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Acupuncture skills have been handed down through families, teachers and communities. Here is how those heritage stories sit alongside your own care.

Knowledge handed down through people

Much of acupuncture's history is a story of relationships. Skills have passed from parents to children, teachers to students and practitioners to the neighbourhoods they looked after. Tales of inheritance and service give a human face to a medical tradition and help explain why it has endured for so long.

Heritage is context, not a forecast

A family lineage is a cultural story. It can be moving and meaningful, but it does not foretell how a modern treatment will turn out for any individual. Admiring a tradition and assessing your own situation are two separate tasks, and both deserve attention.

Asking how a practitioner works

Curiosity about heritage can spark good questions about how a practitioner thinks. Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, who practises at the Lane Cove clinic, enjoys conversations about the tradition as much as discussions about your treatment. Your visit will still involve its own assessment, your informed agreement and a way of checking how things are going.

Moving from story to plan

When talk turns to your health, it can help to say what bothers you and, separately, what you would like to be different. Possible goals include:

• moving with less discomfort during a particular task;
• getting a clearer sense of what is behind a symptom;
• recognising when a GP or specialist should take a look.

Christine can set out how she will track your response and what would prompt her to revise the plan.

Honouring the people behind the practice

Every tradition is carried by individuals who chose to learn, teach and serve. If you have your own family connection to Chinese medicine, you are welcome to share it during your visit to the Lane Cove clinic; it can enrich the conversation in unexpected ways and help Christine understand what the practice means to you.