Christchurch Branch Student Clinic

Experience the magic of acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Our College Clinic is located at 183 Montreal Street, Christchurch and has six treatment rooms plus a Chinese medicine pharmacy and is open Tuesday to Thursday with qualified practitioners offering a range of treatment at low cost.

Treatment Room

For thousands of years, millions of people have been treated by acupuncture both for patterns of disease and to maintain and optimise wellness. This simple treatment has the potential to restore your original energy balance and to uplift the vitality of your body, mind and spirit

What to Expect

• Initial consultation takes 1 to 1½ hours and involves a detailed case history taking of your present and past well-being. Using the traditional examinations of looking, palpating, questioning and listening, your practitioner will be guided to an understanding of how to approach your individual health-care.
• From this initial session we work with you to develop a treatment plan which will suit your lifestyle and meet your individual need for health care.
• Follow up sessions are usually for 1 - 1 1/2 hours and include consultation and treatment. Treatment may include acupuncture (needle), moxibustion (herbal heat treatment), tui na (Chinese massage), cupping and guasha (external skin therapy).
• In addition to your treatments at the clinic your practitioner may advise small lifestyle adjustments designed to support the healing effect of treatment.

Benefits -- the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization recognises a number of diseases successfully treated by acupuncture including:

• asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, sore throat and common cold
• headaches, migraines, menieres disease, some forms of paralysis
• osteoarthritis, sciatica, back pain, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow
• conjunctivitis, simple cataracts
• diarrhea, constipation, gastritis, colitis, hiccough

In addition acupuncture can treat a wide range of common low-vitality symptoms such as: tiredness, low libido, poor concentration, low motivation, weakness of limbs, depression and "flatness of spirit".

Treatment Techniques

The art of acupuncture involves the insertion of fine needles (about the width of a human hair) into specific sites on the body which restores the balanced circulation of blood and life-force.

Moxibustion is a herbal heat treatment which involves warming specific sites on the body by burning herbs close to the skin - this treatment warms and supports the tissues of the body to promote healing. This has a very soothing affect. Cupping, as shown in this photograph, is a method commonly used in Asia to draw cold from the body and to relieve muscular aches.

For people who don't want to try acupuncture, acupressure (acupuncture without needles) or tuina (Chinese massage) may be used as an alternative.
 

Patient Testimonial

"I first came into contact with the Christchurch College of Holistic Healing as a volunteer attending Year 3 and 4 students clinical discussions classes. I knew one of the teacher's who asked me if I'd be interested in having some treatment and being a "model patient" for the students. They made me feel relaxed and at ease about answering all their questions. I thought they were all a pretty amazing bunch of people with such a caring attitude.

Under the guidance of their tutors they assessed my health. I knew I wanted to get my severe headaches and neck pain fixed. Who would have thought that they would treat points with needles in places like the small intestine, gall bladder and heart pathways when I had a sore neck and bad headaches?

"I learned lots and discovered that if the energy or "qi" is not flowing correctly, areas like some organs of the body become blocked and so the points where needles are inserted (painlessly I might add) clear the blockages thus enabling the energy to flow again. The experience was pleasant when the needles went in and gave quite a buzzie feeling so I knew something was happening.

"Gradually my headaches became less frequent and less intense and the neck area became less tight and sore. I also learned from the students how to take care of my body and that it is OK to take it a little easier and not work so hard. I even treated myself to a massage.

"I finished my treatment with one-on-one sessions with a student in the clinic for a couple of follow-up sessions. If I feel I would like a maintenance check I wouldn't hesitate to make another visit to the college clinic. I have been treated for the cause not the effect and it takes the form of considering the body, mind and spirit as a whole. Some places treat you to manage pain but the experience from the Christchurch College of Holistic Healing teaches you to rid yourself of it and enjoy life again free of pain.

"Thank you so much students and tutors."
 - Val Armstrong.