I treat a lot of mums in clinic, I love it, I can so relate to everything they are going through. I even have a handful of mum patients that sit down in the treatment room and we just wax lyrical about kids and mum stuff for about 15 minutes before we remember they are there to get acupuncture. Its all part of the service and actually makes my day.

As a practitioner I’m awesome at giving these mums simple take home tips and strategies to carve out some ME time, stressing the important of self-care, downtime and balance. What I’m really crap at is taking my own advice!! Hey, I’m not perfect, and I certainly don’t expect my patients to be. But the truth is that I’m really bad at looking after myself. I catch myself stressing the small stuff, getting anxious over something menial, feeling stretched between being the mum I want to be and having the career that really lights me up. On top of that being a first-class wife, dog mama, daughter, friend…the list goes on. Thing is… this mum gig is TOUGH. For all of us, and I’m certainly not immune.

The thing that I am learning to be really good at however is ‘awareness’. Sounds really simple, maybe too simple, but I’m talking about actually asking yourself regularly, “How am I doing?” and “what do I need” and then speaking up and letting those nearest and dearest know where you’re at. I know this doesn’t sound like rocket science, but as a mum, when do we have the time to really check in with ourselves and ask these questions?

The definition of self-awareness is “being aware of different aspects of the self, including traits, behaviors and feelings. It is a psychological state in which oneself becomes the focus of attention.” As a working mum of the 3-year-old I’m hard pressed to find half an hour most days to “focus attention on oneself”!!! So, while this concept seems simple, in mum reality its super challenging.

So, what can we do? Start by finding 5 minutes in your day wherever you can, I find in the car on the way to or from work works for me. Take 5 long slow deep belly breaths to relax and become present. Then ask yourself those two magical questions, “how am I doing” and “what do I need”. Sometimes the answer is simple (chocolate!!), sometimes it’s more complicated than a quick trip to the shop! But it always comes back to awareness. So even if you don’t act on anything you at least practiced some awareness and like any practice, the more we do it a habit is created and that’s when the magic happens.

So I may be a hypocrite but I’m definitely aware of that, because none of us are perfect, but I’m trying my hardest to pave the way for all the beautiful mamas out there so that we can all be the best versions of our imperfect heroic selves.

This is a question I commonly get asked in the clinic, so there seems to be a lot of confusion over it! Are Acupuncture and Dry Needling one of the same or a totally different treatment approach? We thought we would clear up any confusion for you!

Acupuncture uses Traditional Chinese Medicine principles to address both systematic internal conditions as well as musculoskeletal conditions. It uses thin flexible needles that are inserted into specific points on the body, either locally or distally, along energetic channels using a variety of techniques and needle stimulation. Acupuncturists use appropriate diagnostic techniques and point selection to resolve obstruction to the flow of qi and blood in the channels, balance and harmonise yin and yang and treat the underlying cause of a condition or disease which then benefits a person’s overall health and wellness.

A qualified Acupuncture practitioner has completed a four-year Bachelor of Health Science degree which includes a minimum of 500 hours of hands on clinical experience plus biomedical anatomy and physiology knowledge. They are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (APHRA), just like your GP, and adhere to strict industry standards, guidelines and code of ethics.

A treatment using Dry needling involves using a thin flexible needle, similar to acupuncture, and inserted into a myofascial trigger point to achieve a localised twitch response which aims to release muscular tension and pain in that area.

The Benefits of dry needling is that if preformed correctly it can quickly and effectively relieve acute muscular spasm by resetting the muscle fibers, reduce pain and improve mobility.

Dry needling can be preformed by your Acupuncturist as part of your overall treatment however can also be performed by Practitioners such as a physiotherapist, osteopath, musculoskeletal therapist or massage therapist. It is usually an adjunct to their core treatment modality and qualifications are generally obtained in a post graduate short course and the practice is not regulated by any governing body.

So basically apart from using the same kind of needle, Acupuncture and Dry Needling are totally different treatments, are used for very different reasons and require varied qualifications for the practitioner.

It is important when seeking treatment of any modality to check on your therapists qualification and experience in their field, but also to ask questions to make sure that the treatment you are getting is suitable for your needs.