Selph’s Acupuncture team, including Yu (Joseph) Zhang, Louie Rachael and Hanh Le, are experts at treating some of the most diverse health issues, from injury and chronic pain to emotional concerns, skin health and fertility. Joseph is widely recognised for his TCM practice and work in pregnancy care, supporting hundreds of women across all stages of their journey, while Louie bring specialised approaches in Toyohari Japanese Acupuncture, and Hanh, cosmetic facial acupuncture and integrated body treatments.
Holistic Approach To Treatment
Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese holistic treatment of pain and illness, where the practitioner diagnoses and addresses imbalances in a persons internal energy tracks or acu-points, as a result of stresses or injury.
The discipline is based on the traditional Chinese philosophy that there are energetic channels that exist within the body. These channels run through internal organs and when blocked or distorted from injury or emotional stress the energy, or qi, cannot flow smoothly.
Think of a disruption to this energy flow as a tree that falls across a river. The tree must be removed in order for the river to flow smoothly again, just like the energy to all organs.
Directly Addressing Pain, Discomfort & Emotional Stresses
The Selph Acupuncturist will seek to address the pain or discomfort within the body of a patient by addressing the imbalance of energy within the body, and restore the internal energy channels by inserting sterilised needles into the meridian points of the body.
By restoring the energy flow and thus clearing the meridian pathways, acupuncture calms the energy and allows for the smooth release of pathways in the body. Acupuncture can assist in a number of physical and emotional health conditions such as:
- Muscle & structural pain and injury
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Fertility / Infertility
- Pregnancy
- Stress
- Weight loss
- Gut and nutritional issues
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Menopause
Your acupuncturist will begin with an in-depth consultation to learn about your medical history and health concerns. They will be able to create a personalised treatment plan to improve the areas of your life that need support. Along with acupuncture treatments, this may include nutritional advice, lifestyle adjustments, exercises, herbal supplements and mindfulness techniques.
Collaborative Approach
As with all treatments at Selph Health Studios, your Acupuncturist will be able to see and discuss your past and current treatments with any other of the Selph practitioners you are being treated by. This ensures that your treatments and wellness plan are both cohesive and collaborative across all disciplines.
Acupuncture Modalities At Selph
We offers several forms of Acupuncture, each grounded in the unique focus area, approach and linage of the practitioner. This allows you to match the approach that feels right for your body and your goals, whether you’re seeking support for pain, internal balance, pregnancy, or skin health. Whether the treatment is for adults or children, you prefer needle free, or if you’re looking for cosmetic support.
This includes:
- Traditional Chinese Medicine body acupuncture for structural pain internal health and emotional balance
- Toyohari Japanese Acupuncture for highly sensitive needle-light or needle-free support
- Cosmetic and body-focused Acupuncture for skin health hormonal balance and whole body rejuvenation
Toyohari Japanese Acupuncture
Toyohari is a refined Japanese style of acupuncture that works with subtle, highly sensitive techniques to regulate the body’s energy. Often using non-insertive or very shallow needling with ultra-fine tools, Toyohari focuses on precision and listening to the body’s response rather than strong physical sensation.
In treatment, Louie will gently assess your pulses, meridians and energetic patterns, then apply carefully measured contact at specific points across the body. For many people this feels like a soft, spacious treatment that gradually settles the nervous system, rather than something that “pushes” the body.
Toyohari can be particularly supportive for:
- Women’s health concerns such as menstrual pain endometriosis PCOS fertility and menopause
- Pregnancy care birth preparation and postnatal recovery
- Babies and children who need gentle non-invasive treatment
- Needle-sensitive clients or those who feel overwhelmed by stronger stimulation
- Fatigue immune issues allergies eczema and asthma
- Stress-related symptoms that sit in the body as tension headaches or digestive complaints
Sessions are adapted to your tolerance and comfort level. For children and needle-sensitive adults, non-insertive tools are often used on the surface of the skin so that the work stays effective while feeling safe and approachable.
Cosmetic & Combined Body Acupuncture
For those wanting to support both their skin and their overall health in one session, Cosmetic & Body Acupuncture offers a comprehensive 90 minute treatment.
This integrated session with Hanh combines:
- Facial acupuncture to stimulate collagen improve circulation and support a more lifted radiant complexion
- Gentle facial techniques such as gua sha cupping and massage to encourage lymphatic drainage reduce puffiness and release jaw and facial tension
- A full body acupuncture treatment tailored to your health concerns addressing the internal imbalances that sit behind skin changes stress or fatigue
The focus is on treating the face as part of the whole system rather than as a separate cosmetic concern. While the treatment targets fine lines, dullness and loss of tone, it also works on deeper drivers such as hormonal shifts, digestive health, stress, sleep and mood.
Hanh’s broader clinical interests include digestive and metabolic health, fertility and hormonal support, stress, insomnia, mood and neurological concerns, immune conditions and musculoskeletal pain, so the treatment can be shaped to address multiple concerns within one appointment.
If you would like a more detailed overview of our dedicated Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture offering, you can also explore our Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture page.
Acupuncture for Pregnancy & Labour Induction
Pregnancy
We use acupuncture to target specific goals at each week of your visit during the final stages of pregnancy:
Week 36: Ideally, birth preparation treatment should begin around week 36, when the baby typically begins to engage.
Week 37: In week 37 our goal is to support hormonal shifts and tissue softening.
Week 38: In week 38 of pregnancy we use acupuncture to promote cervical ripening.
Week 39: If the baby is still high by week 39, we strongly promote engagement and tissue softening. If the baby is engaged, we focus on promoting cervical ripening.
Week 40: If the baby is engaged and mum has a ripe cervix we promote contractions, otherwise we work to strongly address cervical ripening or previous targets as necessary.
Our key goal regardless of week is to facilitate relaxation and calm, as emotional wellbeing and preparedness is a big barrier to your body relaxing and welcoming labour and birth.
Labour Induction
During those final moments of pregnancy, if the mother is close to or past her due date, and her contractions haven’t started, there’s often a reason why. Our Acupuncturists identify and address these reasons and then allow labour to progress naturally.
Acupuncture does not induce labour, it facilitates the body transitioning through stages if mother and baby are ready for birth. Acupuncture during this important time can support the body to relax enough for the mother and her body to be ready for the next step of birth.
You can read more about our Labour Induction process and how Acupuncture can help during this time in our Journal article here.
Acupuncture for Anxiety
Stress and anxiety can become evident in obvious but also less obvious ways, such as; poor focus or mental acuity, irritability, anger, frustration, poor energy, recurring injuries & pain, an inability to shift weight and restless sleep. Stress and anxiety in the body begins to compound if nothing is done to release it. In each Acupuncture session we pick specific points to act as a release valve that decompresses and calms the body and returns the baseline to normal. It is at this balance point that everything in life falls into flow.
Our Acupuncturist utilise the strategic meridian points in your body to stimulate the nervous system, triggering the release of chemicals and hormones such as endorphins and serotonin which, in turn, encourages the body to self-heal and regulate internal imbalances.
Acupuncture also improves circulation, function and healing and the ability to take your body out of the fight-or-flight mode. This is important because when suffering from anxiety, your body activates the sympathetic nervous system as a survival mechanism even though no real danger is present. Acupuncture takes you out of this stress response and into the parasympathetic rest-and-relax mode.
Acupuncturists focus on easing tension and stress and restoring inner balance to manage anxiety. The release of endorphins, your body’s natural pain killer, promotes relaxation and helps reduce anxiety.
Through the use of acupuncture for anxiety management, you may experience other benefits such as more restful sleep and increased energy.
Your practitioner will aim to treat the underlying cause of your anxiety as well as the symptoms. They can guide you to make better lifestyle choices that will improve your overall health and wellbeing.
Meet Selph Acupuncturists
Yu Zhang (Joseph)
Joseph decided from a young age that he wanted to master the arts of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) after suffering a severe chronic illness at just 6 months of age. He was treated and cured of his illness by a TCM practitioner which inspired his growth into the field in China and now in Australia.
Joseph obtained a bachelor degree of health Science in TCM from Chengdu University TCM in 1994 and later became a national registered acupuncturist upon relocating to Australia in 2001. To compliment his treatments Joseph went on to obtain a degree in Herbal dispensary.
With over 20 years of experience practicing in Sydney, he has developed a broad understanding of the treatment of illnesses and diseases from chronic coughs and insomnia, to menopause complications. Joseph believes in a holistic approach to treatment, and is accredited in massage which he is able to apply in consultations.
Louie Rachael
Louie is a gentle and intuitive Acupuncturist who practises Toyohari, a refined Japanese style of acupuncture that often uses non-insertive, needle-free techniques. This highly sensitive approach is particularly supportive for women during pregnancy, children, and anyone who is needle-sensitive, allowing treatments to be deeply effective while remaining comfortable.
She has a special focus on women’s and children’s health, treating menstrual and hormonal concerns such as endometriosis, PCOS, infertility and menopause, alongside pregnancy care, birth preparation and labour support. Louie also works closely with children and their families, helping with conditions including allergies, eczema, asthma, sleep and behavioural issues, with sessions that are gentle, playful and adapted to the child’s needs.
With a background as a dancer, Louie also enjoys supporting people with musculoskeletal injuries and pain, encouraging curiosity and movement as part of recovery and daily life. She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Traditional Chinese Medicine from RMIT, with further postgraduate training in Toyohari in both Australia and Japan, and an internship at the Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China.
Hahn Le
Hanh is a results focused practitioner who blends traditional Acupuncture with a modern, evidence-based approach. She works holistically, treating both the symptoms and underlying causes of illness by supporting the body’s natural ability to heal. She has a direct, attentive style with an ability to tailor treatments that balance the emotional, physical, and internal systems of the body.
Hanh has completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the University of Technology Sydney, encompassing both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Her clinical approach is shaped by extensive hands-on experience, including internships at hospitals in Chengdu, China and Vietnam, where she learnt integrative models of care at the source of the traditional medicine.
Hanh specialises in cosmetic acupuncture – with the ability to offer natural, non invasive anti-aging treatments to clients that supports both internal and external health. She has a further interest in treating digestive and metabolic health, fertility and hormonal support, stress, sleep (insomnia) and mood disorders, neurological issues, immune conditions, musculoskeletal & TMJ pain, and addiction and detox support. She is registered under the national Chinese Medicine registration scheme (AHPRA) and is a member of AACMA.
