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.
Dr 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)?
Currently John McDonald is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine at Griffith University and is a member of the Menzies Health Institute Queensland. 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 John McDonald is also a contract academic and member of the Curriculum Advisory Committee 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.
Mrs Annabelle McDonald, Dip TCM
Registered acupuncturist & Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner
Reg. Number: CMR0001710905
Member of the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association
Southport Acupuncture Clinic 
I am Researching Russell Jewell are you able to give me any information to follow up on?
Thank you for your time
Su Jewell
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What sort of information on Russell Jewell were you looking for? John McDonald
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Can you please recommend an acupuncture clinic in Sydney that specialises in treating hayfever.
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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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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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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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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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Dear Jane, We are no longer using this old number. Our new number is 0421 579 205. Warm regards, John McDonald
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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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Dear Kathy,
I have a recommendation from a trusted colleague in the UK, Charlie Buck, who is past president of the British Acupuncture Council. He has highly recommended Alex Jacobs at Dao Medicine.
Alex Jacobs Dao Medicine
Inside Yi Dao Clinic
61 Mill Lane
London
NW6 1NB
Mobile: 07917 610596
Email: alex@daomedicine.com
Website: http://www.daomedicine.com
I hope your daughter find this helpful. Warm regards, Dr John McDonald, PhD
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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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Dear Justine, Yes, I did meet Sidney at conferences in Argentina in 1976 and in Tokyo and Manila in 1977. I also met Phil in Paris in 2018. I have made enquires and I have found two Bayside area practitioners I would recommend:
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1. Kirsten Margaret Wolfe
Mornington Comp Med
138 Tanti Avenue
MORNINGTON, VIC, 3931
Australia
Mobile: 0412 949 496
Email: arcticwolf@internode.on.net
2. Juanita Jolly
Balance Complementary Medicine
2/1225 Nepean Hwy, Highett VIC 3190, Australia
Ph: (03) 95856635
Email: info@balancemed.com.au
https://www.balancemed.com.au/
Warm regards,
John McDonald
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Hello John, Is Rod Muirhead still alive? Best wishes, Carmen .
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Hello Carmen, I do not know. The last time I saw Rod was about 1977. If you can find his nephew Michael he would probably know. Warm regards, John
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