What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is the ancient practice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine that involves the insertion of fine needles into specific points on the body. These points are carefully chosen by our trained practitioners and are located along meridians, which are channels through which vital energy, known as Qi, flows in the body. The goal of acupuncture is to facilitate the smooth flow of Qi and to address blockages or imbalances that may contribute to health conditions, injuries, or stress.
What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine is a tool used by our trained practitioners to assist with healing the body. By using herbal medicine and dietary therapy, it uses natural substances to support the body’s healing process, as well as emphasising the use of food as medicine to maintain health and alleviate imbalances. Herbal medicine has been developed over thousands of years, is based upon clinical practice, and is now combined with modern medical research.
The benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Traditional Chinese Medicine assists the body’s natural healing process, encouraging balance and overall health and well-being. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine work together, with you and your body, to promote and strengthen bodily functions.
Supporting Overall Health
Natural Healing Process
Well-Being
Traditional Chinese Medicine encompasses a
range of different therapies such as:
- Acupuncture
- Diet & Lifestyle Advice
- Tui Na (Chinese Massage)
- Moxibustion (Heat Therapy)
- Cosmetic Acupuncture
- Herbal medicine
- Cupping
- Gua Sha
- Digestive Issues
Acupuncture
Cupping
Cosmetic Acupuncture
Cosmetic acupuncture is a natural way to promote youthful skin and facial rejuvenation. It work on your body’s natural ability to restore, revitalise and regenerate.
What is a TCM treatment like at SA Integrated Therapies?
THE PRACTITIONERs.
Carla Brion
Carla believes in the importance of restoring balance and nurturing all aspects of health. She supports clients to make lifestyle and dietary adjustments that complement her Chinese Medicine treatment, to get them the best results.
Carla believes education as being key, so that her clients can take their health into their own hands. Her philosophy is treating holistically to support the mental, emotional and the physical. To connect the mind, the body and the spirit.
Carla is passionate about integrative medicine, with a special interest in women’s health and family planning. She has extensive knowledge supporting natural fertility, supporting pregnancy and post-partum mamas, hormone balancing (PCOS, Endometriosis, fibroids), and she loves working with pregnancy and providing postpartum care! Being able to share the journey of pregnancy to motherhood is such an honour.
Carla is a qualified acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, trained in Melbourne and China.
Outside of work, Carla loves spending time in and around the ocean. She is a yogi and loves whole foods, travelling, seeing live music, and spending time with her family, friends, and rescue dog – Gypsy.
Carla is a mother to her daughters, Farrah and Devi, and son, Iluka. Being a mother has brought a whole new perspective to her practice.
DANIEL D'CRUZ
Daniel is another one of our Chinese Medicine practitioners and Acupuncturists. He is passionate about helping you push past the “just okay” stage to help your body and mind function as well as possible every day.
Dan focuses on treating you holistically. Any symptom or issue can be tied to other imbalances in your system that need correcting, and Dan likes to treat the “root” (cause) as well as the “branch” (symptom).
Dan understands that everyone experiences life uniquely, even people with the same health conditions. He places a lot of importance and value on your personal experience of your condition and combines this information with TCM principles and his knowledge to inform the treatment. Dan works to tailor treatments specifically to you and your unique presentation, adjusting treatments as your case changes. He also often works closely with other practitioners when managing complex chronic cases.
Dan enjoys treating anyone and everyone, but he has a special interest in treating pelvic pain and endometriosis.
- Fertility (women and men)
- IVF support
- Women’s health (pelvic pain, endometriosis, menstrual cycle, menopause)
- Mental health (anxiety, depression, insomnia)
- Musculoskeletal pain/tightness (lower back & hips, chest, nerve pain)
- Cosmetic acupuncture and skin health
- Internal health
When he is not reading acupuncture textbooks or chatting to his patients, Dan enjoys making music, listening to music, and hanging out with his daughter Aubrey and son Asher.
- Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture)
- Registered with AHPRA
- Member of AACMA
ANNABEL HAMMER
Annabel has a genuine desire to care for others and her warm character assists her in helping people get well and feel good. Her approach being holistic and personal with treatments focusing on all aspects of the human condition, physical and emotional.
Annabel supports women and men in their journey to parenthood, with both natural and assisted conception in adjunct to IVF, IUI & OI. She supports women throughout all trimesters of pregnancy and in the post-partum period. She works in a complementary way and strongly believes in fluid communication between herself and the relevant caregivers. Annabel adds to her practice her own personal journey
with fertility struggles and found acupuncture and Chinese Herbs
to be incredibly beneficial. She also completed Hypnobirthing instructor training with The Little Birth Company.
Some of the many areas Annabel can assist with:
- Menstrual disorders, female and male infertility, menopause, IVF
- Recurrent miscarriage, pregnancy, labour, postnatal care
- Mental-emotional care — stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia
- Pain: musculoskeletal, headaches, digestive complaints
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Science with Honours (Licentiate in Acupuncture)
- Diploma in TCM Gynaecology and Obstetrics
- Diploma in TuiNa
- Registered with AHPRA
- Member of AACMA
Annabel recently returned to Adelaide after 16 years in the UK where she completed her acupuncture training at The College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. Her training combines the two schools of acupuncture, Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Annabel adored her time living in the UK where she built her own successful clinic and following in West London and Surrey and was part of the team at the prestigious London Acupuncture Clinic. After the birth of her daughter Ava, it was time to return to Adelaide and it has been a joy to be back in her home country.
Bermata davis
Bermata is a degree-qualified Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner with a deep passion for holistic health. With a background in dance and yoga, Bermata has spent over 12 years teaching dance and exploring movement, anatomy, and the body’s natural ability to heal. However, a personal injury that once seemed like the end of her dance career led her to discover the profound benefits of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Inspired by its transformative impact, she pursued a Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture Therapies) at Endeavour College of Natural Health, driven by a desire to help others reconnect with their own healing potential.
Bermata believes in looking beyond symptoms to uncover the root cause of imbalances, viewing the body as a dynamic, interconnected system. By identifying patterns and restoring harmony, she helps guide patients on their unique healing journeys—whether addressing chronic pain, emotional well-being, women’s health, or digestive concerns.
She has a keen interest in:
- Internal health & digestion (bloating, IBS, food sensitivities)
- Musculoskeletal pain & chronic conditions (tension, tightness, injuries)
- Cosmetic & facial acupuncture (supporting skin health, fine lines, acne, scarring)
- Women's health & pregnancy support (menstrual cycle regulation, endometriosis, menopause, pre & post natal care)
- Sports & performance recovery (cupping, energy restoration)
- Mental & emotional wellbeing (stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia)
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture Therapies)
- Registered with AHPRA
- Member of AACMA