Menopause and Weight Gain
A sign saying menopause approaching warning for the symptoms including weight gain
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Dill and Cucumber Salad
This Dill and Cucumber Salad is the perfect summer side salad! This Dill and Cucumber Salad is the perfect summer side dish. Not only is it delicious, but it also has medicinal properties as well! In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the cucumber is known for its cool nature, giving it the ability to
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What to expect in a Cosmetic Acupuncture appointment
What actually happens in a Cosmetic acupuncture appointment? What should you expect? Are you wondering what exactly happens in a Cosmetic Acupuncture appointment? Liah runs us through what to expect during an appointment and shows us what a cosmetic acupuncture treatment actually looks like. What is Cosmetic Acupuncture? As the title implies, Cosmetic Acupuncture is
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Stir Fried Bitter Melon
Bitter melon is a gourd that originated from India and was introduced in China in the 14th century. Although bitter melon is not a common fruit, it has a lot of health benefits, especially in the warmer seasons. It is rich in fibre, iron, calcium, vitamin c and is great for overall well-being. From a
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Cosmetic Acupuncture
Cosmetic acupuncture has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason! It is a celebrity-approved facial treatment that can transform ageing, acne-prone, scarred, and uneven skin tone. As a painless alternative to the injection of chemicals, laser and other invasive procedures, cosmetic acupuncture is relaxing and 100% natural. You may be asking, what
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Perimenopause, Menopause and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Are you experiencing irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping at night, mood swings and approaching your forties? You may be approaching perimenopause or menopause. Menopause is a natural process that occurs when a woman stops having periods permanently and cannot become pregnant naturally. Perimenopause means ‘around menopause’ and indicates the time in which
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Get To Know Our New Practitioner, Michelle!
We are delighted to introduce you to you one of the newest members of the Gardenvale TCM team, Michelle! Michelle is an extremely passionate and knowledgeable practitioner that and we are thrilled to have join our team. Michelle is a registered Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist. Michelle’s commitment to incorporating both traditional and modern knowledge encouraged
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Moxa: What Is It And How Does It Work?
That persistent Melbourne cold loves to make its way into our bodies and lodge deep into our muscles and channels. Feeling creaky and stiff in the morning? Cold fingers and toes? Slow digestion? You may have Cold in your channels. Cold can also make its way into our bodies through diet: raw, cold, and energetically cold foods (such
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TCM Tips To Survive In Winter
We tend to be more susceptible to colds during winter, as the wind and cold can force our immune system to work harder than it is used to. The nature of cold is slow and constricting and this can occur on a physiological level as it constricts our blood vessels and impacts circulation, leading to
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Pain
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Fruity Baked Oats
Need some breakfast inspiration? Our nutritionist Margo White has created fruity baked oats that the whole family can enjoy! Ingreadients 2 cups oats 2 cups milk (coconut, almond, cows, soy) 1 tsp cinnamon 2 eggs I grated zucchini (extra nutrition and you can’t taste it) 2 tbsp hemp seeds 1 mashed banana 1/4 cup maple
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Simple 3 Ingredient Sugar Free Crepes
Spice up your weekend breakfast with these simple sugar free 3 ingredient crepes. Ingredients 110g flour/GF flour 2 Large eggs 230 mls milk Method Whisk flour and eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Gradually pour in the milk while whisking – this should create a lovely pourable batter. Heat large frypan
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BBT Charting: Why we use it at Gardenvale TCM
What is a BBT Chart: Basal Body Temperature (BBT) charting was first identified in the 1930s as a rhythm method of birth control. With the addition of monitoring cervical fluid and cervical positioning, the rhythm method of contraception upheld a 98% success rate. This newfound fertility awareness opened up a wealth of information to increase
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Supercharged Meatballs
Cooking Tips & Tricks For Supercharged Meatballs Tips on how to make your meatballs superfood worthy (and extra delicious): Use almond meal as your binding agent for gluten free balls and blood sugar stabilisation Add bone broth powder and grass fed gelatine for gut support A pinch of seaweed flakes adds important trace minerals, such
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Tongue Diagnosis
We have discussed Pulse Diagnosis so we thought why not touch on Tongue Diagnosis. Tongue Diagnosis is another tool used in a TCM consultation to reveal how the body is functioning. As you can tell by the image, when looking at the tongue we look at its colour, shape, coating and movements. These characteristics highlight
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The Pulse
Each and every consultation with our practitioners involves them feeling your pulses. But why do they do this? The pulse is a very important diagnostic tool in TCM. As you can see in the photo above, Nick has 3 fingers placed over the pulse. This is because of the three sections of the pulse, Cun
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Festive goji berry bliss balls
These delicious bliss balls are the perfect snack to bring to a festive gathering. Goji berries are high in antioxidants, especially zeaxanthin which helps the eyes. They contain large amounts of vitamins A and C, which together with the antioxidants help the immune system. They also contain beta-carotene, which is known for its ability to
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Apple Muffins
Super easy and nutritious apple and cinnamon gluten free muffins. Ingredients 3 eggs 2 apples 3 Tbs maple syrup 1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup almond meal 1 tsp gluten free baking powder Method Pre heat oven to 170 C Combine ingredients in blender/food processor Pour combined ingredients into a
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Tips for surviving hay fever season
We have been having lots of patients coming through the clinic recently with Hay Fever symptoms. So, we have a few tips to survive the hay fever season: Hydrate Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day. Dehydration places significant stress on the body which may exacerbate hay fever symptoms. Avoid the wind
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Coconut Kefir yoghurt
Kefir contains up to 62 strains of yeast and bacteria including the probiotic bacteria lactobacilli. These are all an important part of maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. This in turn can assist with: Gastrointestinal disorders, Weight management, Immune modulation and, has been shown to assist with suppressing the bodies inflammatory response to allergies and asthma.
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Breaking the Fast
The importance of gut health Break the fast with this protein rich vegetable slice curtesy of the Natural Nutritionist along with some cooked and cooled rice made with coconut milk. Cooking and cooling the rice creates resistant starch which is so important for our gut health. The added coconut milk will provide us with healthy
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Back Stretching
Watch the video as Nick demonstrates back stretches to assist with pain relief
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Neck Stretching
Watch Nick’s demonstration of neck stretches to assist with pain relief
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COVID-19 New Protocols
We are open for acupuncture appointments! To keep you safe, happy and healthy we have introduced some extra measures in clinic and wanted to share them with you. New protocols include: One person only in the waiting room. People are to wait outside until ushered in. Everyone who enters is required to sanitise there hands.
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Keeping you Happy and Healthy
We are open for business, but taking extra measure to make sure you stay safe and healthy during this time.
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Huang Qi (Astragalus) Miso Soup
This nourishing miso soup with astragalus will help to to support your immune system. In Chinese medicine Huang Qi (Astragalus) root is a herbal tonic used to strengthen qi. While miso traditionally made from fermented soya beans, contains probiotic bacteria to support a healthy gut. Ingredients: 2 Cups of (bone broth, veggie broth) 4-5 slices
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How does acupuncture work
How does acupuncture work? This is a question I get a fair bit, especially after people see how effective it is for assisting with symptoms of pain. It is all about Qi and healthy blood flow Qi represents healthy oxygenated blood flowing through your body. If you have a healthy movement of Qi, you should
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Acupuncture and Pain Relief
Nick explains how acupuncture works for pain relief. To read more click here
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Foam Rolling for Gluteal muscles
Nick demonstrates foam rolling for the gluteal muscles.
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Foam rolling for upper back
Nick demonstrates foam rolling to relieve stress and pain through the upper back, shoulders, neck and other areas.
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Tips and tricks for the festive season
Nick provides some tips and tricks on how to avoid the trauma of overindulging during the festive season.
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Healthy breath healthy body
Something I get asked a lot in clinic is what can I do at at home to help with stress, pain due to injury, gut issues perhaps? The answer is healthy breathing. Dr Belisa Vranich has a great book ‘Breathe’ that goes in to detail on how breathing works. How to retrain yourself to breathe
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Belly Breathing
Nick discusses the importance of breathing properly, and demonstrates belly breathing
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Unprocessed Wheat Free Snack
These delicious lemon and coconut balls are wheat free, and are the perfect unprocessed snack for afternoon tea, or for a lunchbox treat. Ingredients 1 1/4 cups of almond meal 1 1/2 cups of desiccated coconut 4 tbsp melted coconut oil 2 tbsp rice malt syrup 1 lemon zest and juice extra coconut for rolling
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Male Menopause
Hi it’s Jane and Nick from Gardenvale Chinese Medicine. When it comes to menopause, we women have to deal with dry, irritated vaginas, night sweats, irritability and so forth… I thought male menopause meant you get to date young girls and drive motorbikes. But Nick would like to talk to us today about this very
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Sleep Hygiene
Hi it’s Jane and Nick from Gardenvale Chinese Medicine. A lot of our patients have problems when it comes to sleeping, either problems falling asleep, or trouble staying asleep.
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Postpartum
Jane and Nick talk about the fourth Trimester in pregnancy, postpartum.
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Sleep Hygiene
Sleep Hygiene Hi it’s Jane and Nick from Gardenvale Chinese Medicine. A lot of our patients have problems when it comes to sleeping, either problems falling asleep, or trouble staying asleep. Today we thought we would share some tips and tricks for good sleep hygiene. It’s a bit of a buzz word lately, “sleep hygiene”,
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DIY Nasal Wash
Method Use boiled water to make sure it’s sterile. Add enough salt to make it a similar strength to seawater. Here you can use a traditional neti pot or a syringe or even Tupperware sauce bottle Gently pour in one nostril at a time
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