Good Bodies

Acupuncture was a strange career choice for Chinese medicine practitioner Caity Ellett, given her fear of needles.

But a desire to help people heal and manage pain made her put her phobia aside and spend four years achieving a Bachelor of Health Sciences, majoring in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

She is an ACC accredited acupuncturist, but her therapies allow for many non-needle options, including herbal medicine, gua sha, cupping, acupressure and moxibustion.

“I think my own early fear of needles makes me empathetic when I meet clients who are nervous about the idea of acupuncture,” she says. “I can understand exactly how they feel.”

Originally from Geelong, Australia, Caity was in the music industry in Melbourne before making the shift to Auckland with her kiwi wife, Sian. They settled in Warkworth four years ago.

She says Chinese medicine follows the Doaist tradition where the underlying principles are based on balance and harmony, and the philosophical idea of Yin and Yang. She stresses that what she does is not a replacement for Western medicine, but rather another option for people seeking relief from injuries, and ailments ranging from insomnia and stress to digestive issues, women’s health and auto-immune conditions.

“Chinese medicine is about looking at a person’s whole health picture and collaborating on their health goals.”

Caity says making a client feel comfortable is high on her priority list.

“Believe it or not, a lot of people fall asleep during my treatments!”