Tag: gluten free

Diet, food, food allergy, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Almond, ginger and blueberry slice

Sarah J. George

ginger almond blueberry slice plateAs regular readers of this blog may be aware I am a big fan of ginger. Aside from its myriad of therapeutic properties, I value it just because it so delicious!

So this recipe’s key ingredients Chinese medicine properties are:

  • Ginger: Warm, pungent and sweet. It benefits the Lung, Stomach and Spleen.
  • Almonds: Neutral in temperature and sweet, they benefit the Lung, Spleen and Large Intestine.
  • Blueberries: Cooling, sweet and sour. Blueberries benefit the Liver.

Even though the sugar is reduced in this recipe, overall it is still sweet in flavour and so tonifies the Earth element and Qi, and nourishes the Spleen and Lung. It is high in fibre and protein (for a sweet snack) but should still be only consumed in moderation.

The recipe is adapted from this one and I have altered it to be lower in sugar, gluten and dairy free with added blueberries.

ginger almond blueberry slice

Ginger, almond and blueberry slice

Ingredients

  • 175g coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar & stevia combination (equivalent to 1 cup caster sugar)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 100g almond meal
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 125g ‘naked’ uncrystallised ginger, chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 70g flaked almonds

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
  2. Grease an 18 x 28cm rectangular baking tin. Line with baking paper.
  3. Beat coconut oil and sugar together until light in colour and well mixed. Beat in egg, then alternate the additions of coconut milk and flour.
  4. Add almond meal, ground ginger and uncrystallised ginger and mix thoroughly.
  5. Spoon mixture into prepared pan and press down evenly with a clean fist.
  6. Evenly distribute blueberries on top of mix, pressing in gently.
  7. Evenly sprinkle flaked almonds over the top of the slice.
  8. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden.
  9. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in pan, then cool on a rack.
  10. Cut into small squares or fingers.

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

Diet, food, food allergy, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Quintessentially autumn: cauliflower, butter bean & dill soup

Sarah J. George

cauliflower soupCarrying on from my post about everything you need to know to be “Living well in autumn“, I prepared this delicious soup that sums up the essence of the season in one bowl.

Chinese medicine five element theory assigns autumn to the metal element. The colour associated with the metal element is white. The flavour is pungent. Although we can add a nice mix of bitter and sour to this. We use cooking methods that take a little longer but preserve fluid content (such as soups) to benefit our Lungs, Large Intestine and skin. Foods that are neutral to warming are ideal depending on how far through autumn you find yourself. This concept is further explained in the living well in autumn link above.

The dish that pops into my head as quintessentially autumn is cauliflower soup. It is white, creamy and nourishing, which a slight pungent and warming quality. It was a childhood favourite for me. Perhaps this is because as a dairy-free child, cauliflower soup offered a soothing, ‘creaminess’ not found often in the rest of my diet. In addition to the texture, I also think I just enjoyed the flavour. Fans of cauliflower cheese will know what I’m talking about.

Some of the key ingredients in this soup and their Chinese medicine properties  are:

  • Cauliflower (of course) –  Neutral-cooling and nourishes Yin. It is said to be sweet and slightly bitter, benefitting the Stomach, Spleen, Lung and Large Intestine.
  • Butter beans – Neutral-cooling and sweet, these beans nourish Yin and benefit the Liver, Lungs and skin.
  • Onion and garlic – Garlic is hot and onions are warming. They are pungent and may also be sweet. They benefit the Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach and Spleen.
  • Dill – Warming, pungent and slightly bitter.
  • Nutmeg – Warming and pungent.

Here is the recipe for cauliflower, butter bean and dill soup. You’ll be eating in about 30 minutes – it’s quick to cook. I used one and a half tablespoons of fresh dill rather than the dried herb. I do love dill. And for those with food sensitivities, it is free from dairy, gluten and eggs. It’s a good meat-free dish too as the beans add some protein and contribute to satiety.

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

emotional health, food, food allergy, recipe

For the love of chocolate

Sarah J. George
I've made this several times and this is the best photo I have so it'll just have to do!
I’ve made this several times and this is the best photo I have so it’ll just have to do!

A great friend who I have not seen in a very long time texted me yesterday and said she had a dream where the two of us found a secret stash of chocolate. Ah! The perfect dream.

So, it’s Valentine’s Day.

Which has really become a commercial occasion – but hey, it’s still nice to celebrate love. So instead of buying some sort of generic gift, why not make your loved ones a chocolate heart from your secret stash? There’s nothing like presenting a chocolate heart with a blunt knife to someone close to you and saying “go on, break my heart.”

I found the basic idea for the chocolate heart in a book and adapted it a little for a gathering I was going to – it was my job to bring a finger-food style dessert. And then, a stroke of genius hit me: instead of pouring the melted chocolate into a boring old square tin, why not use a heart shaped one? It was a hit. Even with the non-chocoholics in the group. (Yes, there is such a thing as a non-chocoholic apparently.)

So here’s the recipe. It’s not dairy-free if you use the small amount of white chocolate – so vary the types of chocolate as you wish. The white chocolate just makes it look pretty but definitely is not essential.

Two things I will say is:

  • Use fair trade chocolate – it’s worth paying the real price for what it costs to produce ethical chocolate,
  • And, good quality dark chocolate has quite a few health benefits when eaten in moderation.

The Chocolate Heart

Ingredients:

  • 300g dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa & dairy-free)
  • 1 cup of mixed fruits and nuts (I used crystallised ginger, toasted blanched almonds, dried blueberries and goji berries)
  • 100g white chocolate

Method:

  1. Line a heart-shaped tin (or whatever shape you’d prefer – about 15-20cm²) with plastic wrap. Make sure to have as few creases in the wrap as is possible.
  2. Melt dark chocolate (70% +) in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of gently steaming water. (Make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl).
  3. When melted, mix fruit and nuts into the dark chocolate.
  4. Pour chocolate mix into the prepared tin.
  5. In another bowl, melt the white chocolate.
  6. When melted, spoon the white chocolate on top of dark chocolate in the tin and muddle it with a skewer to create a marbled effect.
  7. Refrigerate for an hour or so until set.
  8. Peel the plastic wrap away to serve.
  9. You will end up with a thick block of fruit and nut chocolate. Serve it on a wooden board with a blunt knife to break it up.

Happy Valentines Day! May you all enjoy a piece of  broken heart. 🙂

And as a side note, if you are struggling with a real broken heart you might like to read this.

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

Diet, food, food allergy, recipe

The joy of omelettes in pictures

Sarah J. George
The more colours the better! Vegies for the omelette.
The more colours the better! Vegies for the omelette.

My great friend and naturopath colleague Kathleen Murphy recently wrote this excellent post about some new research regarding how eating the right type of breakfast can reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome.

I’ve written before on my love of the popular breakfast meal, the omelette, and I’ve shared my dairy-free omelette recipe. I don’t consider them to be only a breakfast food. Omelettes also make excellent, quick and easy lunches and dinners. And oh boy, by varying the ingredients you add to the egg mix you can create a range of tasty delights.

The ingredients you can add are endless, but here are some I like:

  • Tomatoes
  • Eggplant
  • Sweet potato
  • Pumpkin
  • Mushrooms
  • Capsicum
  • Zucchini
  • Harissa chilli paste
  • Fresh chilli
  • Fresh herbs

And here are some omelettes I’ve made lately:

Cherry tomato, Spanish onion and fresh basil leaves
Cherry tomato, Spanish onion and fresh basil leaves
Pumpkin, harissa, cherry tomato and mixed fresh herbs
Pumpkin, harissa, cherry tomato and mixed fresh herbs
Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes and dill
Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes and dill
Sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin and parsley
Sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin and parsley

On looking at these photos I’ve realised I seem to have a great fondness for cherry tomatoes. I promise that they aren’t in every omelette I make, just the ones I photograph apparently!

Have you got a vegie omelette combination that’s a winner? Share it in the comments.

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

Diet, food, food allergy, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Pumpkin scones: gluten and dairy free

Sarah J. George

pumpkin sconesI have fond memories of eating Mum’s pumpkin scones fresh from the oven when I was a child. Homemade pumpkin scones, rock cakes and ANZAC biscuits were our sweet snack staples.

I picked up a beautifully sweet piece of pumpkin on the weekend and it reminded me of those pumpkin scones Mum used to make. It inspired me to pull out her old recipe and modify it a little in terms of sugars, fats and flours.

From a Chinese medicine point of view, pumpkin is a highly valued Earth element food. It builds up our Spleen Qi (digestive energy) and helps to drain dampness. Food that are naturally occurring in shades of oranges and yellow are classed as Earth element foods. For this reason pumpkin soup is valued as one of the best meals for a struggling digestive system. Pumpkin is warm-neutral-cooling in thermal nature dependent on how its cooked and what its colour is: the paler or greener a pumpkin is the more cooling it will be.

I like to make these scones with dark yellow/orange pumpkin flesh. I’ve also used brown rice flour (more fibre) with ground cinnamon and ginger for flavouring which add a little warm energy to the recipe and to aid digestion. I’ve also substituted the butter 1:1 for coconut oil and used a stevia/sugar mix to reduce the level of sugar. This is also an incredibly quick and easy recipe to make.

Pumpkin Scones recipe

Ingredients:

  • 60g coconut oil (in a soft solid form)
  • 1/4 cup sugar stevia blend (or 1/2 cup regular sugar). This can be reduced if you have a particularly sweet pumpkin.
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup steamed, mashed and cooled pumpkin
  • 2 cups brown rice flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 230ºC.
  2. Grease two baking trays.
  3. Cream coconut oil and sugar.
  4. Add egg and beat in.
  5. Mix in pumpkin, flour and spices until well combined.
  6. Drop (or roll) rounded, heaped dessertspoon fulls of mixture onto prepared trays.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes of until golden.
  8. Best served warm with jam.

Makes 16.

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

Diet, food, food allergy, herbal medicine, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Make your own Vietnamese rice paper rolls

Sarah J. George

IMG_1734We’ve been experiencing some sky high temperatures in Brisbane this summer, with more to come. Now, Chinese medicine usually frowns upon a large intake of raw and cold temperature foods but on days like today fresh, raw food is incredibly cooling and refreshing. If you want to know more about how to live well in Summer (including some cooling tips) click here.

So, I’ve been making some vegetarian rice paper rolls. These can be easily adapted to include the vegies that you like best – you can use my recipe just as a suggestion. My rice paper rolls recipe is vegetarian but you can substitute the tofu for organic chicken or duck if that is your preference.

Cucumber, lettuce and mint are considered to be thermally cold in Chinese medicine and that’s exactly why we’re using them on such a hot day. I like to team them up with some warming herbs including basil and coriander and a sauce that includes some fresh grated ginger and chilli to support the spleen and stomach (digestive system) with the extra burden of harder to digest raw food. So pay attention to your own body folks, and adjust the amount of raw food you eat that makes you feel well. Those with weak digestive systems or a tendency to ‘feel the cold’ would most likely do well to limit the raw food.

But back to the rice paper rolls (and they are gluten and dairy-free too) – here’s the recipe:

Vegetarian rice paper rolls

Ingredients

Vary the ingredient quantities to make the amount of rolls that you require. It’s easy to prepare some more salad ingredients as you go if you run short.

  • Rice papers (round, Vietnamese ones) – you’ll need 2 per finished roll
  • Lettuce leaves, medium size (can be fancy lettuces – mix it up with some different colours and varieties)
  • Carrot, grated
  • Cucumber, thinly sliced and about 10cm long
  • Yellow capsicum, thinly sliced. (Optional)
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Tofu, pre-fried. Cut into thin slices.
  • Mint leaves, about 3-5 per roll
  • Basil leaves, 2-4 per roll
  • Coriander leaves, sliced and sprinkle on each roll. (Optional)

Method

  1. Add some warm water to a large bowl.
  2. Soak a rice paper in the water for a few seconds and place on a clean, flat surface. Repeat with another rice paper and place it on top of the first rice paper.
  3. Lie a lettuce leaf in the half closest to you on the rice paper.
  4. Then top with some carrot,  cucumber and capsicum. IMG_1715
  5. Add on top the avocado and tofu slices. IMG_1716
  6. Then place a few mint, basil and coriander leaves on top. IMG_1717
  7. Roll the rice paper end that is closest to you over the top squeezing the ingredients in tightly*. Roll away from you and tuck the sides in before you have finished rolling it up.IMG_1720
  8. Repeat until you have made as many rice paper rolls as you desire. You can then serve them whole or slice them in half on an angle.  IMG_1724

*When you first start making these it will take a few attempts to get the filling quantity and rolling technique right, but once you have it these are easy to make.

A quick dipping sauce can be made with a dash of tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), sweet chilli sauce, rice wine vinegar and freshly grated ginger. Set the quantities to suit your own taste.IMG_1729

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

food, food allergy, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Choc-chilli cookies: gluten & dairy free

Sarah J. George

choc-chilli cookiesOn my last curry night I made two desserts featuring spices sometimes used in curry: cardamom coconut cake and chilli-choc cookies.

The cookies tasted like a delicious chocolate biscuit followed with a chilli burn. Not for the faint-hearted. Although, you can always just decrease the chilli if it’s not your thing. It is my thing – I love the chilli sizzle. And chocolate and chilli are a match made in heaven. I am also a big fan of chilli chocolate chai.

Chilli has many uses in Chinese Medicine dietetics. Used fresh it can warm you up to the point of breaking a sweat, which then actually has a cooling effect on the body.This is an excellent treatment for the early stages of a common cold – we call it releasing the exterior. Think about the effect of a spicy vietnamese soup (pho). Dried chilli has a warmer action (and if you don’t use it in sweat producing quantities) it can be an excellent spice to use to warm you up on cold days. Think about soups, casseroles and curries.

But for now, the cookie recipe. I converted this wonderful recipe I found over to be gluten and dairy-free, adapted the sweeteners and added a ginger centrepiece to each cookie.

Choc-chilli cookies

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup brown rice flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder added
  • 20g cocoa
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (you can increase or decrease this)
  • 50g soft brown sugar
  • 50g butter or dairy-free alternative
  • 50g maple syrup
  • Uncrystallised ‘naked‘ ginger, cut into square slices

Method 

  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
  2. Grease two baking trays.
  3. Sift flour, cocoa, bicarb and chilli powder.  Mix well.
  4. Add butter in spoonfuls and rub through with fingers until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  5. Add sugar and stir through.
  6. Add maple syrup and combine. You may need your hands for this.
  7. Take teaspoons of the mixture and roll into small balls and place on greased baking trays. Leave adequate room for cookies to expand in the oven. Flatten slightly. Poke a slice of ginger into the top of each biscuit.choc-chilli cookies uncooked
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
  9. Transfer to cooling rack after they have been out of the oven for 5 minutes.

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

food, food allergy, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Choc-orange-ginger truffles – gluten & dairy free

Sarah J. George

choc trufflesI whipped up these delightful sweet treats several weekends ago. (My! How time flies!) I really do have a soft spot for chocolate and these are a great way to indulge my craving without any dairy or a large amount of added sugar. Plus the flavours are to die for!

Orange, ginger, cardamom, almond, cashew, hazelnut. They were all made to be blended with chocolate.

Luckily, these little truffles are also rich enough that you can’t eat too many in one sitting. And they are best shared with friends after dinner.

“What are the Traditional Chinese Medicine functions attributed to cardamom and ginger?”, I hear you ask. All is revealed here.

Choc-orange-ginger truffle recipe

Ingredients

  • 50g blanched almonds
  • 50g raw cashews
  • 50g hazelnut flour
  • 100g dried pitted dates
  • juice of one orange (about 3 tablespoons)
  • grated zest of one orange
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2-3 green cardamom pods, ground
  • Uncrystallised ‘naked‘ ginger, cut into small pieces (1/2cm²)
  • Additional hazelnut meal and dessicated coconut for rolling

Method

  1. Add almonds and cashews to food processor and blend until ground. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Add dates to food processor and blend until they resemble a paste. Add dates to nut mix.
  3. To nut and date mix, add orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, cocoa and ground cardamom. Mix into a thick paste. Add hazelnut meal gradually to make mixture a good consistency for rolling.
  4. Take two plates and to one add desiccated coconut, and to the other add hazelnut meal. These will be for rolling the truffles in.
  5. Take a heaped teaspoonful of mixture and roll into a ball. Insert a piece of ginger into the middle of each ball and roll until smooth on the outside. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used. Then roll each ball in either coconut or hazelnut meal.
  6. Chill until ready to serve.

For further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health at her Broadbeach clinic and is the Chinese Medicine Senior Lecturer at the Endeavour College of Natural Health Gold Coast campus.

Diet, food, food allergy, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Cardamom coconut cake – gluten & dairy-free

Sarah J. George

cardamom coconut cakeLast weekend I made two after dinner sweets to follow a main course of several curries. I wanted the desserts to continue the fragrant spicy theme of the meal.

This cake was met with approval and so the recipe had to be shared. It has delicate spice and the perfect level of moisture due to the addition of coconut milk. The original recipe is here. I adapted it slightly to make it dairy-free, lower in sugar and to also make it with home made sweetened coconut as this ingredient is not easily found in Brisbane, Australia. I created my own cardamom glaze for decoration.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, cardamom is considered to be warming, pungent and slightly bitter. Cardamom is an excellent digestive stimulant. It is sometimes termed the “Queen of the Spices” and is probably best known for its use in curries but can also be added to cakes and biscuits. For more on cardamom and my two other favourite warming spices click here. Here’s a rosewater, cardamom and pistachio shortbread recipe and another for cardamom cookies. Did I mention that I LOVE cardamom?

Cardamom coconut cake

Ingredients for cake

  • 2 cups brown rice flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom (this can be increased to taste)
  • 1 cup of coconut milk (shaken well before measuring)
  • 5 tablespoons of dairy-free butter alternative (or butter if you tolerate dairy)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup prepared sugar/stevia blend (equivalent to two cups sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons rum
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup of sweetened shredded coconut (made by mixing 35g shredded coconut with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of hot water – allow to sit for 10 minutes before using.)

Ingredients for glaze

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a few pinches of ground cardamom, to taste
  • extra shredded coconut for decoration

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Grease a Bundt cake tin.
  3. In a small bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom together. Set aside.
  4. Melt butter into coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat. Set aside.
  5. With a mixer, beat eggs and sugar until pale, thick and doubled in size.  Add vanilla and rum.
  6. Add flour to the egg mix beating slowly until mixed through.
  7. Add shredded coconut and sweetened coconut and mix.
  8. Lastly, add coconut milk and mix through until mixture is smooth.
  9. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 1 hour or until cooked through (passing the skewer test).
  10. Leave in pan for 10 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.
  11. Glaze cake (to make glaze: sift icing sugar into a small bowl, add vanilla and cardamom, then add a little water at a time until glaze is the desired consistency to drizzle on the cake) and finish by sprinkling shredded coconut on top.
  12. Serve with strawberries or the fruit of your choice.
cardamom coconut cake
This time with seasonal stone fruit

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.

Diet, food, food allergy, recipe, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Warming, curried butter bean and vegetable soup for chilly nights

Sarah J. George

curried soupWhoa Brisbane! What’s with the suddenly freezing nights and mornings? I thought we were done with the chilly temperatures. (NB. Yes, I am soft. I live in Brisbane and anything below 10ºC is unbearably cold to me! And here is how I use spices to cope and here are some general ideas for staying warm.)

To survive winter’s last hurrah in the form of this recent cold snap I made this delightfully fragrant and delicious soup.

The root vegetables, beans and spices gently warm and nourish the body and digestive system (Spleen and Stomach) and boost energy according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Even the yellowy colour of the soup supports these organs and their corresponding Earth element.

Curried butter bean and vegetable soup

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 red capsicum, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 large potato, diced
  • 3 cups pumpkin, diced
  • 1/2 cauliflower, diced
  • 1 cup of cooked butter beans (or 400g canned)
  • 1 1/4 litre vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • handful of green beans, sliced
  • coriander, chopped, to garnish

Method:

  1. Heat oil in large saucepan. Fry onion, garlic, carrot, cumin seeds and mustard seeds until browned and crackling.
  2. Add turmeric and curry powders.  Fry for a minute.
  3. Add potato, pumpkin, cauliflower, butter beans, vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
  4. Allow soup to cool a little, add half of soup to food processor and blend.
  5. Return blended soup to the pot. Add green beans stir over heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
  6. Serve in bowls topped with coriander.

For further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health at her Broadbeach clinic and is the Chinese Medicine Senior Lecturer at the Endeavour College of Natural Health Gold Coast campus.