Tim has been an acupuncturist and stretch therapist for 25 years. He started the business (as Erina Acupuncture) in a little blue cottage on Barralong Road, Erina, before purchasing a home backing onto Hilton Moore Park in East Gosford which has become the permanent home of Central Coast Body Mechanics. The business now houses seven therapists: three acupuncturists, two massage therapists and two stretch therapists.
Tim is married with two young adult daughters and lives at Wamberal. He completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Acupuncture at UTS Sydney and as part of his training spent two months working alongside doctors in a hospital in China, where acupuncture is a first line of treatment.
An enthusiastic cyclist, Tim enjoys mountain and road riding. His favourite time of year is July which is where you’ll find him glued to the TV watching the spectacular Tour de France cycling race. He’s a keen ocean swimmer, taking to Toowoon Bay each week to swim a couple of kilometers.
Prior to becoming an acupuncturist and a busy family man, Tim competed in triathlons nationally, in Japan and in the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon. He worked as a bicycle courier in Sydney to get incidental training for these events. He has worked as a fitness instructor and personal trainer for the decades since then.
Over the years, Tim has participated in a range of activities including skiing, boarding, rock climbing, abseiling, paddling, running, swimming, weight training and yoga. This has given him an excellent understanding of the mechanics of the body and what’s needed to get people moving again without pain or restriction.
He has treated thousands of Central Coast residents including regular folk, elite athletes, tradespeople, children and the elderly. He has an innate sense of the body and laser-like ability to get to the source of people’s pain and dis-ease.
In addition to treatment clients with acupuncture, Tim conducts 1:1 stretch therapy sessions and runs stretch classes at the clinic.
What do like about acupuncture as a form of medicine?
I like that it works on many different levels. It works on the muscular system, skeletal system, nervous system and the endocrine system. In one treatment, you can create healthy change in all of these systems. And when you do that, it helps a person’s emotional and mental state and pretty much immediately helps them.
It’s a brilliant treatment for people who want to treat the cause of their problem, not just the symptoms. Acupuncture turns on your body’s natural anti-inflammatories and pain killers. This is great news for people who want to avoid the side effects of taking pharmaceutical medication, such as gut issues and liver and kidney problems.
What conditions do you really enjoy helping people with?
Musculo-skeletal conditions such as a sore neck, shoulder, back, hips, knees, feet and ankles. I enjoy helping athletes optimise their functioning. My aim is to help people understand why they have the injury, how they can recover and what they need to do to get back to their sport and back to daily life.
How does acupuncture help these problems?
I use a combination of acupuncture and stretching which reorganises the fascia and connective tissue and calms the nervous system to allow the muscles to relax and the blood and lymph to flow. These things are essential for healing.
What other common conditions can acupuncture help?
WHO (the World Health Organization) recommends acupuncture for the following conditions:
- Low back pain
- Neck pain
- Sciatica
- Tennis elbow
- Knee pain
- Peri-arthritis of the shoulder
- Sprains
- Facial pain
What are the benefits of acupuncture?
- It focuses on drug-free pain relief
- It can be effective in the treatment of acute and chronic ailments as shown in research studies which have been collated in the Acupuncture Evidence Project
- It takes an holistic approach by addressing the underlying cause of the condition, as well as the symptoms. The approach links body, mind and emotions.
- It assists in the prevention against disease and the maintenance of general wellbeing.
Tim has appointments available Monday to Thursday and Saturdays. You can book a session here or if you have any questions, phone Central Coast Body Mechanics on 4325 5448.
Tim Barrett, founder of Central Coast Body Mechanics.