My time with acupuncturist Dawn Lucia

"A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of all human blessings." Hippocrates

This is the quote you’ll find on the home page of Grey Lynn, Auckland acupuncturist Dawn Lucia’s website, and for those looking to lead a life with better health in mind, Dawn really is a blessing. Her clinic – know as the Auckland Acupuncture and Herbology clinic - brings to you the 3,000 year old ancient art of Traditional Chinese Medicine for natural health, and all in the most nurturing way possible. Detroit-born Dawn is an experienced acupuncturist who has practiced for years both in the USA and New Zealand, as well as training extensively in the likes of Swedish Massage and Chinese Tuina Massage, nutrition, cupping and moxibustion.
When we met she explained to me that Chinese medicine uses its own unique method for describing disease. As a result, the practitioner doesn’t need to put a Western label to the disease in order to treat it. The benefit of this is that Chinese Medicine is often able to treat conditions that Western medicine has no name or explanation for. You may have an unexplained tummy pain or a strange twitch in the leg, either way; Chinese medicine excels at solving obscure problems. It can also be used to treat the likes of back pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hypertension, as well as for easing the aches and pains of pregnancy and preparing for birth.
You can expect your first visit to Dawn to last about an hour, and mine was just a little over as I threw numerous questions her way. She begins by asking you to fill out a complete medical history form, which is then discussed in detail. This gives her an overview of your general health and an understanding of the development of your chief concerns, and allows you to bring up any questions you may have about acupuncture i.e. “will it hurt?” (Answer: no!). She then takes time to observe your tongue, feel your pulse and palpate your abdomen. These steps are part of Traditional Chinese Medical diagnosis and help her to evaluate your overall health and to determine which acupuncture points and which Chinese Herbal formulae might be relevant to your treatment. She will then fill you in on the course of treatment she feels will benefit you most, the number and frequency of visits and the relevance of such any added extras such as massage, herbal prescriptions, nutrition and exercise in the overall treatment plan. The effects of acupuncture are cumulative too, so be prepared to embark on a journey involving a few trips to Dawn’s cosy Grey Lynn clinic.
She says that many people come to her with a raft of ailments, but that it’s best to concentrate primarily on the most pressing of those “as you don’t want to water down the treatments. We focus on the worst or most obvious problems first, and then the others often improve as a result”. She also focuses on what she believes is the root of the problem – which could be diet, or stress – “and then the branches i.e. the symptoms, begin to clear”. She also says the sooner you start treating a problem with acupuncture the better, as it will be ripe for intervention and the number of treatments will be less.
Dawn’s passion is encouraging people to return to a state of wellness and working to stay that way, and to indulge in the likes of acupuncture and better nutrition as a lifestyle rather than just a cure. “Come to me for maintenance,” she says, “because when your body is in balance it knows how to heal itself. Be well.”