Lane Cove Acupuncture — Your Questions Answered
Everything you need to know before your first visit — or your fiftieth. Lane Cove specific, practical, and honest.
Lane Cove Acupuncture is located in Lane Cove village on Sydney's lower North Shore. The clinic is easily accessible by car from Lane Cove, Artarmon, Willoughby, Chatswood, Longueville, Linfield, and surrounding suburbs, and is within reasonable distance of the Pacific Highway corridor.
For precise address and directions, please visit our Contact page or call reception. Detailed parking and public transport information is also available there.
Yes. Lane Cove village has good parking availability, including council car parks and street parking. The council car parks on Burns Bay Road and Little Street are within comfortable walking distance of the clinic. Some of these parks offer the first hour free or at low cost, which is sufficient for most acupuncture appointments.
Street parking on surrounding streets is generally available, particularly outside of the busy Saturday morning period. We recommend arriving 10 minutes before your appointment to allow for parking.
The easiest way to book is through our online booking system, available 24 hours at the Book Now button on this website. You can see real-time availability and select a time that suits you without calling during business hours.
If you prefer to speak with someone before booking — particularly for complex conditions, fertility concerns, or if you are unsure which appointment type is right for you — you are welcome to call reception during clinic hours. We are happy to advise on the most appropriate initial appointment type and duration.
No GP referral is required to book at Lane Cove Acupuncture, though we are always happy to receive referral letters or correspondence from your GP or specialists if you have them.
Lane Cove Acupuncture is open Monday through Sunday, 9:00am to 9:00pm. We maintain these extended hours seven days a week to serve North Shore patients who cannot attend during standard business hours — whether due to work commitments, parenting responsibilities, or simply preference.
Public holiday availability may vary; please check the online booking system or call ahead to confirm. The online booking system shows live availability at all times.
Absolutely. Lane Cove Acupuncture serves patients from across the North Shore, including Chatswood, Willoughby, Artarmon, St Leonards, North Sydney, Mosman, Cremorne, Longueville, Riverview, Lindfield, Roseville, and the Northern Beaches. Many patients also travel from the inner west and eastern suburbs for Dr Christine Shen's specialist fertility and women's health expertise.
The clinic's central Lane Cove location is accessible from multiple directions via the Pacific Highway, Longueville Road, and the Lane Cove Road corridor.
Acupuncture and dry needling both use fine needles inserted into the body, but they differ fundamentally in their scope, theoretical basis, and the training required to perform them.
Acupuncture is performed by practitioners registered with AHPRA under the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia. It is based on over 2,000 years of Chinese Medicine theory involving meridians, organ systems, Qi and Blood — and incorporates a full diagnostic consultation including tongue and pulse assessment. Treatment addresses the whole-body pattern driving the complaint, not only the local symptom.
Dry needling is a technique performed by physiotherapists, chiropractors, and other allied health professionals within their scope of practice. It targets specific trigger points in muscles (myofascial trigger points) and is primarily used for musculoskeletal pain. Practitioners performing dry needling typically complete short, focused training rather than a four-year Chinese Medicine degree.
The two approaches are not equivalent, though they may be complementary. At Lane Cove Acupuncture, all needling is performed by Dr Christine Shen, AHPRA-registered under the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia.
This depends on the duration and severity of your back pain and your individual response to treatment. As a guide:
Dr Christine Shen provides a clear treatment plan and realistic prognosis at the initial consultation. Most patients notice meaningful improvement within the first 3-4 sessions — if not, the plan is reviewed and adjusted.
Yes — and this is one of the most common presentations at Lane Cove Acupuncture. The high-pressure professional environment of the North Shore creates a significant burden of chronic stress, which in Chinese Medicine is primarily understood as Liver Qi Stagnation with secondary effects on the Heart Shen (mind and spirit).
Acupuncture is well-evidenced for reducing the physiological stress response — lowering cortisol, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, and reducing the HPA axis dysregulation that underlies chronic stress. Patients typically report feeling noticeably calmer and sleeping more deeply within 2-4 sessions.
Chinese herbal medicine — particularly formulas that move Liver Qi and calm the Shen — can significantly enhance the acupuncture effect for stress-related presentations.
Many Australian private health funds offer rebates for acupuncture when performed by an AHPRA-registered practitioner — and Dr Christine Shen is AHPRA-registered under the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia. Funds that typically offer acupuncture rebates include Medibank, Bupa, HCF, NIB, AHM, Teachers Health, and others.
The level of rebate varies depending on your fund, your policy level, and your remaining annual extras benefit. We process HICAPS rebates on the spot — you pay only the gap, with no need to submit manual claims.
We strongly recommend checking your specific policy details with your health fund before your appointment. You can do this online or by calling your fund directly. Ask specifically about "acupuncture" and "Chinese herbal medicine" benefits and the rebate amount per visit.
Acupuncture is generally compatible with blood-thinning medications such as warfarin, rivaroxaban (Xarelto), apixaban (Eliquis), or aspirin — but it requires clinical judgement and appropriate technique. The primary consideration is the risk of bruising or minor bleeding at needle sites.
At Lane Cove Acupuncture, patients on anticoagulants are assessed individually. Modifications to needle selection, insertion technique, and point location are made to minimise any bruising risk. Treatment is very much achievable, though some point locations may be avoided or approached differently.
Please disclose all medications (including blood thinners, supplements, and over-the-counter medications) at your initial consultation. This information is kept strictly confidential and used solely to inform safe treatment planning.
The ideal starting point for acupuncture in preparation for IVF is three months before the anticipated embryo transfer. This timeframe allows treatment to influence the full egg maturation cycle (approximately 90 days), support endometrial quality, regulate the hormonal cycle, and address any underlying TCM patterns (such as Blood Deficiency, Kidney Deficiency, or Qi Stagnation) that may be contributing to subfertility.
However, even starting four to six weeks before transfer provides meaningful benefit. Research on acupuncture around the time of embryo transfer — particularly in the 24-48 hours before and after transfer — suggests it may support implantation by improving uterine blood flow and reducing uterine contractility.
If you are already in an IVF cycle and have not yet started acupuncture, it is still worth booking — the closer to transfer the better in that case, and we will prioritise the most impactful interventions given your timeline.
Yes — cycle regulation is one of the most well-supported applications of Chinese Medicine, and one of the most common presentations at the Lane Cove clinic. An irregular cycle may reflect short or long cycles, missed periods, unpredictable flow, or cycles that are regular in length but symptom-heavy.
In TCM, cycle irregularity is understood through several possible patterns: Liver Qi Stagnation (often presenting with premenstrual tension, mood changes, and cycle variability), Blood Deficiency (light periods, delayed or missed cycles, fatigue), Kidney deficiency (fundamental hormonal insufficiency, relevant in those with a history of period problems since adolescence), or combinations of these patterns.
A combination of cycle-phase-specific acupuncture (different points at different phases of the cycle) and Chinese herbal medicine typically produces noticeable cycle improvement within 2-3 cycles of consistent treatment.
No — and this question is one we hear often at Lane Cove Acupuncture. Women in their 40s can and do conceive, both naturally and with assisted reproductive technologies, and Chinese Medicine offers meaningful support at every age.
The honest answer is that ovarian reserve declines with age and the biological picture changes in the 40s — TCM does not reverse this. What it can do is optimise the quality of available eggs, support endometrial receptivity, improve cycle regularity, address the Kidney Yin and Yang deficiency that is common in this age group, and provide support for the physical and emotional demands of fertility treatment.
For women undergoing IVF in their 40s (including donor egg IVF), acupuncture focused on endometrial support and reducing the physical stress of treatment is particularly valuable. Dr Christine Shen has extensive experience supporting patients in this age group and will provide realistic, compassionate guidance at the initial consultation.
Yes — acupuncture has meaningful evidence for reducing dysmenorrhoea (period pain) associated with endometriosis. It is understood to work through several mechanisms: reducing serum prostaglandin levels (the inflammatory compounds driving uterine cramping), modulating the immune response involved in endometriosis-related inflammation, stimulating endogenous opioid release, and improving pelvic circulation.
In TCM, endometriosis is primarily a Blood Stasis condition, often combined with Liver Qi Stagnation. Chinese herbal medicine — particularly formulas containing Dan Shen (Salvia) and Yi Mu Cao (Motherwort) — complements acupuncture significantly in this condition.
We do not position TCM as a replacement for conventional endometriosis management — laparoscopic diagnosis, hormonal therapy, and surgery where indicated remain important. What acupuncture and herbal medicine provide is meaningful symptom relief alongside conventional care, improving quality of life and reducing reliance on NSAIDs and other pain medications.
Fertility acupuncture is a specialised application of Chinese Medicine that requires specific knowledge of reproductive physiology, the menstrual cycle, assisted reproductive technologies, and the particular TCM patterns that affect fertility.
Key differences from general acupuncture include:
Dr Christine Shen has extensive specialised fertility acupuncture experience and has supported hundreds of North Shore women through conception — naturally and via IVF.
Yes. Dr Christine Shen holds AHPRA registration under the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia for both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Herbal medicine is available to patients at Lane Cove as granules (concentrated powder dissolved in hot water), patent pills, or raw herb decoctions depending on the condition and patient preference.
Herbal prescriptions are available as a standalone service (herbal medicine consultation without acupuncture) or as a complement to acupuncture treatment. The combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine typically produces superior outcomes to either modality alone for many conditions.
In most cases, yes — but this requires careful assessment. Some Chinese herbs have known interactions with Western medications. The most clinically significant interactions involve herbs that affect blood coagulation (relevant to anticoagulants), herbs that interact with cytochrome P450 liver enzymes (affecting the metabolism of many medications), and herbs with hormonal activity (relevant to thyroid medication or HRT).
A full medication history — including all prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements — is taken at the initial consultation. Herb selection is always made with awareness of your current medications. Where interactions are a concern, point prescriptions can be adjusted to avoid the relevant herbs, or an acupuncture-only approach may be recommended.
We also encourage patients to inform their GP or specialist that they are using Chinese herbal medicine, and can provide a list of prescribed herbs on request for their medical records.
At Lane Cove Acupuncture, herbs are most commonly prescribed as granules — concentrated herbal extracts that have been spray-dried from decoctions into a fine powder. To prepare granules, you simply dissolve the prescribed amount in hot water (typically 200-250ml) and drink as a tea. This takes about 60 seconds and can be done at home, at work, or while travelling.
Granules are significantly more convenient than raw herb decoctions, which require simmering for 45-60 minutes in a clay or stainless steel pot. Raw decoctions are available for patients who prefer the traditional method or for conditions where maximum formula customisation is important.
Patent pills — pre-made herbal tablets or capsules — are the most convenient option and are prescribed where the condition is straightforward and the formula does not need individualisation.
Dosing, preparation, and timing instructions are provided clearly in writing with every prescription.
Yes. All herbs used at Lane Cove Acupuncture are sourced from Australian suppliers who comply with Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) standards. This means:
Sustainability is a priority. Our suppliers prioritise cultivated herbs over wild-harvested wherever possible, protecting both plant species and traditional growing regions. Threatened species are not used, and any herbs on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) lists are sourced only from verified, sustainable cultivation.
We are happy to answer any specific sourcing questions at your consultation.
The duration of a herbal medicine course depends on the condition being treated and how you respond:
Formulas are not static — they are reviewed and adjusted at each follow-up consultation. A formula prescribed in month one will typically look different from one prescribed in month three as your pattern shifts and improves. This responsiveness is one of the great strengths of individualised herbal medicine prescription.
Call reception or book an initial consultation — we are happy to discuss your situation before you commit to an appointment.
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