About
Karen Pohlner is a Registered Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine) with an interest in women’s health and a fierce desire to help empower women to achieve optimal health and wellbeing using natural methods throughout their entire reproductive life cycle.
Even as a little girl Karen wanted to become a Doctor.
After graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1992 she discovered that Western Medicine was not quite right for her.
She noticed that while Western Medicine was excellent at saving lives and treating disease there was minimal if any effort directed towards preventing illness in the first place. This made little sense to her.
Once she discovered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the path to fulfilling her dream of one day becoming a Doctor, albeit of a different kind was firmly set in motion.
With her passion for Chinese Medicine ignited she studied a double degree in Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, at Victoria University in Melbourne. She completed her studies with a two month clinical internship at Liao Ning College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, graduating both degrees with honours in 2006.
Since then she has developed an interest in the area of women’s health, obstetrics and gynaecology.
For 4 years Karen sat as a voluntary member on the Chinese Medicine Registration Board Reference Group. The role of the Reference Group was to discuss and advise the Board on issues that arise from and affect the profession of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Australia. It was a great privilege for her to be given the opportunity to contribute to shaping her profession.
She has co-authored a book on Chinese Medicine entitled ‘Unlocking the Mysteries of Chinese Medicine: A Reference Manual for Consumers’, which aims to make Chinese medicine more accessible to Western consumers.
We are an ethical practice
Over the years Chinese Medicine has received some bad press in terms of the use of endangered species, cruelty to animals and suspect herb quality.
At our clinic we only use ethical products. We do not use endangered plant or animal species or animal products that involve cruelty to harvest.
We stock a small range of animal products which we are satisfied does not impact on animal welfare to harvest and will always ask for your permission if we intend to use animal products or use suitable plant based substitutes instead.
We believe this is the best that can be done to guarantee a quality end product for consumers.
We like to make Chinese Medicine easy
At our clinic we use granulated herbs, a convenient modern-day alternative to preparing and boiling raw herbs. Granulated herbal formulas can be fully modified and adapted to meet the specific health care needs of each person and require minimal preparation. Just add boiling water and drink, similar to making an instant coffee.
We also have a state-of-the-art capsule-making facility which encapsulates the granulated herbs. Capsules have no taste and are even more convenient to take.
The brand of herbs we use contains no additives or fillers. The capsule casings are made from vegetable sources and are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians.