About Little Window East Asian Medicine
Little Window was created by Dr Lucy James to provide access to complementary healthcare in the Macedon Ranges of regional Victoria.
Why Little Window?
During my undergraduate studies, I had a marvellous Gynaecology lecturer who would often refer to the menstrual period as a ‘little window’ into an individual’s health. Throughout my studies of meridians and channels, I have come to appreciate that the body offers us countless of these ‘little windows’ into understanding what is happening in your system on a deeper level.
About Lucy
I am an AHPRA-registered Chinese medicine practitioner (BHSc) with formal training in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and shiatsu. I have undertaken additional post graduate studies in Chinese medicine for gynaecology and obstetrics and menopause as well as allied health care for the LGBTQIA+ community.
I also studied under a traditional apprenticeship across two years with post-graduate training in Paediatrics, with emphasis on tactile therapies and herbal medicine for babies and children.
I am a trained yoga instructor, and taught in the Macedon Ranges for many years. Through my engagement with community and raising my own young family, it was Chinese medicine that offered a system of medicine that worked with prevention rather than cure.
It is not uncommon for individuals to seek East Asian therapies when the biomedical system has failed them, and I welcome those that are seeking a second opinion or are willing to delve into their health from the ground up. I am deeply passionate about exploring the possibilities for improved health outcomes while taking an integrative approach to healthcare.
It is my firm belief that Eastern and Western medical methods have much to offer one another, and can work together in harmony.
I take a hands-on approach in my treatment style, where we participate together to regulate your body’s natural healing mechanisms, whether through bodywork, acupuncture, ancillary techniques, herbs or a combination. I love general practice and have a particular interest in gynaecology, complex pain conditions and respiratory health. See below for some of the areas where East Asian medicine may be able to help you with.
Respiratory health, including COVID recovery, hayfever, asthma, colds and flus
Gastrointestinal issues and digestive health
Gynaecology, including menstrual disorders, fertility and menopause support
LGBTQIA+ health
Mental health and stress management
Insomnia and sleep disorders
Acute injuries and chronic pain
Autoimmune diseases
Neurological disorders
Dermatology
About Chinese and East Asian medicine
Chinese medicine is a tried and tested system of healing that was established well over 2000 years ago, and has continued to develop well into the modern era. Little Window encompasses East Asian medicine because the traditional system of Chinese medicine has roots in Ayurvedic medicines, and over the past two millenia, Chinese medicine has further developed in other countries such as Korea, Japan and Taiwan to offer a truly multicultural approach to this wonderful system.
My practice also encompasses Shiatsu, a meridian-based therapy that was developed in Japan. Shiatsu literally translates as ‘finger-pressure’ and uses acupressure through the fingers, thumbs, palms, elbows and even knees and feet to harmonise the body’s systems.
It is a truly integrative science of medicine, restoring the body’s natural capacity to heal itself, using a variety of tools to move, clear, tonify or strengthen. You may have heard of the concept of Qi, which has no clear translation into English. However, many translations use terms such as life force or energy.
In Chinese philosophy, the notion of yinshi-lidao 因势利导 refers to the concept of guiding a matter along its course of development, according to circumstances as they present themselves. The practice of Chinese medicine leans heavily on relativity, with no symptom or experience occurring in isolation. As physicians, we welcome your whole self into the treatment space, acknowledging that (for example) your broken heart is just as relevant as the frozen shoulder you’ve come in with, and by employing the concept of yinshi-lidao, offering the treatment that is most appropriate to the circumstances you arrive in.
He Wei Gui is a Chinese phrase that can be interpreted as ‘to harmonise is a life long need.’ It speaks to the idea that we are in a permanent state of movement – and with the help of acupuncture, herbal therapy and ancillary techniques, we are able to facilitate tuning the body to its own rhythms.
Herbal medicine
What are herbs?! No, I’m not talking about the rosemary and thyme that you add to your soups, but the East Asian traditional understanding of herbal substances. Countless times I have had friends and family exclaim ‘I don’t get it! Herbs are leaves and stuff, but you’ve got bits of rock and fruit and twigs and oh my gosh is that a bug?! Argh!’
When we are referring to Chinese medicine, we need to expand our western understanding of the English language. The first record of the Chinese Materia Medica (Shen Nong Bencao Jing 神農本草經) was compiled in around 200CE, and our translation of ‘herbs’ typically refers to the medicinal substances found in those texts.
Herbs may be prescribed as pills, capsules, granules or in their crude form. Granules are typically dissolved in hot water and drunk as a tea (or as an espresso, as I like to advise my patients!) and crude herbs are boiled up like a broth. More information about administration and costs involved can be found here.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine needles (thinner than a single hair in some cases!) into specific points along meridians or channel pathways. These pathways were developed over 2000 years ago and involve a network that is understood to be closely linked with our biomedical understanding of fascia and connective tissue.
Acupuncture requires a minimum four-year university qualification and is a vastly different science and art from the modern practice of dry needling, which is based on trigger point therapy. The style of acupuncture I used is based in primary channels theory, with extensive postgraduate training in the Master Tung acupuncture system, which was made famous in the 1960s for its management in pain disorders – you might find that we are needling areas of the body that seem far away from your main complaint, however this simply demonstrates the vast complexities of the internal networks within our own bodies.
In my practice I use the highest quality stainless steel needles manufactured by Seirin and Balance in Japan, both of which are known for their smooth insertion and minimal pain.
Ancillary techniques
Cupping, gua sha and moxibustion can all be considered ancillary techniques.
Cupping
Cupping is the application of cups through the use of suction on various channels and points on the body to promote movement of Qi and Blood, which can help to relieve pain and soften tissue. Glass cups use a flame to create a vacuum, while silicone cups are squeezed onto the surface of the skin to create a vacuum. I use both in my practice. Cupping can bring ‘sha’ to the surface, which can be translated as redness. You may recognise it as a bruise the day after your treatment. However, unlike a bruise these marks are unlikely to be tender to touch and do not go through the full gamut of colour change as they dissipate. The colour, texture and temperature of the skin following cupping can be highly diagnostic and inform further treatment.
Gua Sha
Gua Sha is similar to cupping in that we bring ‘sha’ to the surface, through scraping along areas of stagnation in the body. While scraping may sound a little barbaric, it is often done with a smooth piece of jade or porcelain soup spoon using oil or herbal liniment and is quite gentle.
Moxibustion
Moxa refers to a prepared form of Chinese mugwort (Ai Ye 艾叶) that is burned near the individual’s skin in order to warm and move Qi and Blood in the channels. In some cases, I may send you home with a stick of your very own moxa, a powerful tool you can use to continue your treatment between appointments.
Shiatsu
Shiatsu is an acupressure technique derived from Japan, based on the principles of Chinese medicine meridian theory. Shiatsu translates to ‘finger pressure’, however your practitioner is likely to use their whole body including palms, elbows, and even knees and feet in treatment.
Shiatsu aims to restore the balance of energy in the body and follows the notion that the body has the capacity for self-healing. By removing blockages and improving circulation, lymph drainage and energy flow, the body is able to self-regulate more successfully.
Shiatsu also utilises stretches and body mobilisation techniques in order to treat various musculoskeletal and postural ailments. This system can be especially beneficial for patients who may not feel comfortable with acupuncture.
