Sydney Acupuncture and TCM doctor in Annandale

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Mad-about-Bagua, Sep 7, 2005.

  1. Mad-about-Bagua

    Mad-about-Bagua Valued Member

    Has anyone ever driven past Parramatta road , next to Annandale area and seen the big bright yellow sign that says:

    "Don't tell me what's wrong with you, I will find out and tell you "

    Peter Chen , the TCM doctor there claims that by checking one's pulse and examining your tongue, he can tell you the cause of one's problem.

    Has anyone else have this experience with other doctors?
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2005
  2. Mad-about-Bagua

    Mad-about-Bagua Valued Member

  3. zos23

    zos23 New Member

    yeah, i went to Peter Chen once, and only once. I gotta say, I was kinda disappointed. checking tongue and pulse are standard Chinese diagnostic methods. Some doctors also use phsyiognomy/ face reading. Im pretty sure Peter Chen's answer to everyone problem is "you dont digest your food properly, so you cant get nutrient from your food, which leads to bad circulation". I think im pretty aware of what the imbalances are in my body. and this is too simplistic an explanation for me to swallow. Im also a little unimpressed by the machine he hooks you up to. IMO really good TCM practitioner should strictly use a hands on approach, or a few simple tools. My reasoning behind this is that the technology we make can never match the technology we are. They should also appear vibrant, in perfect health, and train in medical qigong intensely. Too many acupuncturists ive been to just stick needles in points like their sticking pins in a dead lump of meat, without a real understanding of what they are doing . Just getting a degree doesn't mean you can practice proper TCM - there are way too many mediocre TCM practicioners out there. Im a bit skeptical about combinations of Western and Chinese medicines as well - I feel that it only may work on a superficial level. To be honest, Ive never really experienced real acupuncture, only accupressure. And it wasn't from a Chinese native, but an English woman (who I met in Wudang Mountain - to anyone in Jersey, I cant recommend her enough). Ive explored many different Chinese doctors in different countries, almost all of them Chinese natives, and i can honestly say that ive never met anyone like her before or after, she was amazingly intuitive, not just concerning merely the physical pressure points, but with psychological/emotional factors that link in with them. Anyone know anyone like this in Sydney? Sorry if my opinions sound a bit harsh or cynical. its just that after experienceing what a real practitioner can do, going back to mediocrity can be a bit disillusioning.
     
  4. mach5_kel

    mach5_kel New Member

    Yes, there are definatly some true TCM masters out there. Same for western medicine I think too. People who not only have decades of experience, proper training but also a level of in-born intuition that cannot be learned from a book. It is amazing to be around these kinds of people.

    Unfortantly we are not all born equal and not everyone can be an award winning writer or an olymic athelete anymore than they could be an amazing TCM doctor just because they studied it at school. (Heck, I cannot even spell :rolleyes: ) Just one more proof that we need to find who we are, and then push ourselves to be the best we can.

    As to a TCM doc who can tell you what is wrong without you sharing symptoms. For sure, but it depends on the doc. And wether he/she can give you a western diagnosis, etc, not likely. Western classification of disease is so so broad. There is over a 100 types of cancer, no one knows the cause of Lupus, and 95% of people could have TB in some countries and it never effect them. Western medicin cannot usually tell you what you have even when you do tell them your symtoms. Blood work, MRI, X-ray, biopsy, Skin test, and more... then maybe they can start guessing. When any doctor can say with 99% accuracy of what I have in one visit, Im amazed. :bang:

    PS, many TCM doctors get caught up in there ways and start to give the same herbs and think they see the same condition. Maybe find a TCM doc who is also a prof at a local TCM college. They are forced to constantly re-evaluate what they do and how they do. Students can do that to you :)
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2005
  5. soggycat

    soggycat Valued Member

    I think you know that the core principle in TCM is that a body in balance will be healthy. When a person is ill, it’s because the body is unbalanced. Therefore the logical treatment approach is to restore balance.

    Tracing the cause of the problem to the origin often reveals poor nutrition/ digestion / absorption and poor circulation as the main cause.
    When nutrients are lacking and circulation is bad, how can any organ etc be functioning properly ? They react by either enlarging ( to compensate ) or underfunctioning.
    For a body to be healthy, good blood circulation must carry sufficient nutrients that were properly digested/ absorbed, to all the organs and tissues .

    In fact even a few Western doctors are beginning to say that poor nutrition & bad blood circulation is the major cause for most diseases including Cancer and Heart problems.


    ALL TCM techniques seek to eliminate the cause by restoring balance.
    Many Western medicine techniques attempt to deal with the symptoms while ignoring the cause .
    Eg Pain killer for pain, cough suppressant for coughs, sleeping pills for insomnia.
    Unfortunately the Western technique may have short term success but might in many cases cause even more imbalance.

    You didn’t say if Peter helped you with your problem , but I guess he couldn’t have if you were only there for one session.

    I think before you write off any TCM doctor , you should find out if he / she has much success or many repeat patients.

    Also , electro-acupuncture , where electrical stimulation is injected into acupuncture needles or applied via non–penetrative electrode pads are now gaining acceptance in China as MODERN Chinese medicine has found it to be more effective that just the needle ….because as long as the electricity is on, it’s stimulating your meridians.

    With the traditional needle method, it’s only effective when the practitioner twirls the needles ( what ? 10 mins in a 1 hour session ?)
    Hope you find this useful.

    :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2005
  6. zos23

    zos23 New Member

    soggycat,
    You're right, one session anywhere will not cure any problems, but I personally didn't get a great feeling from Peter Chen. If anyone else has had any success stories with him please let me know. This is just my own personal opinion from on experience, and probably isn't much to go on.

    I reconise poor digestion and bad circulation can be significant problems, its just that I dont think I suffer from them, at least to a significant degree. I have asked other TCM practicioners this and they agree. Also, Im not such a fan of mixing TCM and Western medicine diagnostics, which Peter Chen does. When you explain TCM in Western terms, I feel it works on a superficial level, but a lot is lost in the translation.

    Like I mentioned previously, the best experience I had with a TCM practitioner was an accupressure therapist from the UK. She is the only practitioner who was able to use chi effectively in a seesion. And I dont mean in a "ive done a few 2 week Reiki courses, and now im a Reiki master" way. She trained hard in Qigong, Tai chi and Shi Shui, as well as in accupressure, for many years to reach the level she is at.None of the chinese nation TCM practitioners I have met have had such dedication to their profession, and in my experience it shows in their work. And IMHO, after experiencing and actual person working directly with chi flows, to me, being hooked up to a machine feels a little crude and impersonal, and is a more generalised treatment than one that is tailored to the needs of the individual. But I also agree that it is prbably more effective than how acupuncture is practiced by many people today, ie. sticking a needle in someone flesh, maybe twisting it every now and then, without a direct connection between the practitioner and the nature of the chi flow in the client's meridians.
    Still, finding such a practitioner is rare. I don't know of any in Sydney, if anyone does please let me know. My many visits to TCM practitioner, including one time visits, are in a large part out of curiousity to see how they operate, because it is a field I hope to study and work in in the future.
     
  7. kiwikid007

    kiwikid007 New Member

    Been there

    I am currently attending Peter Chen and was taken aback when when he told me of a neck injury I sustained 30 years ago to C5 and C6 vertebrae, spot on, without telling him and within 5 minutes of walking in the door. I had chiro on the injury at the time and subsequent treatment over the years but without much success. I felt his approach honest and of a caring nature. So far i am happy with the treatment and have started seeing some positive results with his electro meridian therapy. He gave me an honest appraisal at the time saying as the injury was old it would take time for the damaged nerves to heal which i accepted, as nothing happens overnight. So far i have no reason to be disappointed or not recommend him. With over 22 years practicing his style of medicine he must be doing something right in my opinion and each time i have been there the place has been pretty full and his diary from what i saw is well booked up in advance.
     

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