Dr. Shirley O'Dwyer

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Dr. Shirley O'Dwyer

Your meeting space for all offerings from Dr. Shirley O'Dwyer;
Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine and Western Herbal Medicine I had just one needle the first time.

Dr. Shirley O’Dwyer
Acupuncturist, Chinese Medicine Practitioner
Herbalist and Fertility Awareness Instructor

When I think back to high school years and the pressure I felt to choose the direction my education would take I am so grateful I was able to tap into my inner flame and see that my love for the human body, biology and the power of natural healing was where I wanted to do my life's work. A big part of that decision was based on my own previous experience with Chinese herbal decoctions; my Mum would buy them from our local Chinese medicine practitioner and brew them up for me when I was sick with the latest bug I had brought home from school. They tasted terrible, but I soon realised that they worked, and I preferred drinking them to being sick with a snotty nose! Later, in my early adolescence I began experiencing migraines, and this was my first encounter with acupuncture. I was only 14, and I was very wary of needles but with a bit of encouragement from my Mum, and the growing need for relief from the weekly pain and auras, I went along for acupuncture. That week I didn’t have any migraines, so I agreed to go again. From that day on I have never had migraines like what I experienced as a teenager. I am still someone who is prone to hormonal headaches, but they are manageable, and I now know what to do (or not to do!) such as avoid certain foods, drink plenty of water, rest at certain times of my cycle and practice yoga regularly. I think that sums up health; we all have our tendencies, our predispositions but in the end our body always wants to be well and with the right tweaks and practices we can live the best versions of ourselves. My aim as a natural medicine practitioner is to guide my patients to listen carefully to what their bodies are telling them and in return to love deeply the skin that they are in. Some conditions that I love to treat are:

- Women's hormonal health issues ranging from adolescence to menopause
- Digestive complaints
- Stress, anxiety, depression
- Pain
- Skin conditions and allergies
- Poor immunity and chronic coughs
- Cancer support

I practice on Wednesdays and Saturdays and outside of that I am kept busy with two little people, a husband and a black and white fluffy fur baby. I love yoga, dancing in my kitchen, drinking tea, cooking up feasts or working up a sweat in our steep hill's garden. If there is anything that you would like to ask please message or email me.

29/10/2025

Low progesterone with a relative Oestrogen excess is a picture that I love to work with in women. It’s been a personal journey for me and I love to share what I have learnt to help other women.

Progesterone is a true shape-shifter and the most enigmatic of hormones. It's responsive, relational, and endlessly fascinating. And it can behave entirely differently depending on estrogen, gut health, the state of the nervous system, and many other factors.

• In the uterus, it can either enrich the lining or keep it thin and quiet.

• In the brain, it can calm GABA receptors or, in some women, stir anxiety.

• In metabolism, it both boosts metabolic rate and temporarily reduces insulin sensitivity as part of the body’s adaptive rhythm.

It also increases the body’s requirement for sodium, protein, rest, and basically everything. So, when you're making (or taking) progesterone, it will demand MORE of everything you need.

💬 Drop your progesterone thoughts or questions below, and I’ll bring them to Sarah E Hill during our Instagram Live this week:

📅 Friday, Oct 31st at 2 pm Pacific.

13/10/2025

Spring is here! But have you ever heard of a women's "second spring"?

Read more here:
https://www.rangesintegrativehealth.com.au/perimenopause-and-a-womens-second-spring/

10/10/2025

Do you often feel tired and lacking? Here is one of my favourite points; Stomach 36 or zu san li ("leg three mile"). Tradition states that Chinese warriors hiking in the mountain would wrap braces with stones in them around their upper calfs. When they tired to the point of exhaustion they would kneel down to rest and the stones would press on this point giving them the energy to walk three extra miles!

It is 4 fingers below the bottom of your knee cap, on the outer side of your shin bone. Try pressing, rubbing, tapping or knocking it for 30 seconds each side and see how you feel!

08/10/2025

Has your dentist told you that you grind your teeth? Maybe you already wear a mouth guard? Well, that wont stop the grinding and the tension that causes shoulder pain and headaches... have you tried acupuncture?

Book online here: http://www.rangesintegrativehealth.com.au/online-booking/

18/09/2025

The subtle science of tongue and pulse diagnosis in Chinese Medicine is not my first go-to when creating treatment plans as it is very difficult, but when I put my fingers on your pulse and it confirms what you have just told me in the consult then I cant help get a thrill of excitement at how cool Chinese Medicine is!

17/09/2025

After 15 years of practicing Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine I a still find it difficult to adequately answer a common question my patients ask me, “how does acupuncture work?”.

Well, just last month a review article was released on acupuncture for pain and it highlights acupuncture’s analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects via numerous signally pathways such as the mesolimbic neuronal loop of analgesia and by its ability to release endogenous opioids such as enkephalins and endorphins.

What does this all mean? Needles placed at very specific points send signals that feed back to our brains to turn off pain switches and increase feel good, pain relieving chemicals.

Thats magic!

https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/6871/99193549471

25/03/2022

When I do an Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine consult with a patient, I hardly take any notes. I jot down a skeleton of what they tell me and later when they are relaxing on the table having acupuncture I flesh out the notes. Why? Because I want to be present and listen to their story. I believe in t...

04/02/2022

2022 has seen a return for Mumma Shirley to the clinic space! I'm back practicing at Ranges Integrative Health in Selby on Saturday mornings and I'm back at the keyboard sharing my pearls... here's the first of many...

You have probably heard the saying; you are what you eat. Well, this is true for many examples of how health and wellbeing is related to diet. I want to share with you why this is the case and my favorite tips on what you should be eating if you want to manage your chronic pain better. Although infl...

14/12/2021

http://www.rangesintegrativehealth.com.au/online-booking/

24/02/2020

18/09/2019

I'm practicing in the Dandenong Ranges!!! 👩‍⚕️Come and see me if you live in the area. Or if you know someone else who does please share 🙏

Acupuncturist, Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine Herbalist, Fertility Awareness Instructor BAppSc (Chinese Medicine),BAppSc (Human Biology), RMIT; BHSc (Western Herbal Medicine), SSNT; Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner CMR 0001740387; ATMS Member 50730 Dr. Shirley O’Dwyer takes a practi...

15/09/2019

Gloria Steinem said that if men could menstruate, menstruation “would become an enviable, worthy, masculine event: Men would brag about how long and how much.”

💖Love your flow💖

Address

125 Belgrave-Gembrook Road
Belgrave, VIC
3782

Website

https://www.rangesintegrativehealth.com.au/team/dr-shirley-odwyer-tcm/

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