03/09/2025
A Tale of Two Consultations: GP vs. Traditional Chinese Medicine & Why Longer Consultations Can Mean Better Health.
In Australia, a visit to your local GP is often seen as the first step for most health concerns. Yet, for many people, the experience can feel rushed and impersonal. On average, patients wait a considerable amount of time in the waiting room—sometimes 30 minutes or more—only to be called in for a 15–20 minute consultation. While GPs play a vital role in our healthcare system, the short time frame means the focus is usually on addressing the most immediate symptoms.
Contrast this with a visit to a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner. From the moment you walk in, the pace is different. Waiting times are typically shorter, and once your consultation begins, you can expect to spend around an hour with your practitioner. This extended session allows for a deeper exploration of not just the presenting issue, but also the underlying patterns that may be affecting your overall health.
Rather than simply prescribing a quick fix, TCM takes a holistic approach. A practitioner will ask about your lifestyle, diet, stress levels, sleep quality, and emotional wellbeing. They may check your pulse, examine your tongue, and consider how different organ systems are interacting. The goal isn’t just to relieve symptoms but to restore balance and strengthen the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
For patients, the difference is profound. Instead of feeling like “just another number,” you leave a TCM consultation feeling heard, understood, and supported. The longer consultation time allows for detailed discussion, personalised treatment planning, and therapies such as acupuncture, cupping, or herbal medicine, which are applied immediately during the session.
While GP visits remain essential for acute conditions, pathology testing, and prescriptions, many Australians are discovering the value of TCM’s longer, more attentive consultations. It’s an approach that prioritises the patient’s experience, not just the efficiency of the system.
In a world where time is often scarce, that extra 40 minutes of attention can make all the difference to your health and wellbeing.
