Ancient traditions live on.
Chinese Herbal Medicine is a powerful and key component of the Traditional Chinese system of medicine. It has been used for many thousands of years.
At Happy Laughter we only utilise the highest quality granulated herbal preparations. Our formulas are easy and convenient to prepare, only requiring you to dilute with hot water.
You may receive herbal medicine as a stand alone treatment or have it combined with other modalities such as Nutrition Therapy and Acupuncture.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine with Happy Laughter involves a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis to determine the right treatment pathway for you.
Chinese Herbal Medicine (part of Traditional Chinese Medicine) is a safe form of treatment when prescribed by an experienced practitioner.
At Happy Laughter all prescriptions are individually tailored to you, taking into consideration your presenting symptoms, any medications you may be taking and the outcome of your comprehensive assessment.
You can be assured that you are only receiving high quality herbal medicine preparations with Happy Laughter.
What is Traditional Chinese Medicine
Chinese Herbal Medicine is a key component of the Traditional Chinese Medical system and has a history dating back thousands of years.
Chinese Medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine is made up of five different treatment modalities. Practitioners may utilise these methodologies either independently or often a range of different methodologies may be used together to achieve the best treatment outcome.
5 methodologies of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Acupuncture
- Chinese Herbal Medicine
- Energetics (qi gong, tai chi, meditation)
- Diet therapy/nutrition and
- Manual therapy (Chinese massage – Tui Na, cupping, gua sha).
Chinese Herbal Medicine is only prescribed after you undergo a comprehensive assessment which includes Chinese Medical Pulse Diagnosis, assessment of your presenting symptoms and tongue diagnosis.
What conditions can Chinese Herbal Medicine help with?
Chinese herbs form an important part of treatment for many conditions. For conditions such as digestive complaints, herbal medicine is often the central modality of treatment alongside Nutrition Therapy. Other modalities like Acupuncture may also be recommended to complement and speed up your rate of progress but will often be secondary to the herbal medical treatment and therefore is often presented as an optional extra for those keen to progress as quickly as possible.
With other conditions such as musculoskeletal conditions, Chinese Herbal Medicine may be recommended to complement and extend the effects of an Acupuncture treatment. This can be a cost effective way of speeding up treatment progress, especially for people who would otherwise require Acupuncture treatments multiple times per week.
How safe are Chinese Herbal Medicines?
When prescribed by an experienced practitioner, Chinese Herbal Medicines are almost as safe as the food you eat everyday. At Happy Laughter the herbs we use are prescribed as a granulated extract which is easy and convenient to use; you just have to dissolve it in hot water.
What Chinese Medicine do you use in your practice?
We use only the highest quality herbal medicine products imported from Taiwan which is renowned for producing the highest quality and most clean / pure herbal medicine products. In Taiwan, these granule extracts are paid for (or subsidised) by the Taiwanese equivalent of medicare, and are manufactured according to government pharmaceutical licencing requirements. I use KO-DA and KPC Herbs.
About Chinese Herbal medicines
A large number of herbal medicines are food based plant products. A very small proportion of Chinese herbal preparations contain animal constituents (eg oyster shell) however no endangered species or unethical products are ever prescribed by Happy Laughter. People with strict vegan requirements are easily accommodated for.
All herbal formulas prescribed at Happy Laughter are individually tailored to you based on your individual presentation and after a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis.
Herbal medicine can therefore be safely prescribed alongside other pharmaceutical medications you may be taking. The important thing is to fully inform your practitioner of any medications you are taking. This will assist your practitioner to ensure that negative interactions can be avoided, and your prescription can be assessed for safety before being added to your treatment.
At Happy Laughter we welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively alongside other health professionals you may be consulting in order to address your presenting concerns holistically and ensure you achieve the best possible health outcomes.
Your herbal prescription will be reviewed regularly as it may require changes as you progress. This is a positive sign as changes will be required as your body begins to strengthen and return to optimal functioning.
Benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine
A range of Chinese Herbal Medicine benefits:
- reduction or resolution of symptoms
- No or minimal side effects
- Convenient
- Custom tailored medicine
- Can treat a number of issues simultaneously
- Chinese Herbal Medicine can be used to complement other therapies and is able to work collaboratively with other health professionals who may be assisting you including your GP.
- scientific research has proven that Chinese Herbal Medicine to be effective in many cases.
- Chinese Herbal Medicine has an extensive history of treating all kinds of common conditions and complaints, some of which are listed below.
What can be treated with Chinese Herbal Medicine?
As discussed above, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine has been traditionally applied over thousands of years to reduce the symptoms associated with many other conditions which have not undergone contemporary scientific research.
Some of these conditions include:
- Stomach pain
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal distension and/or fullness
- Diarrhoea/constipation
- Reflux
- Lower rib cage (lateral costal) pain
- Heart Palpitations
- Insomnia
- Mouth sores (canker sores/mouth ulcers)
- Nosebleed or nasal congestion
- Common colds/fevers
- High Blood Pressure or Low Blood Pressure
- Headaches / Migraines
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Colds and flu
- PMS / gynaecology issues
- Allergies / Sinusitis / Rhinitis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for example, is a “modern” disease name, and yet the symptoms that make up IBS have been traditionally treated with Chinese Medicine. IBS is a collection of symptoms that may include: abdominal pain, distention and/or bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation. When these symptoms are corrected and normal digestive function restored, IBS has now been resolved.
It is always best to call or make an appointment to discuss your individual circumstances and treatment goals in order to best make an assessment regarding whether Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine will be of benefit to you.
Chinese Herbal Medicine services East Melbourne and Yarra Valley
If you are looking for a local Chinese Herbal Medicine clinic, Happy Laughter Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine is a great option. We are trained professionals when it comes to Acupuncture and Chinese herbal Medicine.
Our services include:
- Acupuncture
Which may include- Cupping
- Gua sha
- Rapid Release Device treatment
- Electroacupuncture
- Dry Needling
- Chinese Herbal medicine
- Laser Therapy