Rainbow Medicine — Dr Christine Shen
Lane Cove & Northern Beaches. Years of clinical acupuncture practice — reading your body's signals to restore what modern life disrupts. AHPRA registered. Individually prescribed.
Dr Shen's Credentials
Bachelor of Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture — Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2014–2018)
AHPRA Registered — Chinese Medicine Board of Australia
Advanced training in KMS Acupuncture and Auricular Medicine
Extensive clinical practice
TGA-registered Chinese Herbal Medicine prescriber
Lane Cove and Northern Beaches clinicsDr Shen's Philosophy
Every symptom is a message. Pain, fatigue, disrupted sleep, skin changes, emotional patterns, digestive complaints — none of these arise in isolation, and none of them are arbitrary. They are your body communicating something about its underlying state. Dr Shen's clinical approach — which she calls Decode Body Messages — is built on the foundational TCM skill of reading these communications with precision and responding to their root causes, not just their surface expressions.
The classical framework for this reading is the Four Pillars of Diagnosis (四診, Sì Zhěn): observation (望 Wàng), listening and smelling (聞 Wén), questioning (問 Wèn), and palpation (切 Qiè — pulse and abdominal diagnosis). These four pillars, honed over millennia of Chinese clinical medicine, give Dr Shen a rich, multi-dimensional picture of your health that laboratory tests alone cannot provide.
The result is treatment that addresses why you feel the way you do — not only what you feel. Patients frequently describe the experience of a comprehensive initial consultation with Dr Shen as the first time someone has truly understood the full picture of their health.
The Four Pillars — 四診
Facial colour, posture, skin lustre, tongue colour and coating — visual cues that reveal internal patterns
Voice quality, breathing patterns, and other auditory and olfactory cues about organ function
Systematic enquiry into symptoms, lifestyle, sleep, digestion, emotional patterns and medical history
Pulse diagnosis — reading the 28 pulse qualities across six positions that map directly to organ systems
Clinical Specialisations
Your Treatment Pathway
Comprehensive intake using the Four Pillars of Diagnosis. Dr Shen takes the time that modern medicine rarely allows — understanding your full health history, patterns and goals before a needle is placed.
A clear, honest plan tailored to your presentation — including recommended frequency, modalities (acupuncture, herbal medicine, lifestyle), expected timeline and measurable milestones to track progress.
45–60 minute treatment sessions using sterile single-use needles. De Qi sensation (a deep, moving ache at the needle site) indicates effective point activation. Treatment frequency typically reduces as progress is made.
Once treatment goals are achieved, many patients transition to monthly or seasonal maintenance care — investing in long-term health rather than waiting for the next crisis to necessitate treatment.
What to Expect
Sessions with Dr Shen are unhurried. Following a brief check-in (how has the week been? Any changes since last time?), you will lie comfortably on the treatment table — typically face-up, though some presentations require face-down or side-lying positioning.
Sterile, single-use needles of the finest gauges are used. Needle insertion is most often felt as a brief moment of pressure, followed by the characteristic De Qi sensation — a deep ache, warmth or slight heaviness around the needle site. This sensation confirms effective point activation and is a positive sign of therapeutic response. Needles are retained for 25–45 minutes, during which time most patients enter a deeply relaxed, semi-drowsy state.
Additional techniques may be applied during the retention period, including moxibustion (warming of specific points with Artemisia herb), auricular (ear) acupuncture, or cupping where appropriate.
Classical Chinese meridian-based point selection, adapted to Dr Shen's years of clinical refinement and individual patient assessment.
Korean Meridian System — a refined system using specific point combinations with particular efficacy for pain and structural presentations.
Ear microsystem points for anxiety, pain, addiction support, insomnia and systemic presentations — often combined with body acupuncture.
Warming technique using Artemisia herb to nourish deficient conditions, support fertility and provide deep, penetrating warmth to cold-type presentations.
Session Fees
Most private health insurance with Chinese Medicine extras provides rebates. HICAPS available for on-the-spot claiming. Contact your fund to confirm your annual limits.
Initial Consultation
90 minutes
Comprehensive Four Pillars assessment, treatment plan and first acupuncture treatment included.
Standard Treatment
60 minutes
Regular follow-up acupuncture session with brief reassessment. Most patients attend weekly or fortnightly initially.
Maintenance Session
45 minutes
For established patients maintaining their health with monthly or seasonal appointments.
Patient Experiences
"After years of managing persistent lower back pain with medication alone, I began acupuncture with Dr Shen. Within six weekly sessions I noticed a meaningful reduction in pain frequency and intensity. I now attend monthly for maintenance and find it an essential part of my health routine."
M.L.
Chronic back pain, Lane Cove
"I was sceptical but curious. What struck me immediately was how thorough Dr Shen's initial consultation was — she asked questions no one had ever asked me about my health before. The treatment itself is deeply relaxing. My sleep has improved noticeably after six weeks, and my anxiety feels more manageable."
S.K.
Anxiety and insomnia, Northern Beaches
"Dr Shen supported me through IVF preparation and two transfer cycles. I believe the acupuncture and herbal support she provided made a genuine difference to my outcomes. What I'm most grateful for is the care and clinical rigour she brought — evidence-informed, always honest, never promising what she couldn't deliver."
A.T.
IVF support, Sydney
Patient experiences are individual and outcomes vary. Acupuncture is a complementary therapy and not a replacement for conventional medical care. AHPRA-compliant testimonials — general experiences only, not specific health claims.
Your initial 90-minute consultation is a complete assessment and first treatment in one — a thorough, unhurried beginning to understanding your body's messages. Available at Lane Cove and Northern Beaches. Monday–Sunday, 9am–9pm.
