Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mamas! Mothers come in so many different forms, so whether you are a mum, fur-mama, mum to be, dreaming of being a mum or mum to a angel, you are a super hero... put your feet up, put away the to do list, treat yourself today. Enjoy xx

To all the Home schooling working mums....I’m talking to you! I’m in awe of you right now, you are all badasses in my opinion. Stay safe, stay sane, you’ve got this 👊

The good news is that Acupuncture appointments in the clinic are PERMITTED under current stage 3 COVID-19 restrictions. . Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners are considered Primary Contact Healthcare Practitioners and the Federal health minister has requested and encouraged us to stay open if possible. . This is great news for your health and well-being as we can continue to support you towards amazing health.

I'm so excited to be getting back to work after a much needed (albeit slightly strange) stay-cation over the last three weeks! . Your health and wellbeing are super important to me which is why I am returning to work as planned so I can support my patients in the best way that I know how. As from next week I will commence practicing at Shift Natural Medicine in Brighton with appointments available starting Tuesday 21st April. Feel free to direct message me for further info.

I don’t know about you guys, but between self-isolation and the Easter long weekend all routine has been thrown out the window along with a few extra dress sizes 😬 kidding (not kidding 😆) But seriously, if you feel like your in a bit of a slump (like me) and need some extra motivation at the moment then check out this Lockdown Lifestyle challenge starting Monday. It’s packed with great content to get you motivated and back on track. You may also see me in there as one of the guest speakers!!! And as an Easter gift from me to you, you can use LOCKDOWN10 code at checkout to get an extra $10 off!!! Whoooppy! Booking link in bio xx #lockdown #selfisolation #lifestyle #wellness #challenge #thrive

This has been my mantra as such over the last few weeks. It doesn’t mean I’m not stressed, sad, angry, frustrated, anxious or worried.... I totally am all these things, sometimes all at once...it just means that instead of focusing on all the bad stuff all the time, I’m making a conscious effort to uncover the good stuff, the lessons and the nuggets of gold that may start to appear after all the 💩 has passed. #staypostive #weareinthistogether #bekind

I still don’t get the toilet paper thing!!! I personally have stocked up, taking and actioning these ten things that will put my immune system in good stead for the winter months to come 👊

And often they occur at the same time.⁠ ⁠ Post-natal anxiety does not get nearly as much air play as its partner in crime, post-natal depression. Many woman, myself included, suffer varying degrees of anxiety symptoms after birth without actually acknowledging that they are suffering.⁠ ⁠ While it is normal to experience some anxiety and stress when a new baby arrives, generally this will be transient and pass with time. COPE (Centre of Perinatal Excellence) advise that if you have ongoing disturbing thoughts, feelings, worry or tension that affect how you manage your day to day life than you may be experiencing Post-natal anxiety.⁠ ⁠ I’m not going to sugar coat it, for me, the first year of having a new baby at home, was tough, I really struggled.⁠ ⁠ In hindsight I think I experienced post-natal anxiety to a certain extent after my daughter was born nearly 4 years ago. I didn’t let myself enjoy motherhood in that first year, I was anxious to be alone all day with my baby and to go out of the house with her. As a coping mechanism I started to control every aspect of my day, almost in an obsessive way. Everything was timed to the minute, I was constantly thinking 10 steps ahead and organising every tiny detail of the day. I had regular heart palpitations, constant worry and feelings of inadequacy. ⁠ ⁠ Thing is, if you knew me then you probably would have had no idea what was playing out in my head. And because I wasn’t “depressed” I carried on managing things without getting the proper support. It’s no surprise that my health was affected physically for years after.⁠ ⁠ The mind body connection is so incredibly important and getting the right combination of support and treatments can make a world of difference to your ongoing health, both mentally and physically.⁠ ⁠ If you feel like you are experiencing post-natal anxiety (or depression for that matter) please talk to a trusted health professional, there are many ways to start to treat these symptoms and get you back on track to enjoying this amazing time with your little one.⁠ ⁠

Acupuncture is a major treatment technique used in Chinese Medicine and involves very fine needles inserted into specific points that run along energetic meridians. The meridians are much like our circulatory system or our lymphatic system, they travel from the head to the feet or head to the hands carrying energy or Qi around our bodies.⁠ ⁠ Each energetic meridian is associated with the function of an internal organ. The names of the organs (Zang Fu) are translated into English as the internal organs that we all understand from a western medical perspective, Liver (Gan), heart (Xin), Spleen (Pi) etc. However, the organs and channels in Chinese Medicine have a much larger role to play than their western medicine counterparts, including connection to emotions and seasons. ⁠ ⁠ There are over 400 acupuncture points on the body that are dotted along the 12 energetic meridians and each point has a specific function or action. We carefully select the points based on your individual Chinese Medicine diagnoses to promote energetic balance. This may mean that we redirect the flow of energy (either upwards, downwards or outwards), reduce or increase energy flow or resolve stagnant energy. We can also warm up points or meridians, or cool them down, nourish them or release energy from them.⁠ ⁠ It’s important to understand that Chinese Medicine treats the whole person and their individual pattern of disharmony. Treatments do not relate in any way to the western medicine understanding of disease, illness and pathology. If we are treating your Liver Qi, there is nothing wrong with your actual Liver, it’s the energetic function of the Liver or Liver meridian that we are balancing. Treating the body as whole energetic system allows us to address the symptoms being experienced along with the root cause of the ailment. ⁠ ⁠ Acupuncture works on an accumulative basis, so typically your treatments will be more frequent to start with to gain momentum and then will start to taper off as your body begins to maintain its own balance. ⁠ ⁠ If you have any questions about Acupuncture, how it works or if it is a good option for you, please drop me a comment or feel free to DM me. ⁠

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be used any time after birth to support the health and wellness of both mum and bub.⁠ ⁠ In the western world we rarely get the chance to rest and recover properly after having a baby for many reasons - lack of support, family and personal pressure to keep everything functioning, well-meaning visitors popping in, and in general culturally we don’t value this as precious time to honour the enormous job our body is doing.⁠ ⁠ Even so, its extremely important that we rest and recover post birth as much as possible. Accept help from friends and family where you can, get a meal delivery service or get your shopping delivered online. Take time to rest and bond with your precious new baby with lots of skin on skin contact.⁠ ⁠ Diet is important at this time to help restore your vitality and replenish blood stores which tend to be depleted after giving birth and breast feeding as breast milk is seen as an extension of blood in Chinese Medicine.⁠ ⁠ When you are ready to venture out of the house, Acupuncture and herbal medicine can help to support your body post labour, rebalance hormones and help with any early parenting challenges you may have. Typically, in this stage we assist with conditions like lactation, mastitis, hair loss, fluid retention, fatigue, anxiety, night sweats, neck/back/shoulder pain and discomfort.⁠ ⁠ As a mum myself I know how overwhelmingly wonderful and difficult the transition into motherhood can be! So, don’t forget that taking care of yourself first needs to be priority so that you can support your growing family. ⁠ ⁠ I find new mama's love the downtime an acupuncture treatment gives them and allows them to recharge in a wonderfully relaxing and supportive environment.⁠ ⁠ #Health #Wellness #Acupuncture #Chinesemedicine #TCM #Acupuncturist #Elwood3184 #balance #acupuncturemelbourne #healthyliving #wellnesspractitioner #naturalhealth #complimentarymedicine #guthealth #fertility #womanshealth #painmanagement #inflammation #pregnancy #labour #hormones #hormonalhealth #postpartum⁠