Christina Tolstrup - Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine

19/09/2025

Have you ever wondered why you dislike windy days?
🌬🌀🌪
According to Chinese medicine the wind is associated with the 'Liver energy', and the Liver is considered responsible for the free and smooth flow of energy in our bodies.
This flow of energy is prone to being blocked by emotions such as anger, stress, frustration and resentment, and is easily disturbed and unsettled by windy weather. The wind can stir up these unpleasant emotions.
🌀
If your 'Liver energy' is unbalanced or blocked you might feel quite edgy, irritable or ‘stuck’. Or you may suffer from chest pain, indigestion, headaches, hay fever, cramps, tight muscles and tendons, your periods might be irregular and/or you’re waking every night between 1-3am. If that’s the case, the wind will make you feel worse and you should try some acupuncture and herbal treatments to rebalance and calm your Liver, unblock and smooth your energy flow 🙂
🌬🍃
(*You may recall some of my previous posts about the organs according to Chinese Medicine...the organs are referred to in an abstract and energetic context only*)

15/09/2025

Knowledge is power

It seems like every week there’s another life-changing scientific breakthrough in human health. Earlier this month I heard about an Alzheimer’s blood test and discovery of a new protein called klotho that scientists hope will one day slow the aging process. But when it comes to menopause, a life...

22/07/2025

🌻Menopause is often referred to as the Second Spring in Chinese Medicine 🌱
— a suitable and beautiful comparison to a 'seasonal change', a natural shift, transformation, renewal, and inner growth, that can lead to a woman 'blooming' (again)🌷

🌀 Just like puberty (First Spring), menopause marks a significant passage. But instead of beginning menstruation, it signals its natural close — and with it, the potential for a new and important phase of life (possibly a 30-50% of a woman's life!!!)
💫
This transition can be unsettling, messy and challenging — physically, emotionally, sexually and socially. Many women are navigating family changes, caring roles, career shifts, and deep internal transitions all at once.

💡Menopause thought of as 'Second Spring' reminds us: this is not a decline — it’s more like a metamorphosis 🌀

🐛 Just like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly 🦋, we are reshaping from the inside out. No longer cycling for reproduction, our energy can turn inward — feeding our brain, heart, mind, and spirit. It can be a time and opportunity for self-awareness, growth, empowerment, and to reclaim wisdom, purpose, and joy.

🤗 I’m Christina — positively menopausal, supporting women through this journey with acupuncture, herbs, and compassion… and growing my own wings along the way 🦋🦋🦋

01/07/2025

ACUPUNCTURE & BETTER SLEEP 😴🛌🏼
In Chinese Medicine, good sleep comes naturally when the mind (aka the 'Shen') is able to settle and rest peacefully at the end of the day.

🧠💤 But when the body or mind are out of balance, sleep can become disrupted—restless, difficult, or even impossible.

Common causes and aggravators of sleep issues include:
🍩🍷 Diet — late-night eating, caffeine, alcohol
🏃🏼‍♂️ Lifestyle habits — irregular sleep, eating, or exercise patterns & poor sleep hygiene
😢😡 Emotional stress — worry, anger, sadness
⚡ Physical discomfort — from pain, illness, allergies, trauma
☯ Internal imbalances — in (what we in Chinese medicine refer to as) Qi, Blood, Fluids, Emotions & Organs (yes, this also includes hormones!)

⚖ ☯ In Chinese Medicine, we often describe these imbalances as either excesses or deficiencies — meaning there’s too much or too little of something in the system. This can leave the mind unsettled and unable to rest with the body at night.
👇🏼
So, where does acupuncture come in?
Acupuncture works by adjusting the body’s own regulatory systems — including the nervous and hormonal systems, connective tissues, fascia, and cells.

☯ Acupuncture promotes circulation, balance, calm, and recovery — helping your body and mind return to a relaxed and restful state.

✨ If you’re struggling with sleep, acupuncture may help. Feel free to reach out 📲 or join our Gather & Ground community event focusing on deep rest & sleep.
Details are:
Date: Tuesday 8/7/25
Time: 5.45 for 6-7pm
Location: Fertile Ground, 33 Smith St, Fitzroy
🎟 Booking required via https://www.fertileground.com.au/product/deep-rest-sleep-support-in-fitzroy/

📸 by &

20/06/2025

Why Today is the MOST Powerful Day to Reset Your Energy (Winter Solstice Magic!)
🌞🌙
Today marks winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere - the ultimate YIN day of the year! ☯️
🌃🌇
This isn't just the longest night and shortest day... it's nature's invitation to tap into the deepest, most restorative energy available.

In Chinese Medicine (CM), today represents:
🌞The peak of feminine, calm, restorative energy
🌙 Maximum darkness before the light returns
🌃The perfect moment for inner transformation

But here's the beautiful paradox:
extreme YIN brings the promise of YANG!
From tomorrow, each day grows brighter, longer, more energized. 🌞🤸🏼‍♀

Your Recommended Winter Solstice Wellness Rituals:
☯️ Slow down - honour the natural rhythm
☯️ Catch daylight - even 10 minutes outdoors
☯️ Nourish deeply - warm soups & slow-cooked meals
☯️ Move gently - yin yoga stretches
☯️ Snuggle up - embrace the cozy energy

Pro tip:
Acupuncture during solstice? Game changer! ✨
Perfect for smoothing seasonal transitions and hitting the reset button on your energy system - ideal timing to balance your Yin & Yang for the brighter days ahead!

How will you honour this powerful transition today? 👇



📸 by

18/04/2025

🍫 Craving Easter chocolate without the guilt? Go for dark chocolate (70%+). It’s packed with cacao, which (in moderate amounts) may boost both mood and health—unlike milk and white chocolate, which are loaded with fat and sugar.

Happy Easter 🐰🐣🍫

Who doesn’t love a chocolate egg or two at Easter? Here’s why a little indulgence may not do much harm.

17/04/2025

EASTER HOURS 2025 🐣🥚🍫
Easter eggs aren’t just about chocolate —they’re ancient symbols of new life, rebirth and fertility 🥚✨ A perfect reminder of the body’s innate ability to renew, restore, and create.
🌻☯
While not everyone celebrates Easter, the themes of renewal and vitality are universal—and your health matters every day of the year.
🤗
I’ll be OPEN over Easter to support your fertility, digestion, immunity, hormones, and overall wellbeing—because good health doesn’t take a holiday 💛

📍Find me /
🕖
Sat 19 Apr - 8am-2pm
Mon 21 Apr - 8am-4pm
🐇
Hop on in and let’s keep your Qi flowing, so you can feel eggcelent 💛

📸 Image by

11/04/2025

When you get enough (good quality) sleep, everything else gets easier.....which is partly why you're likely to be asked about your sleep, regardless of what you seek treatments for 💤

Restorative sleep is necessary for overall health, but does poor sleep impact fertility? Sleep disruptions and insomnia may impact reproductive health in multiple ways.

13/02/2025

LOVE OR HEART FIRE? 🔥❤️

Love can make your heart race, your cheeks flush, and your stomach flutter... but so can too much coffee, sugar, chillies, alcohol, and stress, which can lead to what we in Chinese Medicine call ‘Heart Fire’—and it’s not always romantic.

Palpitations, insomnia, irritability, hot flashes, or indigestion? Could be 'Heart Fire' 🥵❤‍🔥...
It might be time to cool the flames! 🌬️🔥.
Acupuncture & herbal medicine can help bring balance—but be careful, you might fall in love with acupuncture next 😉

This Valentine’s Day, whether you're celebrating solo or with someone special, remember:
🍱 Eat like you love yourself.
💃 Move like you love yourself.
😘 Speak like you love yourself.
🏄‍♀️ Act like you love yourself.

Love yourself. ❤️💛💚💙💜

13/02/2025

ACUPUNCTURE & FERTILE GROUND
🌱
FERTILE GROUND is
a concept and/or place.
💡🏞 🌎
The term 'fertile ground' can have several meanings:

Literally:
🌱 Soil that is rich in nutrients and ideal for growing plants 🌻

Metaphorically: 🏞🏡
📍Situation or environment that provides ideal opportunities for growth, development, nourishment, learning, collaborations, synergy, success & blooming.📈🌸
🌳
ACUPUNCTURE can:
📌 Promote flow & circulation
📌 Unblock
📌 Regulate
📌 Balance
📌 Nourish
📌 Relax..all of which can help create and maintain the fertile ground needed for your:
🌀 Optimal health & wellbeing
🌀 Fertility
🌀 Pregnancy
🌀 Smooth transitions
🌀 Recovery
🌀 Balanced emotions & mental health
🌀 Calmness
🌀 Personal growth
🌀 Success in reaching your life, conception or life goals

I'm Christina. I'm an acupuncturist at the Fertile Ground clinic in Collingwood, Melbourne, and I'd like to sow the idea in your head, that things can change, that you can always learn, develop and grow, and that you deserve to feel well, succeed and bloom in all aspects of your journey and life.

I look forward to collaborating with you and make good things happen 🤗 🌻
📸 creds

09/02/2025

This sounds like an good, exciting and purposeful use of AI....

OSANA - the world’s most advanced app for managing female hormonal health through AI-powered advice and personalized plans for nutrition, exercise, and supplements.

02/02/2025

🚺 If you're in your in your late 30s or into your 40s it's likely your perimenopause symptoms are being misdiagnosed or not picked up by your doctor. 🩺

❓It's common and complex

☯️ If you need a holistic view on your health and symptoms, and some guidance and symptom relief, please reach out. I've got many personal and professional experiences to share to help you feel your best.

🌼 Book online https://www.fertileground.com.au/practitioners/christina-tolstrup/

Perimenopause is a transitional phase in a woman’s life, marked by fluctuating hormones and unpredictable changes in her body. Unfortunately, the lack of education and awareness about perimenopause among healthcare providers has led to a dramatic increase in misdiagnosed conditions during this tim...