Local Brookvale Acupuncturist

If you're looking for an acupuncturist, whether you live or work in Brookvale, Katika has a long-established local clinic, seeing clients from nearby Manly, Curl Curl, Beacon Hill and Freshwater. There's opportunity for appointments whether it be local 'lunch break' appointments, busy parents during school hours and after business hour or weekend appointments for city workers. Katika provides treatments for pain relief, stress management and more. She doesn't "do dry needling". Instead, Katika uses over 22 years experience as an degree-qualified Acupuncturist, plus evidence based strategies to support real change for you. 

People often ask “How does Acupuncture work?" & "What do the needles do?”

A simple answer is we insert pins to stimulate the body’s natural recovery and repair processes. Acupuncture's mechanisms have been backed by evidence and include:

• Reducing inflammation
• Improving circulation
• Regulating the nervous system to influence pain relief
• Releasing neurotransmitters to assist stress response
• Stimulate Parasympathetic Nervous System for relaxation
• Influencing soft tissue and fascia

You can read more about How Acupuncture Works and Is there Scientific Evidence for Acupuncture on my blog.

In a treatment you can expect:

A Health Assessment - We'll go through what you're currently suffering from, how it affects you and where you want to get to with your wellness.
Pulse and Tongue Diagnosis - We feel your pulse and look at your tongue to find out what is happening on the inside. Your body will tell us!
Treatment - Can include gentle needling, moxibustion, cupping and massage.

FAQ Guide to Traditional Acupuncture

Does Acupuncture work?
EvidenceBasedAcupuncture.org says: "Acupuncture enjoys moderate to strong evidence of effectiveness in the treatment of 46 conditions and is considered safe in the hands of properly trained practitioners. This strong scientific support is impressive and helpful for patients in the context of a conventional healthcare system where nearly half of all treatments lack evidence for their use. Acupuncture is also considered cost-effective for a number of conditions where evidence is available. Comparatively, for many conditions it enjoys greater evidence than many conventional treatments and is relatively safer. Patients, medical professionals, and healthcare administrators can be confident that the recommendation of acupuncture for many patients is a safe, cost-effective, and evidence-based recommendation."

You can read more about the scientific evidence on Acupuncture HERE.

Can Acupuncture be used with other therapies?

Yes, Acupuncture is fine to be used in conjunction with other practitioner's advice. This is ensured as long as you tell us your medical history in full.

With musculoskeletal conditions, acupuncture works best with other physical therapies such as Massage, Exercise Physiology, Physiotherapy, Chiropractic and Osteopathy.

Is it the same as Dry Needling?

No. A qualified and professional Acupuncturist is either degree qualified and has studied 4 years of needling technique before they begin private practice.

Dry needling can be taught over a weekend and is often used by Physiotherapists, Chiropractors and Osteopaths as an adjunct tool in their treatments. With an Acupuncturist, needling is their primary skill they've spent time studying, refining and mastering over years.

Is Acupuncture safe?

All needles are sterile, single use and disposable to eliminate the potential of infection. This guarantees patient safety and peace of mind.

Is Acupuncture comfortable?

Yes, using simple techniques, a skilled and experienced acupuncturist can insert the needles in without you feeling it. More discomfort can be felt from a deep massage more than these tiny pins.

Acupuncture should not hurt the patient. Despite this, sometimes different acupoints are more sensitive on different people. The patient is always in control of the treatment. If at anytime you feel discomfort, our practitioner will adjust the pins to make your treatment a comfortable experience.

How do I know if it can help me?

People often ask if it can successfully treat a particular disease or condition.

EvidenceBasedAcupuncture.org says: "Acupuncture enjoys moderate to strong evidence of effectiveness in the treatment of 46 conditions and is considered safe in the hands of properly trained practitioners. This strong scientific support is impressive and helpful for patients in the context of a conventional healthcare system where nearly half of all treatments lack evidence for their use."

www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-scientific-evidence/

The Acupuncture Evidence Project PDF download

"How it works" include:

• Reducing inflammation
• Improving circulation
• Regulating the nervous system to influence pain perception. (via the brain's neuroplasticity)
• Releasing neurotransmitters eg Dopamine, Endorphins and Serotonin in helping stress response
• Stimulate Parasympathetic Nervous System - having a calming and relaxing effect on the body
• Influencing soft tissue and fascia

Where there are structural changes, acupuncture can't change that, but can still relieve the symptoms those structural changes cause. For example, Arthritis is a degenerative condition. Acupuncture can help maintain mobility and reduce pain levels, but it can't reverse the Arthritic condition of the joint.

How many treatments would I need?

This depends entirely on how long you've had the problem and its severity. During the consultation this will be clarified for you more fully, as for each person it's different. With over 20 years of clinical experience, I aim to give you a reliable estimation of how long it will take to see a change in symptoms. I am always reviewing and assessing at each follow up how you're progressing and if we're on track and will refer if I feel you need additional treatment.

To make your Acupuncture appointment, click here to book online.

For the Acupuncture New Patient Intake and Consent form, please click here.

Learn More about your practitioner, Katika Funnell HERE.