| | | Clinic Particular requirements for treatment outside these times by appointment only. Public holidays are excluded. Practitioner - Edward (Ted) H Davis
DipAcup., Dip.Chin.Herb.Med., PhD(Med.Altern.), M.App.Sc., B.Ec(Hons). Member: AACMA 495 Govt. Registered: Chin.Med.Registr'n.Board; A/0603 Division of Acupuncture.
Provider Numbers Almost all health insurance companies simply accept the practitioner's details of professional membership as validation of benefit/practitioner eligibility and participation. Separate registration has been required by the institutions noted here. Please note that a patient needs to be covered in the correct category of their health insurance to be eligible for benefits (ie. specifically covered in the 'Extras' table for Acupuncture or Chinese Medicine). Health Insurance Provider Numbers: AXA/HBA, 9913971W Medibank Private, 1094141L. Victorian Workcover: AACMA495A-Nth Caulfield. TCM Treatment The TCM treatment administered in this clinic is carried out in accordance with the teachings, practices and protocols of traditional Chinese medicine. The principles of Yin and Yang, Meridian theory and Five Element theory are applied to restore balance, health and well-being to the patient. TCM incorporates an holistic approach to therapy. A patients presenting signs and symptoms are placed in a therapeutic framework whereby Patterns of illness (Disharmonies) are identified. Commonly, a successful outcome requires both the presenting problem/s and the Patterns of Disharmony to be addressed in treatment. Properly balancing and resolving underlying Patterns may require some time. Patients also benefit, either directly or indirectly, from Teds considerable background teaching anatomy, neuroscience and physiology, and from his 20 year involvement in hatha yoga. As and when appropriate, he integrates this background into the therapy administered. TCM Therapeutic Modalities Patients usually receive acupuncture (and one or more of its associated modalities such as moxibustion, cups, spoons, dermal hammer, electroacupuncture or therapeutic laser), and patent Chinese herbs and medicinals (NB. Individual herbs are not prescribed, nor individualised herbal formulae prepared from raw herbs). The therapy administered depends upon the particular requirements of each patient. Other treatment may include acupressure and TCM-related massage or mobilisation. Advice may be provided on a range of issues related to a patients health and recovery including diet, exercise, lifestyle, rehabilitation programs, and referral to other therapies and practitioners. Only single-use pre-sterilised disposable needles are used in this clinic. Conduct of TCM Treatment Deliberate decisions have been implemented regarding the conduct of treatment in this clinic. These include: 1) Only one patient is treated at any one time (ie. multiple booths are not run concurrently). 2) Practitioner focus remains on the patient throughout the duration of a therapeutic session. 3) A TCM treatment lasts approximately 1 hour. Rehabilitation sessions last about 1 1/2 hours. 4) A member of the patient's family or a friend is welcome to remain throughout the treatment. 5) The patient is always recumbent during TCM treatment. This approach is thought to be beneficial for the patient in a number of ways including: facilitating appropriate and best-practice treatment (including allocating sufficient time and attention); optimising patient/ therapist communication; maximising patient comfort; allowing greater flexibility in treatment approach; therapeutic success is enhanced and recovery times reduced as a consequence. Course of TCM Treatment Proper TCM treatment incorporates considerable subtlety. Results generally take a little time with a block of (several) treatments usually being necessary. Recovery is almost always a case of the steady incremental improvement of the tortoise rather than the urgent haste of the hare, although progress can be variable. The number of treatments required in any individual case may depend upon a number of factors including: nature of the illness, severity, duration, acute or chronic characteristics, whether mainly musculoskeletal, visceral or Meridian related, illness history, age, previous general health, family history, and so on. Some patients require ongoing treatment. Lack of an immediate or early response is only rarely an indicator of failure of treatment. Combined Yoga-related Rehabilitation & Acupuncture Treatment Therapeutic rehabilitation sessions are conducted at ACU Centre in which postures, movements and exercises are done by the patient - inspired by hatha yoga (Iyengar), and academic verities - under the direct supervision of the practitioner. The physical component of these sessions lasts for approximately 1 hour, followed by an acupuncture treatment of 1/2 hour. This combined approach to therapy has proven to be very effective for stroke victims and lower back patients, amongst others, but may take some time for clear results to manifest. In these individualised sessions, the practitioner works one-to-one and very closely with the patient, usually doing the movements and postures at the same time. This allows precise and detailed instructions to be given. On first meeting, these sessions may appear to be little more than a work-out with a personal trainer, but here there is a distinct personalised therapeutic focus that necessarily incorporates significant professional subtlety and experience. Teds twenty-two years of experience in hatha yoga, and twenty years of tertiary study and teaching, are key ingredients in these sessions. Illnesses Treated In recent years traditional Chinese medicine has become generally accepted in Australia as an effective and efficient therapy for treating a broad range of illnesses commonly encountered in 'western' societies, without the risk of drug side-effects or interactions. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed categories of illnesses which are regularly and successfully treated by TCM. These are include: Neurological (inc. all types of Stress, Headaches, Neuralgia, Mild psychological problems), Cardiovascular (inc. hypertension, poor circulation, angina pectoris), Respiratory (inc. common cold, bronchitis, influenza, cough, dyspnoea, sinusitis), Gastrointestinal (inc. digestive, bowels), Musculoskeletal (inc. cramps, sports injuries, low back problems -acupuncture is particularly effective for sports injuries, reducing healing times significantly), Urogenital (inc. reproductive, infertility), Gynaecological, Menopause, Paediatric, Ears, Eyes, Nose & Throat, Skin, Pain & Trauma, Infection & Inflammation, Chronic Fatigue, Lassitude, General Debility, Insomnia. A list of conditions recently treated at ACU Centre (in WMB terminology), is available for viewing or download, as is the publication of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which reviews clinical trials of acupuncture's effectiveness. TCM Training The training required to administer both acupuncture and Chinese herbs, as a TCM Practitioner, is now of 5 years duration (full time) or more. Lesser training (anywhere between 4 days and 2 years) may allow therapists of other disciplines to legally refer to themselves as acupuncturists (including medical General Practitioners), but in almost all such cases little knowledge of TCM Patterns of Disharmony is gained nor detailed functional knowledge of the acupuncture points, Meridians, Chinese Organs or Five Element theory. The training of such therapists predetermines their degree of TCM clinical success. TCM Patient Information Leaflet An information leaflet is viewable or downloadable if you have Acrobat Reader 5 on your computer. It mentions things such as possible side effects, particular information the practitioner needs to know, and patient behaviour which will facilitate successful treatment. TCM Patent Herbal Medicines The following three .pdf files give some sense of the information which is available on patent (prepared) Chinese herbal medicines, as well as providing a quite useful snapshot of TCM glossaries and technical language & thinking - with a particular bias here towards herbs.
Patent Herb1, Patent Herb2, Patent Herb3. Do NOT Click Here A Light Interlude : LI 2 A Not-So-Light Interlude : NSL 2 |