Monica McLean Acupuncture and Herbs

10/04/2026

Baby McLean will be one lucky little human to be surrounded by the best gym aunties 💕 This baby shower by the Scripties was the sweetest 🥹 Script Strength & Fitness | CrossFit Script x

31/03/2026

Perimenopausal brain fog is largely driven by fluctuating estrogen levels.

While some women experience relief with HRT, many of these herbs and nutrients can still be beneficial by supporting energy production, enhancing cerebral blood flow, and promoting overall brain health.

Herbal allies for perimenopause:

Blood flow
Brahmi- Enhances memory and cognitive processing speed by supporting neurotransmitter activity and reducing mental fatigue.

Ginkgo Improves cerebral blood flow, which may help with focus, clarity, and mental sharpness.

Creatine- Boosts brain energy metabolism, helping reduce mental fatigue and improve short-term memory.

Hot flushes
Taurine-Supports calming neurotransmission and protects neurons from overstimulation and stress.

Ashwagandha – Lowers cortisol and stress, which can improve concentration and mental clarity.

Tulsi– Acts as an adaptogen to reduce brain fog by supporting stress resilience and mood balance.

Overall Brain Function:
Phosphatidylcholine- Provides choline for acetylcholine production, supporting memory and cognitive function.

Phosphatidylserine - Maintains cell membrane health and improves memory, attention, and cognitive processing

Regular acupuncture- down regulates the nervous system and helps with sleep, stress resilience and mood regulation during perimenopause.

30/03/2026

Thriving with endo for many women I see in clinic means a shift towards an anti inflammatory lifestyle, not only a drug or surgery as a quick fix.

Often these interventions are required, however without the reduction of stress/ endotoxins and the replacement of inflammatory foods with foods that heal the gut and improve overall health and immunity, symptoms persist and lesions can grow back quickly.

A wholefoods diet, low tox living, nervous system regulation and receiving adjunct therapies that address the condition at its source are incredibly helpful if you are TTC or aiming to reduce symptoms month to month.

You deserve to flourish in your body, so keep looking for support and answers if you aren’t receiving the guidance you need from your care providers 🫶💫

27/03/2026

CHOLINE Pregnant and breastfeeding women need at least 450 mg of choline daily. Current research now suggests that pregnant women may benefit from roughly double that amount (~930 mg/day) to support optimal fetal brain development.

A staggering number of women do not get enough choline during pregnancy, and many are unaware they continue to need it postpartum while breastfeeding. Most infant formulas include added choline to support baby’s growth and brain development.

Here are some of my favorite choline-rich foods:
• 4 large eggs → ~450 mg
• 4 liver capsules → ~6 mg
• 100 g cooked beef liver → ~450 mg (though many find it difficult to eat)
• 1 cup steamed broccoli → ~40–60 mg
• 1 cup milk → ~40 mg
• 100 g cooked chicken → ~70 mg

Recent research

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34962672/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10709661/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40362867/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38607338/

Eat your eggs, mamas ✌🏻 🥚

22/03/2026

Watching Maddie’s journey over the past year has been incredibly rewarding 🤍

When she first came to see me, Maddie was navigating diagnosed endometriosis, painful cycles, digestive involvement, and a few imbalances in her blood work. Through a combination of targeted supplementation, herbal medicine, and supportive lifestyle changes, we’ve been able to make really meaningful improvements.

More recently Maddie has seen me for in-person acupuncture sessions and we have shifted the focus of her treatment to preconception work with partner Alex.

It’s been such a privilege to support Maddie along the way, and I’m so excited to see her continue to thrive as she steps into this new season of life.

21/03/2026

Fertility/ pregnancy hormones and metabolic health are so intertwined.

✨ Whole foods are the the foundation for: Egg quality, Ovulation, Hormone production, Baby’s growth

⚡ Blood sugar spikes = hormone chaos
Frequent sugar highs → insulin spikes → hormone disruption

🍭 Dysregulated blood sugar can:
Suppress ovulation
Lower progesterone
Increase inflammation
Impact egg quality

🍓 🥦 FIBRE from fruits and vegetables stabilise hormones by:
Balance blood sugar
Improve insulin sensitivity
Remove excess hormones (like estrogen)
Support gut health

More fibre = more stable cycles + better pregnancy outcomes.

🚫 Artificial sugars = metabolic confusion
Emerging research is showing how dangerous fake sugar is to our health.

“zero sugar” sweeteners can:
Disrupt insulin responses
Impact gut health
Affect ovarian + mitochondrial health
New research is also showing fake sugar can dramatically impact s***m health and male fertility too!

Stable blood sugar → balanced hormones → healthy ovulation → supported pregnancy

✨ Simple shifts:
Eat whole foods
Cut out packaged food, especially highly processed food
Eat 2 serves of fruit or vegetables stabilise at every meal
Prioritise fibre and food based protein daily- organic eggs, daily and grass fed meat.
Reduce refined + artificial sugars

Food is our first and most foundational medicine. Enjoy nourishing yourself seasonally and locally with nutritious and delicious fresh food. 🫶💫🥑🫛🥝🥦🍅🥬🌽🫑🌶️🫒🥕🍇🍓🫐🍈 🥩 🥚

09/03/2026

A short luteal phase (AKA Luteal Phase Defect- but no you are not broken 🫶) is when the time between ovulation and your period is less than 10 days.

This phase should last long enough for progesterone to support implantation. When it’s too short, progesterone may be low or drop too early leading to spotting/ short cycles.

LOW PROGESTERONE FEELS LIKE- Women with a short luteal phase/ low progesterone often experience irritability, anxiety, mood swings, feeing cold, trouble sleeping and low stress tolerance.

REASONS FOR SHORT LUTEAL PHASE

BREASTFEEDING / high prolactin –While breastfeeding, and for around two months after stopping, prolactin levels remain elevated. Prolactin interferes with progesterone production at the o***y and brain level, leading to lower FSH and LH levels and earlier breakdown of the corpus luteum—> lower progesterone production.

THYROID (Especially hypothyroidism) which can disrupt ovulation and hormone balance.

AMH- low ovarian reserve can impact ovulation quality and progesterone production.

PERIMENOPAUSE- progesterone levels drop faster than estrogen levels. Some of the period irregularities in peri overlap with luteal phase defect.

HYPOTHALAMIC DYSFUNCTION – Hormone signalling from the brain can be disrupted by factors such as blood sugar dysregulation, autoimmune conditions, nutrient deficiencies, or chronic under-fuelling, certain medications, excessive or chronic stress and less commonly pituitary tumours.

🌿 In TCM, luteal phase defect is usually understood as a lack of warmth (Kidney Yang deficiency), digestive weakness (Spleen Qi deficiency) or Blood deficiency (overall depletion)—where the body lacks the warmth and nourishment needed to support the uterus after ovulation. Treatment focuses on strengthening Kidney Yang, nourishing Blood, and regulating Liver Qi to stabalise the second half of the menstrual cycle. Herbs acupuncture and warming techniques like moxa are very effective at achieving these outcomes holistically.

➡️🩸Your period is your monthly repot card and gives us a lot of information about underlying imbalances. Understanding the root cause is key to restoring hormone balance.

01/03/2026

28/02/2026

I often include an exploration of the energetic patterns underlying imbalance to specific organ systems based on foundational concepts in TCM in my px’s treatment plans.

☯️ There is a subtle dimension to healing that extends beyond symptom management. In TCM, each area of the body responds to stress — or emotional dysregulation — in distinct and physiologically measurable ways. Classical Chinese medicine, as described in the Huangdi Neijing, has long recognised the relationship between specific emotional states and organ systems, noting how emotions such as grief, pensiveness, worry, anxiousness, shame, shock, fear or frustration can influence physiological function and overall balance of related organs.

Below is an example of understanding an IBD diagnosis from a TCM perspective and how to begin to explore the energetic or emotionality of the condition.

From a Large Intestine perspective, unresolved or unexpressed emotions are understood to settle in the deeper, more concealed aspects of the body — the bowels. The Neijing pairs the Large Intestine with the Lung in the Metal element, symbolising the connection between inspiration, letting go, processing, and releasing. ⚖️

Inflammatory bowel conditions can also be viewed through the lens of boundaries — particularly the body’s internal barrier between the outside and inside realms. This offers an opportunity to reflect on the boundaries in your life: where you may be allowing too much in, where you may be holding too tightly, and where a more balanced exchange between giving and receiving could be supportive.

The reflection: 🧘‍♀️ 📝
The invitation when exploring the energetic side of imbalance is not to analyse, judge, or fix anything, but simply to cultivate presence. With curiosity and gentleness, you may begin to notice sensations, impressions, memories, or general feelings that arise when you bring awareness to this region of the body.”

We can never separate how we feel and what we carry from how we function. 👌🏻👌🏻

28/02/2026

I often include an exploration of the energetic patterns underlying imbalance to specific organ systems based on foundational concepts in TCM in my px’s treatment plans.

☯️ There is a subtle dimension to healing that extends beyond symptom management. In TCM, each area of the body responds to stress — or emotional dysregulation — in distinct and physiologically measurable ways. Classical Chinese medicine, as described in the Huangdi Neijing, has long recognised the relationship between specific emotional states and organ systems, noting how emotions such as grief, pensiveness, worry, anxiousness, shame, shock, fear or frustration can influence physiological function and overall balance of related organs.

Below is an example of understanding an IBD diagnosis from a TCM perspective and how to begin to explore the energetic or emotionality of the condition.

From a Large Intestine perspective, unresolved or unexpressed emotions are understood to settle in the deeper, more concealed aspects of the body — the bowels. The Neijing pairs the Large Intestine with the Lung in the Metal element, symbolising the connection between inspiration, letting go, processing, and releasing. ⚖️

Inflammatory bowel conditions can also be viewed through the lens of boundaries — particularly the body’s internal barrier between the outside and inside realms. This offers an opportunity to reflect on the boundaries in your life: where you may be allowing too much in, where you may be holding too tightly, and where a more balanced exchange between giving and receiving could be supportive.

The reflection: 🧘‍♀️ 📝
The invitation when exploring the energetic side of imbalance is not to analyse, judge, or fix anything, but simply to cultivate presence. With curiosity and gentleness, you may begin to notice sensations, impressions, memories, or general feelings that arise when you bring awareness to this region of the body.”

We can never separate how we feel from how we function. 👌🏻👌🏻

26/02/2026

Have you ever craved these foods in pregnancy and wondered why? 🍳 🥛 🧈 🥑 🥩 🍌 🍊 🥑

I’m so blown away with our body’s innate wisdom. I’ve definitely craved these food at different points in my pregnancies.

If you are craving sugar, cakes and other sweets during pregnancy, your blood sugar could be out of balance. Focus on high protein, high fibre meals 🙌

19/02/2026

Hi, I’m Monica — a women’s health acupuncturist, Chinese Medicine herbalist, yoga and meditation teacher, and mother of two.

I live in the Hills District of Sydney and practice , where I support women from their teenage years through to menopause.

My approach is holistic, integrated and rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I combine acupuncture, customised herbal medicine, targeted clinical supplements, nutrition, and lifestyle guidance to help create internal harmony and support hormonal health at every stage of life.

Chinese Medicine focuses on treating the root cause of symptoms — not just managing them. I support women through early gynaecological imbalances, preconception care, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and the transition into menopause.

I got into this work through my own experience with Chinese Herbal medicine and have been blown away with the effectiveness of East Asian medicine ever since. My passion is helping women thrive in their bodies, feeling balanced, informed and supported through all seasons of life.

DM me or head to my website if you’d like to schedule a discovery call or book an appointment in person or via Telehealth.