Chinese Medicine Clinic in Bass Coast, VIC
Care for the Whole You, Not One Symptom
Acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbs, dietary therapy and whole-person consultations at Tenby Point, drawing on 25+ years of Classical Chinese Medicine.
Sometimes what’s bothering you doesn’t sit neatly under one label. The sore shoulder comes with poor sleep, low energy and a gut that’s been off for months, and treating any one on its own hasn’t got you far. A Chinese medicine clinic starts from the opposite end, looking for the pattern that ties it all together. It’s the approach behind every consultation Brigitte runs.
Brigitte Linder has worked this way for more than 25 years. Your first visit is a lot of conversation: your history, your sleep, digestion, energy and mood, so she sees the whole picture before deciding what fits, and a taste of acupuncture. From there it might be acupuncture, a herbal formula, some food and lifestyle changes, or a mix.
She shapes it around what you can manage. If weekly visits or a cupboard of herbs won’t work for your life, she’ll say so and find another way in, rather than handing you a plan you won’t keep.
Working from patterns, not single symptoms
Working from patterns rather than single symptoms, Chinese medicine covers a lot of ground. People come to the clinic for:
Long-running issues that don't fit one tidy diagnosis.
Digestive troubles like bloating, reflux and irregular digestion.
Stubborn skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Low energy, poor sleep and feeling run-down.
Wanting to stay well and get ahead of problems, not just react to them.
Across the Bass Coast, plenty of people are carrying more than one of these at once. This approach earns its place by treating the whole person, not just a symptom at a time.
Where your care might begin
Moxibustion Treatment
Moxibustion uses gentle, radiant heat from a smouldering herb (mugwort) held near the skin, often paired with acupuncture. Brigitte reaches for it most in the colder months, or when a problem feels stiff, cold and slow to move, to warm the area and get things flowing. It’s warming and surprisingly relaxing, and the herb never touches the skin.
Chinese Dietary Therapy
What you eat either helps a pattern or feeds it. Rather than a rigid diet sheet, Brigitte gives practical, everyday food advice matched to your constitution and what’s going on for you, so your meals work with your treatment, not against it. Small, doable changes, not a wholesale overhaul.
Herbal Treatment for Skin Conditions
Stubborn eczema and psoriasis usually run deeper than the skin, and they shift slowly, so patience matters. Brigitte prepares Chinese herbal formulas from her own dispensary, matched to your pattern, which may help manage the condition and can be used alongside your GP or dermatologist’s care rather than in place of it.
Holistic Health Consultation
This is the whole-picture appointment. Instead of zeroing in on one symptom, Brigitte looks at your sleep, digestion, energy, mood and history together to find the pattern underneath. It’s a good starting point if something feels off, but no one’s been able to tell you quite what, or if you want a considered, unhurried look at your health.
Acupuncture for Children
Children can have acupuncture from around six months, and it’s gentler and quicker than most parents expect, sometimes just a brief touch of the needle rather than anything left in. Brigitte has worked with children on everything from skin flare-ups to unsettled sleep, always at the child’s pace and with a parent right there.
Remedial Massage
A visiting therapist offers remedial massage at the clinic, and it pairs well with acupuncture to ease tight, overworked muscles. Book it separately from Brigitte’s sessions, and leave a day or two between them so you’re not doubling up on the same area.
Out here, the nearest hospital with an emergency department is at Wonthaggi, and anything complex still means a drive to Melbourne. That leaves a real gap for the slow, ongoing, whole-person care that doesn’t fit a ten-minute appointment, exactly the kind of care Chinese medicine is built for.
Chinese medicine is only as good as the practitioner reading the pattern
And that’s where 25+ years shows.
25+ years and deeply trained
AHPRA-registered practitioner and dispenser, with a Master of Research and a PhD in progress, plus training in five-element acupuncture and classical herbal medicine.
The whole person, every time
Brigitte treats the underlying pattern, not just the symptom you walked in with.
Built around what you can manage
She shapes the plan around what you can do: acupuncture, herbs, diet, or a mix, rather than forcing it all.
Her own dispensary
Herbal formulas are prepared individually for you, not pulled off a shelf.
AHPRA-registered, so you can claim on your private health extras
Brigitte is also a TAC and WorkSafe provider.
The things people usually ask
What actually happens in Chinese medicine? Is it just needles?
Acupuncture is the best-known part, but it's one of several tools. Depending on what's going on, Brigitte might use fine needles, warming moxibustion, a tailored herbal formula, or practical food and lifestyle advice, usually a combination. Your first visit is mostly a long conversation, so she can map the full picture before deciding what fits.
Do I have to take herbs?
No. Brigitte never pushes herbs, and plenty of people do well with acupuncture alone. If a formula would help, she'll explain why, but she's just as happy to work through diet, lifestyle or acupuncture instead if that suits you better. Nothing here is a hard sell.
Can you help with digestive problems, skin, or other ongoing issues?
These are bread and butter for Chinese medicine, which reads long-running complaints as a pattern across the whole body rather than one faulty part. Brigitte works with many ongoing issues alongside your GP's care. If something falls outside what she can help with, she'll tell you plainly and point you to who can.
Is it safe for children?
Yes, from around six months. Paediatric acupuncture is gentle, often just a quick, shallow touch rather than needles left in, and always done at the child's pace with a parent present. Brigitte talks you through exactly what she's doing first, and keeps sessions short and low-key so children stay comfortable.
How is this different from seeing a naturopath?
They can complement each other, but the thinking differs. A naturopath often matches a supplement to a symptom, while Chinese medicine works from a pattern of disharmony across the whole person and treats that. Brigitte doesn't tend to prescribe supplements, and if your situation would be better served by a naturopath, she'll happily say so.
Ready to Feel Like Yourself Again?
If you’ve been managing something for a while and want a considered, whole-person look at it, this is the place to start. Book online in a couple of minutes, or call for a quick chat first. Brigitte sees patients from her Tenby Point clinic, an easy drive from across the Bass Coast and Phillip Island.