Chris Doyle
Senior Consultant Acupuncturist
Chris has practised acupuncture for more than thirty years, including a clinical tenure at Nanning Hospital in China. He works across Chinese, Japanese and laser acupuncture, and uses electroacupuncture, cupping, moxibustion and gua sha alongside needling.
Registration and credentials
- AHPRA registration:
- CMR0001739422
- Provider number:
- 1095941W
- Member of:
- Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA)
You can check any AHPRA registration yourself at ahpra.gov.au , search the register by name or registration number.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture)
- Advanced Diploma of Health Science (Acupuncture)
- Diploma of Applied Science (Remedial Therapies)
- Colonic Hydrotherapy, foundation level
- Member, Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS)
Background
- More than thirty years in practice
- Clinical tenure at Nanning Hospital, China
What Chris works with
- Chinese, Japanese and laser acupuncture
- Electroacupuncture
- Cupping
- Moxibustion
- Gua sha
- Acupressure
- Dietary and lifestyle advice within Traditional Chinese Medicine
Book an appointment
Appointments are booked online or by phone. Fees and what a first appointment involves are on the acupuncture page.
What Chris treats
- Low back pain: what helps, and what to ignore
- Sciatica: what it actually is, and what helps
- Neck and shoulder pain from desk work
- Headaches from the neck: which kind responds to treatment
- Jaw pain and TMJ problems
- Tennis elbow: pain on the outside of the elbow
- Dry needling: how it differs from acupuncture
The rest of the team
Questions
Acupuncture questions
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture involves inserting very fine single-use needles into specific points on the body. It originates in Chinese medicine and is now used alongside conventional care for a range of mainly pain-related complaints. In Australia acupuncturists are registered with AHPRA through the Chinese Medicine Board, which sets qualification and practice standards.
Does acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture needles are far finer than the needles used for injections or blood tests, closer to a hair than to a syringe, and most people feel little on insertion. What you may notice afterwards is a dull heaviness, warmth or mild ache around the point, which is expected. Sharp or lasting pain is not, and you should say so straight away.
What is acupuncture used for?
At this clinic acupuncture is used mainly for musculoskeletal and pain-related complaints, including:
- Back and neck pain
- Tension-type and neck-related headaches
- Joint and muscular pain
- Sports and overuse injuries
- Pain-related sleep disturbance
- Muscular tension associated with stress
How does acupuncture work?
The mechanism is not fully settled. Research suggests needling influences local blood flow, muscle tension and the way pain signals are processed in the nervous system, and there is reasonable evidence for benefit in some pain conditions. Traditional Chinese medicine explains it differently, in terms of channels and qi. You do not have to accept either framework to get something out of a session, and any practitioner claiming the mechanism is fully understood is overstating it.
How many acupuncture sessions will I need?
Most people are advised to try a short course, commonly four to six sessions, and then reassess. Acupuncture does not suit everyone, and if there has been no meaningful change after a fair trial, continuing is unlikely to help. Your practitioner should tell you that rather than book you in indefinitely.
Can acupuncture prevent illness?
No, and it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. There is no good evidence that acupuncture prevents infections or disease, and it is not a substitute for vaccination, screening or medical care. Where it has reasonable supporting evidence is in managing certain pain conditions, that is what it is offered for here.
Bookings
Book with the practitioner you have just read about
Appointments are booked online or by phone, and reception books you with the person you asked for rather than the next available one.
No payment needed to book · Confirmation by SMS · No referral needed