Westgarth Chinese Medicine Centre

We are in the depths of the winter once again and some people, like myself, associate winter with skiing - Hooray! But for many it is associated with the ‘winter blues’. Some people are much more affected than others, going into apathy and depression. 

Chinese medicine gives us a unique perspective into the effects of the winter on people:

• In winter KIDNEY YANG energy is overused. Kidney Yang is the warm energy as well as the ZEST for life. The ‘Let’s do' principle. So of course if Kidney Yang is depleted people can be plunged into the grey areas of life.

• The "Four cold extremities syndrome” is prevalent with some people which leads to bad circulation and bad overall Qi nourishment.

• “Heart Fire” can be over exhausted by the cold we...

Some of the most susceptible candidates for an Autoimmune disease are what I call "The Beautiful People". They are the ones who:

• Really push themselves

• Work 60-80 hours per week

• If they are sick, they still go to the next meeting, meet the deadline

• Do a few things at the same time

• The simple "No, I can't do this" does not enter their mind as a possibility

• They are usually peace makers and keepers in the family, at work and with friends

• Their shoulder is always there to cry on

I love these people and that is why I call them "The Beautiful People"- but they are much more likely to get an auto immune disease. 
Then all we need is a trigger: common cold, family problems, sickness in the family or with friends, bad...

Another summer and another year is in front of us.
And what should we expect? Uncertainty and change is the common mantra among the experts. "If you realise that all things change, there is nothing to hold on to" said Lao Tsu. These words from about 2600 years ago seem to be spot on about what we should embrace. And then life is easier and happier. Because change is the only constant in life, but it seems to be happening a bit more erratically lately. So the best is to go with it and enjoy it.

This summer should be nice and hot- not hot enough for some, too hot for others, as usual. Please enjoy it, have good holidays and think about the best investment ever- your health. Set yourself in a way to stay healthy and balanced in 2017. Because that...

Another spring breaking out and another virus settling in. There have been an abundance of patients coming in after being sick for 3-4 weeks. The usual remark is: 'I've hardly been sick in the last few years and now I have been sick for 3 weeks on and off. What's going on?!'

This is generally the case if people push it a bit too much with work and don't give themselves enough time to rest. It's been a very cold and wet beginning of Spring, so if you start to get sick, please see us for an acupuncture treatment and keep up with your herbs. That way we can avoid a long illness. 

Spring and allergies are, of course, best friends. Melbourne has been announced as the allergy capital of the world! If you're experiencing allergy related symptoms, ple...

Food for thought.

We still seem to be governed by principles coming from the depth of our consciousness. These principles have a do or die colour, where every decision is of paramount importance for our existence.

However, the last forty to fifty years has been coloured by an abundance of food, shelter, education, travel, health and longevity. So applying these archaic governing principles is quite inappropriate and damaging. They cause a lot of suffering (with a do or die attitude) for a relatively small problem (eg: My iphone is 3 days late.)

We are reconciling  40,000 years of survival wisdom verses 40 years of abundance and an assumed comfortable life in Melbourne, Australia. This dichotomy can recall or bring up  inappropriate over react...

Food for thought.

Another winter is in front of us to get through, and hopefully enjoy. And it started sharp and cold. So we have to avoid getting a cold or flu, avoid the germs so to speak. Do they get us sick, or do the circumstances of life get us sick?
I would say that the circumstances are a bigger factor than the viruses or bacteria. If the germs are the cause, then those of us in the medical profession, teachers or social workers, would be sick all of the time. When do we get sick? We get sick when we are run down, stressed and tired.
Let's avoid that this winter- stay put, work less, avoid stress where possible, sleep more, eat hearty food, and we will stay well during winter regardless of the sick and spluttering around you.

In o...

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2016.

Hi all,

We are getting into the late summer. There has been 40% more bushfires last year in comparison with the years before. Melbourne has not been too bad lately but Perth, Adelaide and Sydney are baking. And Zika Virus on the top of it all, the Global economy is going down.Oh well, we cannot control all of that, but we can control ourselves. So, please look after yourself. We have seen some unusual colds and flu's in the clinic, with gastro a bit more persistent, with different rashes and prolonged cough. If you have one of those, please see us so we can help you get better.This year is predicted to be more volatile in more senses than one. The remedy is that we stay calm and even, then eve...