Easy Acupuncture

Dear Minister Butler,

We, the undersigned, petition the Australian government to expand the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program under Medicare to include Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine as eligible allied health services. With a rich history of efficacy and growing demand, these modalities offer holistic healthcare options that can complement conventional treatments. By integrating Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine into EPC, patients will have greater access to comprehensive care, fostering improved health and wellbeing outcomes for all Australians nationwide. Acupuncturists have been waiting since AHPRA registration in 2012 to join the EPC

Why is this important?

Acupuncturists have been eagerly awaiting inclusion in the EPC since their AHPRA registration in 2012. However, they find themselves the only AHPRA registered Allied Health Professionals denied access to the chronic disease management program under Medicare, despite their vital role in the health and wellbeing of all Australian citizens. In contrast other AHPRA registered practitioners, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Physiotherapists, and Podiatrists are permitted to use the EPC for dry needling—a practice representing only 1% of acupuncture knowledge—often acquired through brief weekend courses.

Acupuncturists and Chinese Medicine practitioners undergo rigorous 3-4 year degree programs, gaining comprehensive understanding of the body's subtle energy pathways. This vast difference and disparity in training raises serious concerns among acupuncturists nationwide, regarding the quality of care provided by other modalities with minimal training. Even medical doctors in Australia undergo only a 60-hour course, with 25 hours of mentorship, to qualify for administering Medical Acupuncture under the Medicare scheme.

Numerous chronic and pain conditions have been effectively treated with acupuncture, supported by evidence-based practices. Thus, it begs the question: why are those with the highest level of training in acupuncture practice settings being excluded by Australian Government laws?

Put Acupuncturists on the Medicare Enhanced Primary Care Acupuncturists have been waiting since AHPRA registration in 2012 to join the EPC, but for some reason  acupuncturists are the only AHPRA registered allied health profession that are not allowed to access the chronic disease management program under Medicare  for the health and wellbeing o...

What does research says about treatment plans?

How many treatments? The acupuncture treatment plan and your recovery – a research summary Acupuncture’s efficacy depends on numerous factors. Of course, the accuracy of points your practitioner has chosen …

2 MORE DAYS until the AVA Annual Conference!

What a great week of learning and opportunity this will be to reconnect with fellow veterinary professionals.

We are so excited about Dr Barbara Fougere's workshop 'Getting started with Chinese Herbs for Veterinary Acupuncturists' - Dr Barbara Fougere has used Chinese herbs for over 25 years in her practice and shares her approach to common gastrointestinal and liver disorders including pancreatitis that incorporates acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Be sure to grab your Acuneeds' showbag when you're there!

New website and its blog post, there’s lots of information on here that I've been working hard to put together. - Rory

5 Ways Acupuncture Can Help You Achieve Optimal Health and Wellness Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice that has been used for centuries to promote healing and improve overall health an...

That’s a wrap! Our 5 week Qi Gong course concluded yesterday.

We covered the classic Ba Duan Jin form of health Qi Gong as well fundamentals such as the standing ‘tree’ exercise and internal ‘nei gong’ exercise.

Thanks to all those who supported and attended, it was a pleasure to teach again.

The next course will be starting Sunday August 7th and I’ve got another special form to show you.

We ❤️ Qi Gong!

Exciting news...
Many have inquired, it's finally here!
Join me to learn how to practice this classic Qi Gong form.
I 😍 Qi Gong!
Please get in contact to find out more.

“It is no longer possible to say that the effectiveness of acupuncture can be attributed to the placebo effect or that it is useful only for musculoskeletal pain.”

🔗 https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-scientific-evidence/

The Acupuncture Evidence Project reviewed the effectiveness of acupuncture for 122 treatments over 14 clinical areas. They found some evidence of effect for 117 conditions.
📣 “Our study found evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for 117 conditions, with stronger evidence for acupuncture’s effectiveness for some conditions than others. Acupuncture is considered safe in the hands of a well-trained practitioner and has been found to be cost-effective for some conditions. The quality and quantity of research into acupuncture’s effectiveness is increasing.” Acupuncture Evidence Project, p55

Important petition to help get acupuncture performed by real, qualified acupuncturists, onto Medicare. We are the ONLY AHPRA registered allied health profession that is not included in Medicare's Chronic Disease Management program. Acupuncture is supported by science for pain, and is recommended by the TGA as a viable alternative to opioid pain killers. Your signature will make a difference. Please help acupuncture become accessible to every Australian. Thank you.

Sign the Petition Dry Needling not regulated and inclusion of acupuncturists to Medicare as allied health

We had an extra visitor to the clinic today. That makes two bearded dragons.

Chinese medicine to feature at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Beijing Winter Olympics: Traditional Chinese Medicine to feature during the games In February, athletes from around the world will have a chance to learn about traditional Chinese culture up-close. The Olympic Village has dedicated an area to the history and legacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. Li Jianhua has more.

Ben Kavoussi: "In spite of the common belief that Chinese natural philosophy and medicine have a unique frame of reference completely foreign to the West, this article argues that they in fact have significant cognitive and epistemic similarities with certain esoteric health beliefs of pre-Christian Europe. From the standpoint of Cognitive Science, Chinese Medicine appears as a proto-scientific system of health observances and practices based on a symptomological classification of disease using two elementary dynamical-processes pattern categorization schemas: a hierarchical and combinatorial inhibiting–activating model (Yin-Yang), and a non-hierarchical and associative five-parameter semantic network (5-Elements/Agents). The concept-map of the five-parameter model amounts to a pentagram, a commonly found geomantic and spell casting sigil in a number of pre-Christian health and safety beliefs in Europe, to include the Pythagorean cult of Hygieia, and the Old Religion of Northern Europe. This non-hierarchical pattern-recognition archetype/prototype was hypothetically added to the pre-existing hierarchical one to form a hybrid nosology that can accommodate for a change in disease perceptions. The selection of five parameters rather than another number might be due to a numerological association between the integer five, the golden ratio, the geometry of the pentagram and the belief in health and wholeness arising from cosmic or divine harmony. In any case, this body of purely empirical knowledge is nowadays widely flourishing in the US and in Europe as an alternative to Western Medicine and with the claim of being a unique, independent and comprehensive medical system, when in reality it is structurally—and perhaps historically—related to the health and safety beliefs of pre-Christian Europe; and without the prospect for an epistemological rupture, it will remain built upon rudimentary cognitive modalities, ancient metaphysics, and a symptomological view of disease."

Chinese Medicine: A Cognitive and Epistemological Review In spite of the common belief that Chinese natural philosophy and medicine have a unique frame of reference completely foreign to the West, this article argues that they in fact have significant cognitive and epistemic similarities with certain esoteric ...

Evidence Summary: "Acupuncture as a Therapeutic Treatment for Anxiety"

🔗 https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture.../

📣 "...the best available evidence demonstrates that acupuncture has moderate benefits in the treatment of anxiety. Studies show that acupuncture is more effective than pharmacotherapy and comparable to talking therapy, making it a helpful referral choice. Moreover, research has revealed several known biochemical and biophysical mechanisms that may offer an explanation of how this ancient modality works."

Evidence Summary: "Acupuncture as a Therapeutic Treatment for Anxiety"
🔗 https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-anxiety/

📣 "...the best available evidence demonstrates that acupuncture has moderate benefits in the treatment of anxiety. Studies show that acupuncture is more effective than pharmacotherapy and comparable to talking therapy, making it a helpful referral choice. Moreover, research has revealed several known biochemical and biophysical mechanisms that may offer an explanation of how this ancient modality works."

If you find yourself struggling to pull yourself out of bed, remember to reach for your coffee well after you've had your breakfast.

Drink coffee after breakfast, not before, for better metabolic control The new study looked at the combined effects of disrupted sleep and caffeine on our metabolism - with surprising results.

"Evidence supports acupuncture's effectiveness in treating some common ailments, and research on this treatment continues to expand."
🔗 https://www.insider.com/acupuncture-benefits

Article was written by Balanced Acupuncture Olympia, Adam Barnes L.Ac 👏👏👏

8 research-backed benefits of acupuncture from pain relief to stress reduction Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat many common health concerns, and scientific evidence increasingly supports its benefits.

'This randomized clinical trial that included 404 patients with chronic stable angina found that acupuncture on the acupoints in the disease-affected meridian significantly reduced the frequency of angina attacks compared with acupuncture on the acupoints on the nonaffected meridian, sham acupuncture, and no acupuncture.'
🧐 Zhao et al., 2019 (JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(10):1388-1397)
🔗 full paper available on the EBA Forum

From Bruce Bentley at Health Traditions:

"One of the unique functions of cupping is to lift and draw tissue outwards - thus promoting blood flow and fluids to oxygenate and hydrate the local area and accelerate metabolic uptake. This drawing outwards mechanism, unique to cupping, also takes the fascia and muscle in the opposite direction of inward contracture, and thus frees up tightness, allows increased movement and alleviates pain.
Four years earlier Michael Phelps said his favourite cupping method was with the glass and flame.
Even me, who first developed Modern Cupping and the association between cupping with the fascia, loves traditional cupping.
Anyone who wants to be a cupping therapist needs to know traditional cupping using the glass & flame."

: Australia has won bronze in the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay, after a phenomenal anchor leg by golden boy Kyle Chalmers.

The Aussies swam a time of 3:10.22, with USA winning gold and Italy taking home silver.

Michael Phelps puts on a cupping show, and ... what else? Oh yes, led Team USA and won another gold.
He said his favourite cupping method was with the glass and flame.
One of the unique functions of cupping is to lift and draw tissue outwards - thus promoting blood flow and fluids to oxygenate and hydrate the local area and accelerate metabolic uptake. This drawing outwards mechanism also takes the fascia and muscle in the opposite direction of inward contracture, and thus frees up tightness, allows increased movement and alleviates pain.
It is good to note that popular media commentary is recognising cupping as the ancient healing technique it certainly is.

Find out much more about cupping at FB "health traditions"

Picture credits: clockwise from the upper left hand corner: Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images, Daily Mail News (DMN), Adam Pretty/Getty Images, DMN, Michael Phelps photo on his Instagram, AL Bello/Getty Images, DMN, collegespun.com
(Collage by BB)