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Adelaide Women’s Health

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Adelaide Women’s Health

Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Qualified Acupuncturist Carla is a member of AACMA (Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association).

rs. She undertook essential clinical training in acupuncture, gynaecology, oncology, paediatrics, dermatology, rheumatology and tuina (Chinese Massage) and applies this knowledge to her clinical practice. Passionate and committed, she endeavours to help prevent illness and promote well being by assisting in bringing the body back into balance. Treating each patient holistically as an individual, Carla applies Chinese Medicine to address and effectively treat a wide range of health conditions such as musculoskeletal conditions, respiratory disorders and low immunity, skin conditions, insomnia, headaches and arthritis. Carla has a special interest in treating chronic pain, digestive issues, stress and emotional disorders as well as Women’s health issues such as menstrual irregularities, fertility and PMS. Her treatment methods include a combination of acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine and may also include cupping and moxibustion, tuina and lifestyle and nutritional advice. Carla recognises the strengths of integrating Chinese and Western medicine to achieve the best possible outcome in achieving good health for all her patients. She is registered with major health funds and her patients are eligible for private insurance rebates on consultations.

_________________________________________________________
B.App.SC. Chinese Medicine
B.App.SC. Human Biology
Clinical Internship (JiangSu Provincial Hospital, China)

01/07/2025

T H E P I N S 🤲🏽
|| *…L et’s talk about the needles*
Because I get asked all the time, do they hurt? And from someone who had a needle phobia before studying TCM, I can tell you the truth…

Acupuncture needles:
🤍 Not scary
🤍 Generally not painful (I’m very gentle)
🤍 Not the same as the ones at the doctors
🤍 Different to dry needling
🤍 Non invasive

They’re super fine, smooth, flexible and gentle — more like a tiny hair than a needle.
Most people barely feel a thing. Some even nap through their session (hello, acupuncture nap!!)

What you will feel:
❤️ A wave of calm
❤️ A softening in your body
❤️ A sense of coming back to yourself
❤️ Relaxation that’s like nothing else
❤️ Release of stress and anxiety
❤️ Better quality sleep following treatment

In Chinese Medicine, we use needles to gently move and tonify Qi, open channels, encourage wellness and invite your body back into balance.

So if the word “needle” is holding you back — please don’t worry. Acupuncture isn’t about pain — it’s about presence, calmness and deep, beautiful healing.

I’ve got you 🫶🏽

Love,
Carla
xo ||

Image;

28/06/2025

T C M W I S D O M 🐚
|| I came across this beautiful image and had to share…

A gentle reminder from the beautiful wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine — to help you move through your days with intention, balance and softness especially in these cold-to-the-bone winter days…

In TCM, health is about harmony.
🌼 The way we eat.
🌼 The way we rest.
🌼 The way we move, breathe, and live in tune with the seasons; and Mother Nature.

Here are a few of my favourite lifestyle rituals for supporting your health as a modern Woman — whether you’re in preconception care era, nourishing fertility, growing by a baby, deep in postpartum recovery, or simply wanting to feel more grounded and supported.

✨ Eat warm, seasonal, nourishing foods
✨ Drink herbal tea and warm water instead of icy drinks (time to breakup w/ the cold smoothies)
✨ Keep your channels (especially feet and neck!) warm in wind and cold 🧣 🧦
✨ Move with kindness — yoga, qigong, gentle walks
✨ Rest deeply. Sleep is sacred.
✨ Calm your Shen (spirit) with stillness, nature, and connection
✨ Honour your cycle. Honour your energy. Honour your Yin.

It’s not about being perfect, perfections is unachievable — it’s about coming home to your body. Meet yourself where you are…
Bit by bit. Season by season. Day by day.

Which of these feels most needed for you right now? For me it’s SLEEP, need more and craving more right now.

🤍love,
Carla
xo ||

(Image credit unknown so please tag if you know)

27/06/2025

B I R T H P R E P 🤍
|| …An Invitation to Labour;
Not an induction. Not a push. Not a force.
But a gentle invitation — for baby, for body, and for spirit — to begin the sacred journey of birth. (Side note: I received this text yesterday from a mama who went into labour the same night after acupuncture. LOVE!)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we view birth as a natural unfolding of readiness. From around 36 weeks, acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion can be used to support this transition — safely, gently, and holistically.

We call this “labour preparation”, but really it’s about inviting the body into balance — softening the cervix, calming the nervous system, supporting optimal baby positioning, and encouraging hormonal flow.

How TCM helps mama prepare for birth:

🌿 Acupuncture works to:
• Promote cervical ripening
• Regulate hormones like oxytocin and prostaglandins
• Calm the mind and ease fear
• Support energy, stamina, and emotional readiness

🔥 Moxibustion (the burning of herb ‘mugwort’ over specific points and meridians) gently warms and moves Qi and Blood and support innervation of the uterus — used also in cases of breech presentation or sluggish energy.

🤍 These treatments are nurturing, not invasive. They’re a chance to slow down, tune in, soften and open gently.

You can start “invitation to labour” sessions weekly from 35-36 weeks, or more frequently if you’re past your due date and your body is feeling ready.

…If you’re nearing the end of pregnancy and want to prepare gently, naturally, and holistically — this is for you, mama.

Love,
Dr Carla Brion
xo||

Doctor of Chinese Medicine | Women’s Health & Pregnancy Support

23/06/2025

F O O D T R I B U T E 🍽️
|| It’s all A LOT right now, so I’m going to lighten and change pace and share some of my experimental cooking as of late. I have more motivation to cook new things in winter and always trying to pack in lots of veg/protein into the fam whilst broadening their palate 🤌🏽 I don’t measure, I can’t follow a recipe and i rely on winging it (Italian 🇮🇹 blood) so if you ask for recipes, sorry in advance 🙈

1. Vegan spanakopita
2. Mixed berry parcels
3. Lentil shepherds pie
4. Sourdough-dill-cashew cheese-sauerkraut-super breakfast
5. Creamy green soup (in the making)
6. Italian spelt salad
7. Experimental plant based KFC (w/ oyster mushrooms)
8. Organic lime haul for homemade for cordial
9. Tuscan ‘Mary me butter beans’ w/ spinach
10. Gut health TCM congee w/ Shan Yao
11. Creamy dill vegan potato salad

Mangia, Mangia!
xo||

29/05/2025

H E L LO 🫶🏽
|| lovelies…
I thought it was time I re-introduced myself 🤍

I’m Carla — Doctor of Chinese Medicine, acupuncturist, herbalist & women’s health practitioner… and also a mum of 3, beach lover, and lifelong curious and wandering soul. I also co-own - a little TCM based business for women.

I’ve been supporting women through all stages of life for the past 14 years, (completing my studies at RMIT in Melbourne with an internship in China). My true interest lies in women’s health — from endometriosis to fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and beyond. In my practice, I use a combination of TCM herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxa, diet therapy & integrated health practices.

Outside the clinic, you’ll find me chasing sunshine, while raising three wild and wonderful kids; exploring the world (when I can - travel is my soul food and I’ve been to over 30 different countries), curled up with a book (but audiobooks these days) and going out for dinner with my girlfriends. I love love love all animals, and being in nature. I’m very into my music and appreciate beautiful fashion. Pre-kids, I used to surf and do a lot of yoga and hope to get back to those - one day.

Some dreams i have, big and small include writing a book, completing a triathlon, continuing learning Italian, travelling (and more travel) and one day working for an NFP in the women’s health sphere. Stay tuned, it’s a lot I know. 🤣🤣

I feel so grateful to be serving women in this beautiful community — holding space, sharing knowledge, and weaving together ancient wisdom with a modern, holistic touch.

Thanks for being here.
Love,
Carla
xo||
💫

26/05/2025

N O 🙅🏼‍♀️
|| just no!
Sorry, not falling for the BS and the lies.

It’s a jungle out there with our society, culture and media constantly influencing us how to think, feel and BE from a very young age. But nothing feels better than taking your health, healing and happiness back into your own hands. And with the right support (cue, TCM💁🏼‍♀️😆) it can be much easier I navigate. Because you’re worth it!

Love,
Carla
xo ||

12/05/2025

M A T C H A L U V 🍵
|| Let’s talk about green tea + matcha
Through a TCM lens…

If you’re wanting to curb or reduce your coffee intake, then matcha lattes might be your new BFF. They’re definitely a ‘buzz beverage’ right now.

From a TCM perspective, green tea (and its supercharged cousin, matcha) is more than just a morning pick-me-up—it’s a gentle medicine.

Here’s why I love it for my women’s health clients:
🍵Clears heat + supports Liver Qi
Green tea has a cooling nature, which helps to clear internal heat, irritability, and that wired-but-tired feeling. It can be beautiful for those with Liver Qi stagnation—especially if you’re feeling a little stuck, tense, or emotionally overwhelmed.
🍵Moves Qi gently
Unlike coffee, which can scatter your energy, green tea supports smooth Qi flow. Think: calm focus without the crash.
🍵Rich in antioxidants (hello EGCG)
From a Western view, it’s packed with antioxidants that protect cells and reduce inflammation. This aligns with TCM’s principle of maintaining balance and harmony in the body.
🍵Supports digestion + reduces dampness
Matcha in particular helps to gently transform phlegm and dampness. If you’re feeling sluggish, bloated, or heavy in the body—it can be a helpful little tonic.
🍵Mood, focus + fertility
Green tea supports the Heart and Shen (spirit), which in TCM means better clarity, focus, and emotional balance—all essential for hormone harmony and fertility.
🍵Beauty + anti-ageing from the inside out
In TCM, premature ageing is often linked to heat, toxins, and Qi/Kidney deficiency. Green tea helps clear heat, nourish Yin, and protect Jing (our vital essence)—all of which contribute to healthy skin, bright eyes, and graceful ageing. Plus, all those polyphenols —> Total skin heroes!

How I love it my matcha:
Warm, not boiling, with frothed soy milk and a dash of vanilla. Sipped slowly. Often in the sunshine.
(Not as ideal during your period if you run cold or are feeling super depleted. And not on an empty tummy.)

Little ritual, big love.
Are you a green tea or matcha girlie?
xo||

11/05/2025

M O T H E R ‘ S 🫶🏽
|| to all the mamas—of ALL kinds and ALL journeys—today, I see you…

On this Mother’s Day, I feel especially grateful.
Grateful for the work I get to do.
Grateful to walk beside women at some of their most tender, powerful, and sacred moments.

To the women carrying life, waiting for life, grieving life—
To those in the thick of motherhood and those aching to step into it—You are held in my heart today. And always.

To the mothers with full arms and tired hearts,
To the ones navigating postpartum in all its rawness,
To the women who have known loss—of a child, of a pregnancy, of the mother they long for—
I honour your strength. Your softness. Your story.

To the women still waiting, still hoping, still healing, I see you. And I’m holding space for your becoming.

And to every form of motherhood—biological, chosen, ancestral, spiritual,
Your love matters. Your care is felt. You are deeply, deeply respected.🙏🏽

Today and always, I send love to ALL the women who Mother; In the ways seen, and unseen. Thank you for trusting in me to support you in your journey.

Happy Mother’s Day. 🤍

Lots of love,
Carla
xo ||

Photo:

23/04/2025

✨QI IS LIFE✨
In TCM, Qi (our vital life force) is the energy that animates every part of us—body, mind, spirit. When it flows freely, we feel nourished, resilient, soft, & strong. When it’s stuck or depleted, we feel burned out, tight, anxious, or disconnected from our cycles, hormones & emotions. We are out of balance.

At The Golden Mother, everything we do—our teas, soups, castor oil rituals, & practices like moxa—are designed to support your Qi:
To soften where you’re tense.
To replenish where you’re empty.
To help you feel supple in body, heart & hormones—through every season of womanhood.

Because true health isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing things with intention & letting Qi flow.
XOX

31/03/2025

B U M P S U P P O R T 🌻
|| it’s no secret I’m a pregnancy/birth nerd 🤓
I LIVE for it…
I truly love working with women, their bodies, bumps & their babies throughout pregnancy. It is always an honour to supporting mothers through each of the symptom that may arise, through every stage and trimester and then prepare them for labour and birth (& beyond, because postpartum support is crucial). It’s just Magic 🪄

But so many people don’t know that acupuncture and TCM (including herbal medicine) support throughout pregnancy is not only safe, gentle and effective, but it’s recommended and is backed by evidence based research. Win!!! From nausea, insomnia and anxiety, to back pain and turning breech babes, right up to gently getting ready for labour.

Tag a pregnant mama who needs to hear this and can do with a little extra TLC while growing her baby. She deserves it. All mothers deserve it.
xo ||

photo:

25/02/2025

B L O O M I N G 🌸

09/04/2024

D - M E R 💦 🍼
|| = “Dsphoric Milk Ejection Reflex”

I’m heading into my 6th year of breastfeeding & it has been a journey. It has not always been easy, especially in the beginning. It wasn’t until my 2nd child that I found out what I’d been experiencing all along since I started BF was D-MER & it was horrible. To find words to describe it is very difficult but it was (& continues to be) feelings of darkness, anxiety, discomfort & overwhelming negative thoughts as well as a physical sickness in my belly. Why isn’t this talked about more? 🤯

Understanding D-MER…

🔍 Presentation:
D-MER is a physiological response that occurs during breastfeeding, causing brief but intense feelings of dysphoria or sadness just before milk letdown. It’s not a psychological issue but a hormonal one, specifically related to dopamine fluctuations. It’s a lesser-known condition that affects some breastfeeding individuals, & awareness is key to supporting those experiencing it.

🚩 Symptoms:
🤍Sudden onset of negative emotions (sadness, anxiety, irritability) before milk release
🤍Feelings resolve quickly after letdown
🤍May occur during most feeds
🤍Does not affect bonding or maternal-infant relationship

Treatment:
💦Awareness & education: Knowing about D-MER can reduce anxiety & normalize the experience.
💦Support system: Having understanding partners, family, and healthcare providers can make a significant difference.
💦Coping strategies: Deep breathing, mindfulness, and focusing on positive aspects of breastfeeding can help manage symptoms.

On a positive note, & some hope for those mothers who are experiencing this too, I have found that the longer I feed, the less intense it seems to feel.

Let’s spread awareness & support those dealing with D-MER because if you don’t know what it is, it can be really isolating, scary & could mean the end of your breastfeeding. Please seek help & support if this resonates with you. And know my virtual ‘DM’ door is always open.

Love,
Carla
xo||

Address

Adelaide, SA

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 7pm
Thursday	10am - 2:30pm
Friday	9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+61882216600

Website

http://www.adelaidewomenshealth.com.au/

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Carla Brion graduated with distinction from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology with a double degree in applied science; Chinese Medicine and Human Biology. This involved five years of study, including a clinical internship in Nanjing at the JiangSu Provincial hospital in China. Here, she was exposed to many different medical conditions and observed with some of China’s most renowned doctors. She undertook essential clinical training in acupuncture, gynaecology, oncology, paediatrics, dermatology, rheumatology and tuina (Chinese Massage) and applies this knowledge to her clinical practice. Passionate and committed, she endeavours to help prevent illness and promote well being by assisting in bringing the body back into balance. Treating each patient holistically as an individual, Carla applies Chinese Medicine to address and effectively treat a wide range of health conditions such as musculoskeletal conditions, respiratory disorders and low immunity, skin conditions, insomnia, headaches and arthritis. Carla has a special interest in treating chronic pain, digestive issues, stress and emotional disorders as well as Women’s health issues such as menstrual irregularities, fertility and PMS. Her treatment methods include a combination of acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine and may also include cupping and moxibustion, tuina and lifestyle and nutritional advice. Carla recognises the strengths of integrating Chinese and Western medicine to achieve the best possible outcome in achieving good health for all her patients. Carla is a member of AACMA (Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association). She is registered with major health funds and her patients are eligible for private insurance rebates on consultations. _________________________________________________________ B.App.SC. Chinese Medicine B.App.SC. Human Biology Clinical Internship (JiangSu Provincial Hospital, China)

Kate Gardner Wellbeing & Colonics Adelaide
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