The Health Clinic has recently opened in Great North Road in Grey Lynn. Ponsonby News talked to co-owners Dr Mary Garvey and Stephen Parsons about their new business.
What a great location you’ve chosen to open in - there’s Robinson’s vegan deli, Tart Bakery, Postal Service cafe, Wise Boys - it’s become our favourite part of Grey Lynn.
Have you met any of the other businesses yet?
Our neighbours right here have been great! We’ve done some walk arounds to visit quite a few of the local businesses and say ‘Hi’, and we’ve reached out by email to many of the Grey Lynn medical, health, beauty and fitness businesses. Everyone has been so welcoming. Meeting all these like-minded professionals and residents has really helped us settle in and create a really nice vibe in the Clinic.
Please tell us about your backgrounds? Mary and Stephen? Any specialities?
Mary: I’d left a busy job and career in Sydney and was planning my semi-retirement when I met Stephen late last year. We hit it off and realised we had a lot in common, especially our love of Chinese medicine. He was looking to set up a practice and it seemed just so logical to set up together.
Stephen: I started my career initially in the fashion industry and moved to Sydney where I started a large manufacturing and wholesale clothing business. The rag trade is a tough business and even though I loved it, I became very burnt out and needed a change. I returned home to New Zealand and started to use acupuncture myself for my own health needs as opposed to following the conventional biomedical approach, and got amazing results. It was this that made me decide to go and re-train in Chinese medicine. People often ask if I specialise in any particular area, but to be honest I enjoy working with all types of patients whether it be a simple sports injury to a complex chronic condition. However, I do love working with Chinese herbs and try and incorporate them into as many treatments as I can.
Chinese medicine practice is quite varied because it can help with all kinds of problems and conditions. At the moment we are seeing clients wanting to recover well from their surgeries, cancer treatments, injuries and infections. Other clients include women with period and menopause problems, kids with respiratory problems, others with anxiety, arthritis, fatigue, sciatica, indigestion or gut health concerns. Although we’ve only been open for a couple of months, there’s already quite a range!
What services do you offer?
We specialise in traditional Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine. Even if you think needles are scary, you’ll be surprised how comfortable and relaxing acupuncture can be. You’ll be able to try out moxa to relieve aches and pains, and to protect yourself from colds and flu. Cupping and gua sha (skin scraping) is just as good as a massage and is excellent for relaxing and relieving tired and tense muscles. Chinese herbs can work quickly to take care of coughs, sleeping problems, fertility issues, mental and emotional stresses and can be great in combination with your acupuncture treatments.
What conditions are best treated by Chinese medicine?
Many people are aware of acupuncture these days and how good it can be to help with pain and injuries. The World Health Organization analysed all the research on acupuncture and its report lists a large variety of conditions that respond well. Researchers are constantly exploring the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and showing some amazing results. So its official: TCM can help with a wide variety of health concerns!
Anything else you’d like to tell us?
Chinese medicine offers some very good healthcare options for all ages and all kinds of conditions. Safe and effective treatment for general health, and for sometimes difficult health problems, are vital for most people, and this forms the basis of our approach in clinic. We often see people that have tried other modalities and are not happy with the result, or they end up with medications that don’t suit them, so as a last resort they give acupuncture a go.
We would suggest that people think about Chinese medicine to start with as we can often see excellent results in a very short space of time. And plus, you’ll leave after your appointment feeling very relaxed! Our main goal at the clinic is to place our clients’ health concerns first and to work closely together to set realistic outcome measures for your personal health journey.
For the month of August, we are happy to offer all Ponsonby News readers a discounted rate of $75 for your first consult, or ACC patients with a valid ACC45 a discounted surcharge of just $15.
We would love to see you all in clinic, so please feel free to call or email us with any queries, or book your appointment online direct.
THE HEALTH CLINIC, 2/571 Great North Road, T: 09 360 0738, www.thehealthclinic.co.nz
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Published 6 August 2021