Restore is Close to IVF Clinics and Major Maternity Hospitals

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Acupuncture IVF St Leonards

Restore Health & Wellness is conveniently close to the birthing centres and maternity teams at Royal North Shore, North Shore Private and the Mater Hospitals.  We are also within walking distance of Genea Australia and less than 1km from IVF Australia.

Our acupuncturists and osteopaths care for patients during their fertility, pregnancy, labour and postpartum journey.

As we are so close to hospitals and IVF centres our acupuncturists are renowned for their work in IVF pre and post transfer acupuncture and labour induction acupuncture.

If you need to see one of our practitioners you can always book online however if it is time sensitive due to your transfer time or overdue bub please call us on (02) 9439 3333 and we will make it work!

Osteopathy for Headaches 

Acupuncture for Insomnia

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Acupuncture for Insomnia

 

Multiple studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for insomnia. Acupuncture lessens anxiety, stimulates melatonin production, induces sleep onset, and reduces sleep disruption during the night. All of these effects amount to an overall increase in total sleep time. 

Acupuncture also activates your parasympathetic system which is the part of your nervous system that encourages your body to rest and digest. In some instances, acupuncture is used as a treatment not for insomnia itself, but for pain from other physical conditions that in turn make it difficult to fall asleep at night.

The first step your acupuncturist will take is to try to assess why this may be happening to you at this time and whether they can help.  In some cases you GP will be involved in this assessment process to rule out any serious illness. Lets have a look at the most common causes of insomnia:

Common Causes of Insomnia

Adrenal  and  thyroid  disorders: Adrenal  and  thyroid  glands  are  responsible  for  producing  hormones  that  regulate  energy  levels,  metabolic  rate  and  sleep  onset  and maintenance.

Chronic pain: Chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis are  strong related to sleep disorders as the pain can prevent sleep onset and maintenance.  On that note – sleep deprivation has been found to increase pain sensitivity, leading to a vicious cycle, hence the importance of addressing causes and symptoms. 

Breathing  disorders: Sleep  apnoea  which  is  the  obstruction  of  airways  during  sleep may stop the airflow and cause the individual to wake up, often several times during the night.  Similarly,  inadequate  mouth  breathing,  asthma  and  snoring  may  interrupt  sleep cycles and prevent restorative sleep.   

Poor sleep hygiene: Irregular sleep schedule, stimulating activities (such as strenuous exercise,  smart  phones,  computers  and  TV  exposure,  nicotine,  alcohol,  recreational drugs  and  caffeine  consumption) .  Also an  uncomfortable  sleep  environment may affect circadian rhythm and disturb  sleep quality. 

Protein rich meal too close to bed time: An important raw material for the synthesis of  melatonin in the brain is the amino acid tryptophan. High-protein meals can decrease the  availability of tryptophan because other amino acids compete for absorption.

Imbalances  in  gut  flora: A  very  high  percentage  of  neurotransmitters  (also responsible  for  regulating  sleep  onset  and  maintenance)  is  produced  by  the  good  gut bacteria. Any conditions affecting the gut flora balance such as candida overgrowth and parasite infections may negatively affect neurotransmitters production, directly impacting sleep patterns.

Anxiety: Insomnia is frequently associated with depression and most anxiety disorders. The causes and effects are bidirectional – insomnia can lead to anxiety and depression, whereas chronic insomnia is often a symptom of depression and anxiety disorders

 

Therefore treatment for insomnia needs to follow a thorough assessment and treatment plan to eradicate as many causative factors as possible.  Acupuncture then works to settle the system back down and allow you to return to a normative sleep pattern.  At Restore our acupuncturists regularly care for patients with insomnia and other related issues such as anxiety and gut issues.  If you are struggling with insomnia book an appointment with us today.

Osteopathy for Headaches

 

Acupuncture for Endometriosis

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Acupuncture is frequently used to assist in the regulation of hormones and the reduction of inflammation.  This is why it is commonly used to great effect in the treatment of a condition called endometriosis.  Endometriosis is a condition whereby  some of the tissue lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, grows outside of the uterus. Endometriosis is a progressive, chronic condition and is often very painful.  It is also associated with infertility as this endometrial tissue can interfere with fallopian tubes and result in ovarian endometrial cysts.  It is estimated that up to 1 in 10 women suffer from endometriosis which is over 700,000 women in Australia alone.

In a recent study researchers found acupuncture more effective than hormone drug therapy for the treatment of endometriosis. Acupuncture relieves menstrual pain, reduces the size of pelvic masses, lowers CA125 levels, and reduces the recurrence rate of endometriosis. CA125 a is biomarker for several types of cancer and benign conditions including endometriosis and menstrual disorders.

Researchers in the study compared the symptoms in patients receiving acupuncture with those receiving standard drug therapy. According to their findings patients receiving acupuncture achieved a 92.0% total effective rate, whilst patients receiving mifepristone achieved only a 52.0% total effective rate. In addition to this benefit acupuncture has no side effects unlike drug therapy.

This supports what the Restore acupuncturists see daily – that acupuncture can result in significant reduction of symptoms of endometriosis and reduce its recurrence.

Osteopathy for Headaches

A Night With The Resilience Project

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I was very fortunate last night to attend a lecture by the team from the Resilience Project.  The Resilience Project was formed to help combat the rise in mental health disorders in Australian society. They provide evidence based, practical strategies to help build resilience – or the ability to weather lifes’ inevitable challenges.  They do this through emotionally engaging programs at schools and workplaces and lectures such as the one last night at the Seymour Centre.

Through the daily practice of feeling gratitude, showing empathy to others, and practicing mindfulness, research has shown that depression and anxiety are significantly reduced.  Other important factors are a healthy diet (particularly one low in sugar), regular exercise and reducing use of devices.  By taking small, daily steps to care for our mental health as much as our physical health we can assist our own mental resilience, and set a good example for our children.

I found the talk of great benefit as it is very important for Restores health practitioners to look after their own welfare in order to be at our best to care for our patients each day.  If you think that your community, workplace or school would benefit from listening to a talk by the Resistance Project, just go to their website click here and find out more about what they do.  For more information on building resilience in children you can go to the Beyond Blue website page about this issue here.

Osteopathy for Headaches

Pain and Depression

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Picture of woman with pain

Musculoskeletal pain can significantly restrict a person’s life and their ability to function to their full potential. Whilst people love to be social and get together to walk, play sport or go to the park, if we are restricted by pain, it can affect our social lives, and then inevitably, our mental health.  Pain influences our mood and personal wellbeing, creating feelings of anxiety, stress and worry. That is why there is a strong link between pain and mental health.

Pain is very real for the 6.9 million Australians living with musculoskeletal conditions. Whilst debilitating, the reality is that without pain management, a third (34%) of Australians who are impacted by chronic pain, will develop mental health conditions. As 30%–40% of people with chronic pain report major depression, the uncertainty of a full recovery results in feelings of despair and defeat. This creates a vicious cycle between our physical and mental wellbeing.

Osteopaths use manual medicine to treat patients with musculoskeletal pain.  Osteopathy considers the pain and the person together to provide a personal therapy. As osteopaths, our task is to look for the main contributors to your pain.  We then provide education, manual therapy and a management plan that is focused on how you can reduce your pain and prevent re- occurrence.  We also help you to make a plan to manage your mental health during this time, including prescribing exercise, meditation, reducing unhelpful habits such as poor diet and alcohol.  This may also involve referring you to your GP or psychologist if appropriate.

I would encourage those struggling with musculoskeletal pain and experiencing associated feelings of anxiety and depression to visit an osteopath. At Restore Health & Wellness we have experienced, professional osteopaths available 6 days per week.

To read more about how osteopathy can help you go to the Osteopathy Australia website at www.osteopathy.org.au.

 

Osteopathy for Lower Back Pain

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Low back pain is the single biggest cause of years lived with disability worldwide.  It is therefore also a major challenge to international health systems. In 2018, the Lancet Low Back Pain Series Working Group identified a global problem of mismanagement of low back pain.  The group documented the phenomenon of unnecessary care whereby patients receive health services which don’t follow international guidelines.  There was strong evidence that this unnecessary care, including complex pain medications, spinal imaging tests, spinal injections, hospitalisation and surgical procedures, were hazardous for most patients with low back pain.  

The first intervention for what we call “simple” lower back pain (no neurological signs and symptoms) should be conservative.  At Restore this is osteopathic treatment, rest, anti-inflammatories if appropriate, and ergonomic and exercise advice.  At Restore we have always found that conservative management, lifestyle changes, improvement in strength and osteopathic care have a significant improvement in symptoms of lower back pain, and in the majority of patients will resolve it entirely.

If neurological signs are present e.g. burning, numbness, we will always refer patients