About Annabelle McDonald and John McDonald

Southport Acupuncture Clinic was established in Davenport Street, Southport on Queensland’s Gold Coast in 1992 by John McDonald.  The clinic moved to its current location at Suite G, 4 Railway Street, Southport in 2008. 

JOhn headshot at WADDr John McDonald, PhD

Registered acupuncturist     Reg. Number: CMR 0001712607

Fellow of the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association

John McDonald commenced acupuncture studies in 1971 with Russell Jewell, who later established Australia’s first acupuncture college, Acupuncture Colleges (Australia). In 1975 John qualified as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and in the same year established an acupuncture withdrawal programme, along with colleague, Dr Rod Muirhead, at the New South Wales Health Commission’s Drug Dependency Service (later called Narcotics Dependency Programme) in Sydney. In 1976 Dr Rod Muirhead and John McDonald established a private acupuncture clinic together in Glebe, Sydney.

In 1977 John commenced teaching acupuncture and has continued to teach ever since. Since 1976 John has attended numerous acupuncture conferences and presented lectures, workshops and conference papers around the world. For details of John McDonald’s publications press the “Publications” tab.

Dr John McDonald was awarded a PhD in 2015 from Griffith University. His thesis was an original research project entitled “The Effects of Acupuncture on Mucosal Immunity in the Upper Respiratory Tract” – in other words, how does acupuncture modulate the immune system when used to treat hayfever (allergic rhinitis)?

John is Vice-President of the Acupuncture Now Foundation, an international charitable foundation dedicated to educating the public, other health professionals and health policymakers about the benefits of acupuncture based on the best available evidence. Click here to learn more about the Acupuncture Now Foundation

Dr McDonald is also a Director and member of the Research Committee for Acupuncture Now Australia Ltd.

Dr John McDonald is also a contract academic at the Endeavour College of Natural Health which is a direct “descendant” of the original Acupuncture Colleges (Australia) where he was first introduced to acupuncture.

Schedule of fees:             Initial consultation and treatment : $140.00

Subsequent consultation and treatment: $90.00

Annabelle headshotMrs Annabelle McDonald, Dip TCM

Registered acupuncturist & Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner

Reg. Number:  CMR0001710905

Member of the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association

Annabelle is a mature acupuncture practitioner, and a graduate in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the New South Wales College of Natural Therapies in Sydney.

Annabelle’s special interest and experience lies in the treatment of women both during their younger, more complex fertile years and then afterwards, balancing and smoothing the confronting challenges of ageing in the more mature woman.

Annabelle especially enjoys adding to her large clinic “family of babies”, and assisting through the menopausal years.

Annabelle has a particular interest in the effects of trauma and mental attitude on vibrant health and wellbeing.

Annabelle uses only disposable acupuncture needles, together with moxibustion and cupping therapy. Laser acupuncture is available if required.

Dietary advice and suggestions for wellbeing are included in the treatment cost.

Treatments are rebatable under “extras” tables of private health insurance funds.

Schedule of fees:      Initial consultation and treatment: $130.00

Subsequent consultation and treatment: $80.00

18 thoughts on “About Annabelle McDonald and John McDonald”

  3. Dear Laura, While registered acupuncturists cannot use the words “specialise ” or “specialist” in their advertising under AHPRA advertising regulations, I can recommend a very experienced colleague, Hoc Ku Huynh who has a clinic near Town Hall station in Kent street and another in Fairfield.
    Fairfield Clinic:
    62A Smart St,
    Fairfield NSW 2165
    Ph: 02 9728 6176
    Click here to see a map

    Sydney City CBD Clinic:
    Unit 95/515 Kent St,
    Sydney NSW 2000
    Ph: 02 9728 6176

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  4. Hello John, my GP spoke very highly of you. This is about receiving treatment for L5/S1, 3.8mm anterior slip, foraminal narrowing, bone sits on nerve root. States this type of treatment could transform my life. I’m linked in weekly physio once or twice a wk dependent on pain state, plus treated by medication. What’s your thoughts on that?

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    • Dear Erin, My apologies. Notification of your comment finished up in my Junkmail folder so I missed it. It is not possible for me to assess your condition without a consultation and without seeing your scans. In general terms, what I can say is that some conditions respond very well to acupuncture, while others do not. I would only be able to offer an opinion on your likely response to treatment when I have more detailed information. Warm regards, Dr John McDonald, PhD

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  5. Pingback: L'Acupuncture et Le Pharmachien •

  6. Hi,
    I was going to schedule a tutoring appointment with Dr penner a couple weeks ago when I read about his passing.
    Is it still possible to buy his books- the pdf version? There has not been a response from the link provided.
    Thank you.
    Tom McGowan.

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    • Dear Thomas, Arrangements are not yet in place for the distribution of the pdf version and currently American Dragon site is inactive, but will probably be revived in the not-too-distant future. If you could provide me with an email address, I will pass it on to Joel’s daughter, Shoshana Bianchi-McElwee who will be handling distribution of the pdf version. Warm regards, John McDonald

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  7. Greetings to both of you. I am a previous client of Annabelle and would like to make contact with her. The phone number provided on the internet (07 5571 1166) has a voice message stating that the mobile phone number has been disconnected. Please advise as to how I might get in touch with Annabelle.
    Many thanks.
    Jane Welch (nee Handsley)

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  8. Do you have any colleagues you can suggest in London that specialise in acupuncture for AR? My daughter has suffered for many years and is now pregnant so wanting natural treatment. Thank you.

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  9. Hi John,
    I am wondering if you can recommend a practitioner in Melbourne (Bayside area ideally) with experience in treating trigeminal neuralgia? I understand that you met my father in the UK many years ago, Sidney Rose-Neil. Pat Rose-Neil suggested that I contact you for a recommendation as an eminent practitioner in Australia. Thank you very much for your assistance.
    Regards,
    Justine Roseneil

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