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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Markham
Acupuncture, cupping, tuina, and gua sha from registered TCM practitioners.
An Ancient Medicine, Practiced by Registered Hands
Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the body as a connected system rather than a set of separate complaints. Acupuncture, cupping, tuina, and gua sha are the hands-on tools, but what holds them together is the diagnosis behind them. TCM reads the balance between the internal organs and their relationship to the external environment, then works to restore it. That is why a TCM practitioner asks about your sleep, digestion, temperature, and stress before treating your shoulder, and why your treatment plan often shifts as the season and your symptoms change.
TCM at Northville Rehabilitation Centre comes from Lisa Luo, R.TCMP, R.Ac and Josephine Lau, R.TCMP, R.Ac, both registered with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario. Holding TCM registration rather than acupuncture alone means they diagnose by pattern and treat with whichever modality fits, so a single visit can combine needling with cupping or bodywork instead of being limited to points on a chart. Lisa works extensively with cupping, gua sha, and lifestyle guidance. Josephine treats musculoskeletal complaints alongside mental health concerns such as stress and low mood. Consultations are available in Cantonese and English.
What to Expect :
- A detailed intake covering your main complaint plus sleep, digestion, appetite, energy, temperature, stress, and menstrual cycle where relevant
- Traditional diagnostic assessment including tongue and pulse examination, which guides the pattern your treatment addresses
- Treatment combining whichever modalities fit, from acupuncture and cupping to tuina bodywork and gua sha
- Practical dietary and lifestyle guidance you can apply between visits, since TCM treats what you do daily as part of the medicine
Patients come to us for pain, IBS and colitis, infertility, neuropathy, arthritis, insomnia, stress, and depression, along with fatigue, digestive complaints, and hormonal irregularity. Many extended health plans cover treatment under an acupuncture benefit when a registered practitioner delivers it. Call 905-534-8666 and our front desk will confirm your coverage before you book.
Why CHoose Us
Traditional Chinese Medicine Inside a Markham Rehabilitation Clinic
Lisa Luo and Josephine Lau both hold R.TCMP and R.Ac registration with the CTCMPAO, Ontario’s regulatory college. That is the difference between a practitioner trained to diagnose by TCM pattern and one certified only to place needles.
Few TCM practices sit inside a multidisciplinary rehabilitation centre. Here your practitioner can coordinate with chiropractors, physiotherapists, and a naturopathic doctor, so a stubborn shoulder gets both a needling protocol and a loading program.
Tongue and pulse assessment, a full systems intake, and a pattern diagnosis come first. The modality follows the diagnosis, which is why two patients with the same complaint often leave with different treatments.
TCM concepts carry meaning that thins out in translation. Both practitioners consult in Cantonese as well as English, so the intake gets the detail it depends on.
Some problems make more sense when someone looks at the whole picture.
Pain that has outlasted every other treatment, digestion that has been off for years, sleep that will not settle, a fertility journey that needs support, or stress that has started showing up physically. Traditional Chinese Medicine reads all of it together rather than one symptom at a time. Book with one of our registered TCM practitioners in Markham, or call 905-534-8666 first.
Patient Testimonials
Markham Patients Who Got Moving Again
Here’s what recovery with our chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage and osteopathy team actually looks like.
Frequent Asked Questions
Acupuncture is one modality within Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM also includes cupping, tuina bodywork, and gua sha, all guided by the same diagnostic framework. Because both of our practitioners hold R.TCMP as well as R.Ac, they can combine these in one visit and choose between them based on your pattern. See the acupuncture page if needling alone is what you are after.
Pain of most kinds, IBS and colitis, infertility, neuropathy, arthritis, insomnia, stress, and depression. Beyond those, patients come for fatigue, digestive complaints, headaches, menstrual irregularity, perimenopausal symptoms, allergies, and recovery support during periods of high stress.
Cupping applies suction cups to the skin to draw blood flow into tight or restricted tissue, commonly across the back and shoulders. Gua sha uses a smooth-edged tool to stroke the skin and release the layer beneath it. Both can leave temporary marks that look dramatic and fade within a few days. Neither should be painful.
A form of Chinese therapeutic bodywork that uses pressure, kneading, and joint movement along the meridians. It sits closer to clinical treatment than relaxation massage, and works well for musculoskeletal restriction, particularly when combined with acupuncture in the same session.
Many extended health plans reimburse treatment under their acupuncture benefit when a registered practitioner provides it. Coverage varies considerably between policies, so call 905-534-8666 and our staff will check your plan before your first appointment.
Yes. The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario regulates the profession and sets the standards behind the R.TCMP and R.Ac titles. Both of our practitioners hold current registration with the college.
Acute complaints often respond within four to six visits. Chronic patterns, fertility support, and digestive conditions typically call for a longer course. Your practitioner gives an estimate after the first assessment and adjusts as your presentation changes.
No. We do not dispense herbal formulas at the clinic. Treatment here works through acupuncture, cupping, tuina, and gua sha, supported by dietary and lifestyle guidance. If your practitioner believes a herbal approach would genuinely help your case, she will tell you so directly rather than leaving it unsaid.
Yes, and many patients do. Cupping or tuina before a chiropractic adjustment softens the surrounding tissue, and TCM handles the sleep, digestion, and stress side while physiotherapy rebuilds strength. Ask our front desk to book them back-to-back and save a second trip.