Dr Hameed has over 15 years experience in general practice. He is an expert in Traditional Chinese acupuncture with needles as well as laser acupuncture and Pain Management.

Dr Hameed is an accredited medical acupuncturist by Medicare Australia and rebates are available.

How acupuncture works

Acupuncture works by stimulating the body to heal itself. Basically it is a way of retraining the body’s nervous system and of balancing its energies.
Very fine disposable needles are inserted into areas of the body containing nerve endings. The type of nerve ending and the method of needling determines the response elicited.
At best it is an effective treatment for a wide range of conditions. At worse in skilled medical hands acupuncture is virtually harmless. It should not be used as a last resort treatment but should be undertaken at the earliest possible stage before a complaint becomes chronic and therefore harder to treat.
Treatment should always follow diagnosis.

The treatment itself

Insertion of acupuncture needles should usually be painless. However for effective treatment sensations such as tingling, numbness or distension may need to be felt by the patient. Such sensations are seldom painful, nor should they be. For best results, patient should be warm, relaxed and not overly hungry at time of treatment. People who are physically exhausted, fasting or suffering from bleeding disorders should not undergo treatment. Pregnancy and the use of anticoagulants should be declared prior to treatment. Patients with pacemakers should not have electro-acupuncture. Most medical drugs do not inhibit acupuncture efficacy.

Conditions which may be treated

Acupuncture can successfully treat a wide range of conditions including:

• Chronic pain states
• Stress related disorders – including anxiety and depression
• Muscle and tendon injuries including sports injuries
• Sinusitis
• Hay fever
• All forms of headaches
• Vertigo

• Acute shingles/post herpetic neuralgia
• Acupuncture has limited evidence for its effectiveness in areas other than pain
• Facial nerve paralysis
• Backache/neckache
• Sciatica
• Menstrual disorders
• Fertility
• Pregnancy induced ailments such as morning sickness
• Addictions – smoking, drugs

The list is exhaustive, if unsure about your particular problem don’t hesitate to discuss with Dr Hameed.

Number of treatments

The number of treatments necessary varies with the nature, severity and chronicity of the complaint. In some cases, for example, morning sickness or acute strained neck, relief may be obtained after two or three treatments.
In general however, most complaints require up to ten treatments before marked relief is noted. Return to normal sleep and improved range of movement usually precede pain relief. Chronic degenerative disease such as osteoarthritis cannot be cured. They require intensive initial treatment followed by booster treatments as pain returns to maintain relief.

Side effects

Side effects occur in a minority of patients, they may include transient aggravation symptoms, euphoria, relaxation or minor bruising.
Serious side effects such as organ puncture and retention of broken needles are extremely rare when acupuncture is administered by a qualified Medical Practitioner.