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Moxabustion
This is a very important part of acupuncture and while not used as often as acupuncture itself has a dramatic affect when used properly.
Moxabsution or moxa for short is the use of a medicinal herb called Ai ye (mugwort). The herb is lit and allowed to smoulder. It creats a penetrating warmth that can be applied to heat the body either along meridians, muscles or individual acupuncture points.
Moxa can be used in a number of ways. Commonly it is attached to the end of an acupuncture needle and the warmth follows the needles, penetrating deep to the site of an injury. Traditionally moxa was a clump of raw herb which was burnt. This tends to be very smoky, however, and not suitable without strong extraction fans. In my clinic I use a modern variation which is charcoaled. It still provides a very comforting and therapeautic warmth without the smoke!
Moxa also comes in sticks which are again burnt, but rather than attached to the needle are held over or waved along an area of the body.
Moxa is great for musculoskeletal conditions and generally for pain, especially when you find a heat pack is benefitial. Moxa is also often used when treating for breech birth presentations.
Herbal medicine
The Chinese materia medica incorporates hundreds if not thousands of herbs that have been tested and used over thousands of years. Herbal medicine in part developed out of the Chinese love of cooking and culinary ingredients. Indeed it is fair to say that as a first line of defence diet and diet therapy play a serious role in preventing illness and in it's treatment.
We use many common, everyday herbs that you may find in your garden, in your spice rack or at the Chinese grocer. These are herbs such as ginger and peppermint, cloves, citrus peel, peppers, yams and fruits such as loquats and persimmon. Other herbs are of mineral origin such as oyster shell and there are some animal products used such as the felt from deer antlers, farmed here in Australia.
With proper training herbal medicine is both safe and effective. In general there are a lower number of side effects than conventional drug therapy (Maciocia, 2003). Most Chinese medicines sold in Australia are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
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Diet therapy
Nutrition and diet plays a vital part in a patient's recovery and ongoing health. A doctor of Chinese medicine may provide appropriate advice on diet to aid the treatment plan. In China, herbal medicine grew out of food and cooking. The Chinese say that good health begins with what we eat and that translates well into the English concept of 'you are what you eat'.
Chinese medicine views nutrition from both a Western and Chinese traditional basis. Advice may be given on vitamin and mineral supplementation or on foods that are specific to a patient's condition.
Example
A good example might be a person who feels the cold, is prone to abdominal pain and early morning diarrhea and has a pale complexion and a love of warm drinks. This type of person would benefit from foods with warm properties such as ginger and cinnamon as well as well cooked meals. Warm drinks will also help while they should avoid cold foods such as dairy products, some fruits and cold drinks. Your doctor of Chinese medicine can offer some important advice or set up a diet plan for you as part of your treatment.
Tuina
Massage may form an important part of your Chinese medicine
treatment. Tuina is often used in conjunction with acupuncture and herbal medicine and is especially useful in
musculoskeletal conditions.
There is a special branch of tuina used for infants. Many infantile conditions can be treated in this way including reflux, diarrhea, vomiting, fever and pain. Most techniques can be taught to parents to be used at home for simple conditions and provides a take home solution for many common childhood ailments.
6 reasons to visit the Blue Sky Clinic
- Natural health care
Imagine drug-free alternatives to some of the most common conditions like depression, arthritis and high blood pressure. We have a wealth of knowledge to help guide your body back to a state of balance when your environment, lifestyle, work, family and play push you to your limits. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine help to restore the physical, mental and emotional balance to allow you to reach your health potential. - A serious alternative
Chinese medicine has been continuously practiced for thousands of years, undergoing constant development. We offer a serious alternative to conventional western medical health care. You should see us if you have a complaint that is not responding well to medication, is a long term condition, involves pain or if you would like to try a drug-free method of health care. If you are someone who seeks scientific validation (as I am) we are more than happy to discuss the current research into Chinese medicine, acupuncture and herbal medicine for most conditions. - Communication is the difference
Isn't it frustrating when you are given a bottle of pills without knowing what you can do to help your own body or even what they are really for? At the Blue Sky Clinic we believe that communication makes all the difference. We take the time to help you understand your body and the treatment. We believe that understanding a little about your own health and the factors that affect it will go a long way to helping remove some of the health barriers you face. - We are professionals
At the Blue Sky Clinic we take your health very seriously. We take the time and care to develop the best possible treatments for you and pride ourselves on presenting a professional, caring and comfortable environment. We take a cooperative approach to your health care, we supply the advice and the treatment, but we work together to come up with and implement a treatment plan. - You are our priority
When you become a patient in the Blue Sky Clinic you become part of the clinic family. We are available to answer your questions and help with any aspect of your or your family's health. We provide a regular newsletter with useful information, health tips and seminars. - Calm, warm and friendly environment
Do you enjoy waiting at a doctor's surgery? I thought not! They are generally not places you want to be for very long. At the Blue Sky Clinic we believe that your health consultation and treatment should be in a warm, friendly and relaxing environment. At the Blue Sky Clinic, come a few minutes early to enjoy some of our fresh herbal tea. We go out of our way to make your time in the clinic comfortable and relaxing.
QUALIFICATION DETAILS
Dr Alex Perry CMD
Chinese Medicine Doctor
Bachelor of Applied Science (Chinese Medicine) RMIT University
Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Biology) RMIT University
Clinical Internship - Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine
Emergency department, Northern Hospital, Melbourne - acupuncture
Acupuncture, Chinese Massage, Cupping, Herbalists, Traditional Chinese Medicine
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