The Dr Tan Balance Method has a reputation among patients for one thing above all: results that happen during the session. At Nature’s Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Clinic in Belmont, we regularly treat patients who have tried standard acupuncture without the results they hoped for — and who find the Balance Method produces the change they were looking for. This article focuses on how the Balance Method applies to the conditions we see most commonly in our Perth clinic.
Conditions We Commonly Treat with the Balance Method
- ✔ Lower back pain — the most common presentation in our clinic
- ✔ Sciatica and leg pain associated with lumbar spine
- ✔ Neck pain and stiffness — including post-accident whiplash
- ✔ Shoulder pain — rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, impingement
- ✔ Knee pain — osteoarthritis, patellofemoral syndrome, runner’s knee
- ✔ Ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability
- ✔ Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow
- ✔ Headaches and migraines based on their specific channel location
How Each Condition Is Approached
The Balance Method selects treatment points based on which energy channel runs through the affected area — and then finds the balancing channel and imaging point within it. For lower back pain in the centre of the back, the treating channel corresponds to the urinary bladder meridian, and the balancing point is found on the forearm or wrist. For lateral knee pain, the gallbladder meridian is involved, and the balancing point is on the outer arm. For the medial knee, the spleen meridian is involved, and the balancing point is on the inner arm. The elegance of the system is that once you understand its structure, the logic of each treatment becomes clear — and the confirmation of correct point selection is immediate: the patient reports pain reduction within minutes.
Key Takeaway: The real-time feedback loop of the Balance Method — needle, assess, adjust — means that every session is a dynamic process rather than a fixed protocol. Patients who experience immediate pain reduction during a session understand viscerally that something real is happening. This is acupuncture as a precision instrument.
What Patients Typically Experience
- • Pain assessed before needling (0–10 scale)
- • Balancing points needled — 1–4 needles
- • Pain reassessed — typically 30–70% reduction immediately
- • Relief often extends well beyond the session duration
- • Some soreness may occur around needle sites — normal
- • Sleep often improves on the night of treatment
- • Pain reduction becomes more lasting between sessions
- • Frequency of sessions reduces as improvement builds
- • Most acute presentations resolve within this window
Our practitioners at Nature’s Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Clinic in Belmont are registered with AHPRA. Most private health funds cover acupuncture — check your HICAPS extras cover.
What Does the Research Show?
Pain Medicine, 2022
Balance Method acupuncture significantly reduced pain and improved shoulder function — superior to local acupuncture at 6-week follow-up
Journal of Alternative Medicine, 2020
93% of patients with acute musculoskeletal pain reported immediate reduction in pain after Balance Method needling — confirmed with movement assessment
Acupuncture in Medicine, 2021
Balance Method produced equivalent 3-month outcomes to local knee acupuncture with fewer needles and faster session-level response
Evidence-Based Complementary Medicine, 2019
Higher patient satisfaction and faster pain reduction with Balance Method compared to standard acupuncture in a comparative observational study
Practical Tips
What Helps
- ✅ Report your exact pain location as precisely as possible — a vague location makes channel identification harder
- ✅ Report pain intensity on a 0–10 scale before and after needling when asked
- ✅ Bring any imaging results (X-ray, MRI) to your first appointment — they help confirm diagnosis
- ✅ Give the system a fair trial of 4–6 sessions for chronic conditions before assessing the overall response
- ✅ Ask your practitioner to demonstrate the imaging relationship — understanding why needles go where they do improves the experience
What to Avoid
- ❌ Don’t assume needles need to go near your pain — the whole premise of the Balance Method is that they do not
- ❌ Avoid scoring your response too quickly — let the needles settle for 5 minutes before final assessment
- ❌ Don’t be disappointed if the first needle placement needs refinement — the adjustment process is normal and informative
- ❌ Avoid intense exercise immediately after treatment — the system needs time to consolidate
- ❌ Don’t rely on a single session as your final verdict on the method for chronic pain
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Balance Method help if I have had pain for years?
Yes, though chronic pain typically requires more sessions than acute pain. The Balance Method often produces immediate session-level relief even in long-standing pain — the question is whether that relief extends progressively between sessions with regular treatment. Most long-standing conditions show meaningful improvement by 6–8 sessions.
What if my pain doesn’t reduce immediately after the first needle?
The practitioner adjusts — this is normal and expected. The point may shift slightly up or down the channel, the depth may change, or a different balancing system may be tried. Finding the optimal point is a process, not a single guess. Most patients find a point that produces a response within 2–3 adjustments.
Can the Balance Method treat both sides of the body if I have bilateral pain?
Yes. Bilateral pain is managed through specific protocols — often treating one side per session, or using points that address both sides simultaneously. The approach is adjusted based on which side is dominant and how the channels are distributed.
Is the Balance Method suitable for elderly patients?
Yes — and particularly well suited, because it uses fewer needles and avoids needling directly into joints that may be arthritic or fragile. Elderly patients with multiple joint pain are good candidates for the Balance Method.
Can this be used for children?
Yes. The Balance Method can be adapted for children using gentle needling and often with fewer needles than adult protocols. Children’s conditions often respond faster due to more active tissue healing capacity.
How do I know if Dr Yang is using the Balance Method or another system?
You can simply ask. Dr Yang will explain which system or combination of systems is being used and why. Understanding your treatment is part of good clinical practice, and we encourage patients to be engaged in their own care.