WHO I AM & WHAT I DO
Hi, I'm Gavin Martin-Rentz and I'm an AHPRA registered Chinese medicine practitioner and acupuncturist. I also use to be a remedial massage therapist, which helps me a lot with my acupuncture treatments today, in particular cases involving pain and injury.
When you come to me for help with something, I will always treat you as a whole person. The body is an interconnected whole like an interdependent ecosystem. When one area is affected, it can have up and down stream effects, so it is always important to look at the big picture when working with your health. Your body has an amazing ability to heal and repair, so I see my role as simply trying to find and remove any obstacles to your body's natural capacity for health.
I use acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to support my own health and the health of my family. I am committed to my practice and will do my best to help you out.
What To Expect
At your first appointment, I will spend some time asking questions around your main health concerns, as well as your general wellbeing and history, in order for me to better understand what's going on. Then we'll move on to assessments, that may include checking your wrist pulse, looking at your tongue, palpating through muscles, joints and/or abdomen, performing range of motion and/or muscle tests.
Once we have this baseline, we'll start with the acupuncture treatment (see more below). As we go along, I will explain everything you need to know and also be checking back in with how you're responding during the treatment. At the end we'll come up with a treatment plan.
In follow up sessions I'll be checking in on your progress and adjusting treatment as necessary. I may also recommend Chinese herbal medicine where appropriate.
Treatments
I use a combination of distal acupuncture where points are selected distant to the affected area (mostly below the elbows and knees), and local acupuncture to affect the tissue directly. Typically, we'll start with distal points as these will have a stronger systemic effect while avoiding direct aggravation of an already irritated area. With the right distal points, we'll get immediate feedback and changes on the table. If needed, local acupuncture can be useful for stubborn and long-standing musculoskeletal issues.
My main distal acupuncture styles are the Tung lineage and Tan balance methods. Local acupuncture methods include traditional ashi needing, dry needling techniques, motor point acupuncture and electro acupuncture.
When I prescribe Chinese herbal medicine, it will typically be in the form of pills, often as a combination of formulas.
Education
I completed my Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture) with Endeavour College of Natural Health in 2016. Before that I had completed a Diploma of Remedial Massage through Q Academy in 2010.
Having been involved with a Chinese medicine education business for many years while studying and early on in practice, I have also been fortunate to learn from many amazing practitioners from around the world.
I am constantly learning and evolving to improve my skills so that I am bringing my best to the clinic. Most recently, I am continuing my studies with Edward Neal and his Xing Lin Institute, diving deep into the root classical Chinese medical text, the Huang Di Nei Jing. This text is the root of Chinese medicine, but is notoriously difficult to understand. I look forward to strengthening my foundations and opening my eyes to how this ancient wisdom can be applied in the world today.