The Coffs Harbour Acupuncture Clinic was established in 1990, after Karen and Bruno Di Nicola relocated from Sydney. Over the years the clinic has established a strong working relationship with the local medical community, working in conjunction for the best outcome of each client’s individual needs. Karen and Bruno Di Nicola both fully accredited with the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA) and registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Karen and Bruno are devoted to integrating the use of Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture with the more mainstream western care most people receive. The goal of Traditional Chinese Medicine is to maintain your health at its optimum level and care for any imbalances that may have occurred. We believe in the importance of regular preventative health care.

 

What happens during an acupuncture treatment?

Many people may be unfamiliar with what exactly takes place in an acupuncture session. Wondering what happens during treatment, how many visits may be needed and whether health insurance covers it are all common concerns. In a typical first visit, we will take a detailed health history, fully investigate your chief complaint and provide acupuncture for you. This may take up to an hour and a half but is necessary to create an individualized treatment plan that takes into account your present physical, emotional, and nutritional condition, while focusing on your main health concern. Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles (the width of two human hairs) into specific anatomical points. Return visits may also introduce the option of Chinese herbal therapy. The two are often used together to strengthen the effects of treatment and to achieve longer-lasting results in a shorter amount of time.

 

How does it work?

Currently, there are a number of theories as to how exactly acupuncture works. It was once thought that inserting needles into specific parts of the body affected nerves and could inhibit their signal transmission. This was thought to explain why acupuncture could treat pain so well. But when doctors mapped the acupuncture points over the known nerve network they found that there was some correlation, but not nearly enough to explain most of its effects. Another theory stated that acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins in the central nervous system. Although this could explain certain analgesic effects, it could not explain many others. The most current theory speculates that acupuncture points are actually strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals throughout the body. Stimulating points along these pathways influences neurotransmitter rates and resets the polarity of different parts of the body. This latest theory is by far the most comprehensive and most promising explanation for why acupuncture works in Western medical terminology.