Our gift vouchers can be used across the clinic both for appointments and to use against products.
We offer a wide selection of services from massage and nutritional consults to in depth consults for chronic disease, pain, fertility issues as well other health concerns. Our team of practitioners have over 90 years combined experience and are always happy to help. To find out more about the services we offer see.

We also offer specialist teas and herbal products such as foot soaks, electronic practitioner grade massagers and cupping sets, maternity pillows and skin creams.

If you are looking for a special gift this season, think about the gift of wellness….

FAQs

How to buy a gift voucher?

Couldn’t be easier. Walk in, phone up or email us and let us know how much you would like to spend. You may want to pay for a specific appointment such as a ‘massage’ or ‘nutrition and diet consult’ . Once you’ve chosen we get all the necessary details from you and issue the beautiful voucher. Please note, we do nor sell the vouchers online.

How to use a gift voucher?

Gift vouchers are redeemed in-house. Each voucher is numbered and the recipient must bring the voucher with them to the clinic. As the vouchers can be used against both appointments and products, the recipient is free to choose how they spend it

ORDER A GIFT VOUCHER NOW

If you’d like to know more about how we can help make an initial appointment [BOOK NOW]

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We’ve all been there – come home from a day at the gym or outdoors only to find that we don’t have the usual aches and pains from a work out but have damaged ourselves with a muscle or tendon injury. Turns out that not only can acupuncture help manage chronic or long-term pain, but that it can also actually help to speed up the recovery process from a physical injury. In fact, seeing an acupuncturist soon after a sports injury can significantly improve healing.

The theory behind this? Acupuncture helps to reduce inflammation in the body; inflammation is what creates the pain (impeding proper flow of our blood and lymph systems and pushing on our various nerve receptors). While alleviating the pain, acupuncture also simultaneously stimulates the release of various hormones and neurotransmitters in the body that help the alleviate the feelings of pain (think of your body’s own supply of endorphins, encephalins, and serotonin). There are many journal articles on sites such as pubmed.gov that show the effectiveness of acupuncture with recovery time from muscle injury. Below is a link to an article in a men’s health magazine that may help peak your interest a little more without having to pore through entire journal articles.

If you’d like to make a booking for a sports injury please book with Sally Chilvers [BOOK NOW]

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In a study from 2014 researchers looked at the use of acupuncture and Chinese herbs for clearing or minimizing obstructions in the fallopian tubes of women. 200 women with fallopian tube-related infertility were divided randomly into two groups: those who received weekly acupuncture treatments with Chinese herbs and those who took 3 commonly prescribed Western medications – antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and chymotrypsin which acts on the lower bowel.  The results are extremely clear: those in the TCM (acupuncture and Chinese herbs group) had a 90% effectiveness rate in which 53% had complete dissipation of all obstructions. There was also a 65% pregnancy rate following treatment for those in the TCM group while those in the standard medication group had a 42% total recovery rate and, here’s the kicker, only a 38% pregnancy rate following standard, Western treatment. The study had each group engage in treatment for three courses (or over the period of three menstrual cycles). See below for a link to the article and actual study (This includes points and herbs used):

Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Clear Fallopian Tube Obstruction Related to Infertility

If you’d like to know more about how we can help make an initial appointment with director Heidi Dunn [BOOK NOW]

References:

Ding L, Wang PJ, Zhu SM, Liu GY & Cao CL. (2014). Clinical study on the treatment of fallopian tube obstructive infertility with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.​ Modern Journal of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. 23(17).

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If someone complains of constantly being too tired to do anything, don’t discount it as a psychological problem. Chronic fatigue is real and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness.

CFS is not a psychological issue – it isn’t depression. If in doubt, the key to remember is the difference:

• A depressed person will not have the enthusiasm to do something.
• A person with CFS will have the enthusiasm but not the energy!

Chronic fatigue versus Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Chronic fatigue is exhaustion or lack of energy that lasts 6 months or more. It can be a symptom of many auto immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or can be caused by long term stress, prolonged sleep depravation, lack of activity, nutritionally poor diet or medications.

CFS, or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), and Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID) tend to cross over in their diagnosis. In all three, Post Exertional Malaise is the cardinal symptom. This is severe exhaustion and may come immediately after physical, mental or emotional exertion or can be delayed a day or two.

There are other criteria for an official diagnosis of CFS and SEID. For CFS, an individual must present with at least four of the following four or more of the following symptoms:

• Sore throat
• Headaches
• Post-exertion malaise lasting more than 24 hours (severe exhaustion)
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Significant impairment of short-term memory or concentration
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpit

SEID has less defining requirements with post-exertion malaise, cognitive impairment and orthostatic intolerance as the main criteria.

Now, before everyone who is very tired starts self diagnosing with CFS, it’s important to remember that CFS is also a symptom of some major health issues! Therefore, if you tick four or more of the above, go to the GP first and get a blood test to discount anything more serious.

What causes CFS?

Officially there is no exact cause. Stress, infections, nutrient deficiency or emotional factors are often cited as causative factors. In addition, Giloteaux et al found in a 2016 study that people with CFS had significantly lower diversity of gut flora. These scientists also discovered that people with CFS had higher blood levels of lipopolysaccharides. Lipopolysaccharides are inflammatory molecules that may indicate that bacteria have moved from the gut into the bloodstream, where they can produce various symptoms of disease. This study yet again links the health of the gut to overall wellbeing.

In addition, as exhaustion is the main symptom in those with CFS there has been a link made with mitochondrial dysfunction (2009) and the Krebs cycle.

What is mitochondrial dysfunction?

Mitchondria are the powerhouses of our cells. They move around the cell and release ATP (energy) and this provides the energy we need to function. When the mitochondria are damaged they are

1. susceptible to an infection, and
2. work slower and give out less energy meaning your body does not have the energy it once did.

Mitochondrial dysfunction may be caused by a ‘wearing down’ of the mitochondrial mechanism until it finally ‘falls over’. This may happen over time. For example; years of being under physical or mental stress plus a low nutrient diet will start to damage the functioning and when that individual is hit with an infection the whole system just falls over and can’t recover. Or perhaps an infection combined with a low nutrient diet have caused damage and the individual no longer has the physical resources to cope with emotional stress. Lastly, it may be directly impacted from an infection such as from ticks in Lymes disease which is why it’s important to get blood tests done.

When looking at CFS, I look at several factors:

• Diet
• Gut health
• Stress levels
• Emotional factors
• Sleep patterns
• Past infections
• Nutritional deficiencies

How to help someone with chronic fatigue?

• Pacing

Pacing means don’t push yourself beyond your limit and especially don’t exercise beyond your ability. In chronic fatigue patients, the mitochondria have a limited ability and if you push yourself over your limit it does not help your recovery and in fact you are likely to feel worse. Work with what you have an in combination with other changes you will SLOWLY be able to increase your energy levels.

• Diet

Our diet today is more acidic which is very bad for your health. More studies every day link the major diseases (and not just CFS) to a more acidic environment in the body.

Sugar and processed foods all produce a more acidic environment. Vegetables, particularly greens, produce a more alkaline environment. Fresh food, vegetables and salads and less meat and alcohol. If you feel less certain regarding the right choices then speak to a health practitioner or dietician.

• Stress and underlying emotional factors

Stress is very individual. ‘What one man may thrive off can drain another’s soul’. Therefore there is no shoe that fits all. However, know your limits and take a BIG step back from them. Make time for yourself and practice time away from technology. Re-evaluate what is important to you. Once people on the right path for their own personal values then stress tends to lessen.

Proven stress reduction techniques include acupuncture, mindfulness and meditation. It may be necessary talk to a psychologist or councillor to get back on track.

• Gut health

With more research linking gut health to disease it’s important to mend the gut, lower inflammation and increase the good flora in your gut. You will need more than diet initially to get this to an optimal condition again and so talking to a professional will help.

• Mitochondrial functioning

There are no specific tests for day to day mitochondrial functioning that are in the realms of affordability or viability. Therefore we work with what we know. When someone is exhausted and lacking energy we can work to improve mitochondrial functioning and the krebs cycle through three areas: supplementation, rest and electro-acupuncture.

• Supplements

No two people are the same and no two cases of chronic fatigue are the same. Therefore, it is always better to talk to a health practitioner than buying off the shelf. Saying that, mitochondrial functioning and the krebs cycle can be improved with correct dosing of specific nutrients such as B vitamins, Co enzyme Q10 and Magnesium.

These alone will not clear out any virus or bacteria that involved which cause toxicity and continued inflammation in the body. Patients may require herbs to deal with this. Chinese herbs have some excellent results in this area and treatment should commence along with changes in the lifestyle and diet to assist with overall recovery.

At ben&biao we provide assistance with both supplementation and herbs.

• Acupuncture

Thanks to modern research and development, our understanding of how acupuncture works is becoming clearer. Functional MRIs and other scanning techniques are helping to build a clearer picture of how the insertion and gentle manipulation of very fine needles can correct pathology by changing the neurophysiology locally, along nerve pathways, in muscles and joints and in the brain and spine, depending on where the needles are placed and how they are manipulated.

In cases of fatigue, studies have shown that electro-acupuncture can be beneficial in directly increasing ATP levels. As previously mentioned, ATP is the main energy source for metabolic function within our cells, so increasing ATP levels will help restore our energy at the deepest levels of our body.

Additionally, electro-acupuncture may offer CFS/ME/SEID patients help with other common symptoms such as headache, muscle and joint pain, depression and or anxiety. By selecting specific points and using precise electrical frequencies individual neural pathways. And by using specific electrical frequencies we can we can influence specific neural tissues to illicit particular changes in the ‘chemical soup’. These changes occur at the location of the needles, in the spine and /or the brain. Studies show that this can benefit such symptoms.

What does electro acupuncture fee like? Now before you get concerned about the idea of “manipulation” the key is the practitioner and the electro-frequencies used. At ben&biao we assure you that our needle techniques are gentle and manipulation is done with e-stim, or electro-acupuncture.

At ben&biao our protocols use the latest electro-acupuncture machines which have been manufactured to provide safe, accurate stimulation specifically for use in electro-acupuncture. This way we achieve the desired clinical outcomes which can be repeated.

Our patients report that they feel a slight buzzing or tapping, a warmth or nothing at all. Many patients find it relaxing and fall asleep. Our machines have timers and will automatically switch off when the desired ‘dosage’ has been achieved.

Lastly … time

Recovery will not take place in a week. It’s likely that it has taken years for the body to reach a point where it can’t function properly anymore and it will definitely take time to recover. Talk to a professional regarding expectations.

References

1. Giloteaux, et al, 2016. ‘Reduced diversity and altered composition of the gut microbiome in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome’, Microbiome, https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-016-0171-4
2. Myhill,S. Booth, NE. MacLaren-Howard J. Chronic fatigue syndrome and mitochondrial dysfunction, Int J Clin Exp Med, 2009; 2 (1) 1-16
3. Lin D, De La Pena I, Lin L, Zhou S-F, Borlongan CV, Cao C. ‘The Neuroprotective Role of Acupuncture and Activation of the BDNF Signaling Pathway’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2014;15(2):3234-3252. doi:10.3390/ijms15023234
4. Corradino, M., 2017, Neuropuncture: A Clinical Handbook of Neuroscience Acupuncture, Singing Dragon. London.
5. Xia,Y., Ding, G., Wu, G., (editors), 2013, Current Research in Acupuncture, Springer, New York
6. Cheng, N. et al, 1982. ‘The Effects of Electric Currents on ATP Generation, Protein Synthesis, and Membrane Transport in Rat Skin’, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 1982 Nov-Dec;(171):264-72

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A diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can be devastating but it need not be hopeless.

Chinese medicine’s holistic approach is well suited to helping people manage this currently incurable disease and is a common choice of complementary therapy by MS patients themselves and, increasingly, their health-care provider(1).  According to the World Health Organisation, acupuncture is chosen by over 86% of MS patients who choose complementary therapies(2).

At ben&biao we recommend a proactive approach to living with MS and safely managing common symptoms such as fatigue, depression and muscle weakness.

We look at the whole person, their diet and lifestyle, their state of mind as well as their physical symptoms and we use natural therapies including acupuncture, nutrition, exercise and stress management techniques to empower our patients on their road to a better quality of life.

Research is ongoing in the quest to understand acupuncture’s role in improving quality of life for people with MS, but indications are that acupuncture may specifically help to relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis by stimulating the nervous system.  This causes biochemical changes which influence the body’s own ability to return to a healthy state.

Specifically, researchers believe the key ways in which acupuncture may work are by:

• Reducing numbers of inflammatory and CD4 T cells. This accompanied improved paralytic symptoms in a rat model of MS(3);
• Promoting NT-3 (a protein growth factor that supports neuronal survival) expression, increasing the cell number and differentiation of endogenous oligodendrocyte precursor cells, and causing remyelination and functional improvement of the demyelinated spinal cord(4);
• Acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry(5).

Sally Chilvers and Heidi Dunn are registered Chinese herbalists, acupuncturists and health directors at ben&biao in Sydney. You can book an appointment with Sally or Heidi HERE.

References

1. Karpetkin, H., Napolione, D., Simonovich-Blok, B., 2014, ‘Acupuncture and multiple sclerosis: a review of the evidence’, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 972935. Published online 18 June 2014, Hindawi,
2. Kochs, L., Wegener, S., Suhnel, A., Voigt, K., Zettl, U., 2013, ‘The use of complementary medicine in patients with multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal study’, Complimentary Therapies in Medicine, vol 22, 1, pp 166-172, Elsevier Science
3. Kim KY et al. ‘Impact of acupuncture by using life-energy (qi) oriental needle on the paralysis of rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis’, Am J Chin Med. 2012;40(4):769-78.
4. Huang SF et al. ‘An experimental electro-acupuncture study in treatment of the rat demyelinated spinal cord injury induced by ethidium bromide’, Neurosci Res. 2011;70(3):294-304
5. Hui KK et al. ‘Acupuncture, the limbic system, and the anticorrelated networks of the brain’, Auton Neurosci.2010; 157: 81-90.

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Temporomandibular Joint disorder(TMJ) is a disorder of the jaw.

Common symptoms are:

• Inability to open the mouth
• Limited range of motion in the jaw
• Radiating pain through the face into the jaw, neck and possibly shoulders
• Headaches, earache, toothache
• Ringing in the ear
• Painful clicking of the jaw

It’s caused by :

• Stress
• trauma
• Grinding of teeth (Bruxism)
• Arthritis especially rheumatoid arthritis
• Malocclusion
• Tension in the upper cervical spine

And it’s aggravated by:

• Chewing
• Yawning
• Grinding teeth at night

Dentists often send patients to physical therapy or recommend splints as a treatment, but did you know that acupuncture treatment can achieve some great results?*

 Acupuncture literally gets into the problem areas and releases the tension which provides relief of the pain associated with it and increases the range of motion.

Acupuncture also has the added benefit of treating some of the underlying causes as acupuncture has been found to treat anxiety, depression and stress thereby treating both cause and symptom of the disorder.

A study in 2008 (Bergstrom) found that patients who had received treatment 18-20 years earlier for TMJ were still reporting benefit from having received acupuncture treatment for TMJ.

What to expect if you use acupuncture to treat TMJ?

• Decrease in pain
• Increase in range of movement in the joint
• Decrease in teeth grinding
• Decrease in stress levels

What is acupuncture and how does it work?

Acupuncture is the insertion of single use, sterilised needles into specific areas of the body deemed, via a diagnostic system derived from Chinese Medicine, as being applicable in treating a specific set of symptoms.

The acupuncture nodes contain a high level of sensory fibres, fine blood vessels, messenger cells and lymphatic vessels. The points fall along pathways that interconnect. Needled correctly, the nervous system is stimulated creating a biochemical change in the body.

Why come to ben&biao for Acupuncture for TMJ?

• Research shows acupuncture can be effective*
• We have procedures and protocols for TMJ
• All our practitioners are registered with AHPRA
• We are conveniently located in Randwick

*Four systematic reviews on the management of facial pain in TMJ disorder (Jung et al 2011, La Touche et al 2010a, Cho et al 2010, La Touche et al 2010b) found evidence that acupuncture may be effective, but also stated that more (and larger, longer) high quality studies are needed to confirm acupuncture’s effect in TMJ disorder. Many of the reviewed trials used sham acupuncture control groups, despite the fact that ‘sham’ acupuncture interventions are not inert placebos, hence potentially underestimating the effect of ‘real’ acupuncture (Lundeberg et al, 2011).

A literature review by McDonald and Janz in 2017 found moderate evidence to support acupuncture being an effective treatment to TMJ.

by Heidi Dunn

Heidi Dunn and Sally Chilvers are registered Chinese herbalists, acupuncturists and Health Directors at ben&biao in Sydney, both have experience with patients who have TMJ Disfunction.

References:

1. BAcC, 2014. Facial Pain, The British Acupuncture Council, https://www.acupuncture.org.uk/a-to-z-of-conditions/a-to-z-of-conditions/facial-pain.html
2. Bergström I, List T, Magnusson T. 2008, A follow-up study of subjective symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients who received acupuncture and/or interocclusal appliance therapy 18-20 years earlier.. Acta odontologica Scandinavica. 66(2):88-92.
3. Cho SH, Whang WW. 2010, Acupuncture for temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. J Orofac Pain. 24(2):152-62.
4. Jung A et al. 2011, Acupuncture for treating temporomandibular joint disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, sham-controlled trials. J Dent.;39(5):341-50. Epub 2011 Feb 25.
5. La Touche R et al. 2010a, Acupuncture in the treatment of pain in temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin J Pain;26(6):541-50.
6. La Touche R et al. 2010b, Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders of muscular origin: a systematic review of the last decade. J Altern Complement Med.;16(1):107-12.
7. Lundeberg T et al. 2011, Is Placebo Acupuncture What It is Intended to Be? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med :932407

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