Hip pain is not always treated the same way. In this Clinical Reflection, Teresa Shen explains how she combines acupuncture with movement, moxibustion, cupping, and individualised Traditional Chinese Medicine assessment to support patients with hip pain.
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This section shares clinical insights, real patient cases, and a deeper understanding of how pain and dysfunction develop.
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Moxibustion is a traditional warming therapy often used together with acupuncture in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this reflection, Teresa Shen shares why she frequently combines acupuncture, cupping, and moxibustion in clinical practice, and how many patients describe feeling warmer, calmer, more relaxed, and more comfortable during treatment.
Is every painful shoulder simply a torn rotator cuff? This case demonstrates why ultrasound findings alone cannot explain every patient's symptoms. Learn how multi-layer diagnosis and multi-layer treatment can lead to more accurate clinical decision-making.
Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions seen in acupuncture clinics. In this Clinical Reflection, Teresa Shen explains how Traditional Chinese Medicine understands lower back pain through meridian theory, Zang-Fu pattern differentiation, and her clinical approach of treating both the back and the front of the body to support long-term recovery.
Not every patient with low back pain should receive acupuncture immediately. This patient initially appeared to have a psoas muscle injury, but conflicting examination findings suggested another possibility. Rather than confirming his first impression, Dr Huang reconsidered the diagnosis and referred the patient for emergency evaluation. Clinical reasoning is not about proving yourself right—it is about recognizing when new evidence requires you to change direction.
After decades of clinical practice, Dr Huang noticed an interesting pattern. Patients with the same degree of recovery often describe their improvement in completely different ways. This reflection explores what those differences may reveal about culture, recovery, doctor-patient communication, and human nature.
Headaches are one of the most common reasons people seek acupuncture, yet not all headaches have the same cause. In this Clinical Reflection, Teresa Shen shares how Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches headaches through meridian differentiation, pattern identification, acupuncture, lifestyle guidance, and holistic care.
Tennis elbow is not limited to tennis players. Many people who spend long hours using computers, mobile phones, or repetitive hand movements develop persistent elbow pain. In this Clinical Reflection, Teresa Shen explores tennis elbow from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective and discusses meridian balance, Blood stasis, cold and dampness, and recovery.
Sometimes the problem is not the back, the sleep, or the anxiety. Sometimes the entire system has been under strain for so long that it loses its ability to regulate itself. This clinical reflection explores a patient who described herself as unhappy for years—and how a surprising shift occurred after her first visit.
When I was young, I believed a doctor's job was simply to treat disease. After more than forty years in clinical practice, I have come to realise that treatment is only part of the responsibility. A good doctor helps patients understand disease, face illness, manage their health, and ultimately return to life.
Teresa Clinical Reflection is a growing collection of clinical observations and reflections inspired by everyday practice. Through a Traditional Chinese Medicine lens, Teresa Shen explores common health conditions, recovery patterns, lifestyle influences, and the body's natural ability to heal.
Many people experience temporary relief from shoulder pain, only to find that the discomfort gradually returns. In this Teresa Clinical Reflection, Teresa Shen explores shoulder pain from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, discussing meridian pathways, Qi stagnation, Blood stasis, frozen shoulder, lifestyle factors, and clinical treatment approaches.
Many people experience temporary relief from neck pain, only to find that the stiffness and discomfort return again. In this first Teresa Clinical Reflection, Teresa Shen explores recurring neck pain from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective and discusses the importance of meridian balance, lifestyle factors, and long-term recovery.
Many patients describe their low back as feeling “stuck.” But is something really blocking the movement? Through a chronic low back pain case, Dr Huang explores why restoring movement may sometimes be less about stretching muscles and more about reducing protective responses within the nervous system.
The patient arrived with a diagnosis already in mind: BPPV. He had researched extensively, consulted doctors, watched videos, and even asked AI. Yet after careful assessment, Dr Huang concluded it was unlikely to be BPPV. This case explores why saying “No” is sometimes one of the most important responsibilities of a clinician.
A woman in her late sixties was producing large amounts of phlegm every morning. After one treatment, the amount reduced dramatically. Rather than focusing on the treatment itself, this article explores a deeper question: where does all that phlegm actually come from, and could airway nerve sensitivity play a role?
Special tests for rotator cuff injuries can be highly valuable in early-stage shoulder problems. However, as shoulder pain becomes chronic, protective patterns, compensation, and secondary injuries may reduce their diagnostic specificity. Dr Huang reflects on why diagnosis often evolves alongside treatment and recovery.
Dr Huang identified clues pointing toward proximal median nerve irritation. This case highlights the importance of questioning small details that do not fit the expected diagnosis.
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