Your Practitioner
Dr Caz Butler (Acu/TCM)
Caz entered the Chinese medicine profession with great passion for general practice, but soon found herself boggled by the low standard of care that women receive for complex, under-researched conditions. For this reason she dove into a clinical focus centring fertility, menstrual health, pregnancy, stress and burnout. Her work centres body literacy, integrative care and you as the patient.
She has done extensive professional development in the areas of complex fertility, pelvic pain and endometriosis and also facial rejuvenation / cosmetic acupuncture, however the bulk of her training has come in the clinic room, helping women+ like you with their health, so you can be assured that she has seen it all.
Integrative
Caz combines her expertise in Chinese medicine with integrative care including pathology review of blood tests, semen analyses and the vaginal microbiome when indicated. She is also a BIG fan of BBT charting – don’t believe the internet – it’s not that hard.
Supporting habit change
A portion of treatment success comes down to habits and lifestyle (including taking your herbs!); Caz is passionate about supporting her patients to make the impossible seem possible and applying shifts that might seem difficult. This includes the habits that appear to be “good for you” or that you don’t even realise you do!
Grief and the big stuff
Three years ago, Caz experienced tremendous grief and took it upon herself to learn the topic inside out. Just six months later she presented a talk for a fertility conference teaching other practitioners how to best be with patients who have experienced loss. You can be assured that Caz can hold the big stuff with you, whether it’s the loss of a child or the grief of how you thought life might look.
Chinese medicine is poetry in motion. Yin, Yang, Qi and balance are not esoteric mythology or t-shirt slogans – they are quantifiable substances that can be manipulated within all of us through the use of acupuncture, herbs and lifestyle.
Simply put she wants you to have pain-free, stress-free cycles and a supported path to building your family and life of your dreams. That might sound over-ambitious for a Chinese medicine practitioner, but it is difficult to thrive when your health gets in the way.
I have worked with several leading mentors over the years to hone my craft. From them, I have learnt that the beauty of Chinese medicine lies in its simplicity, flexibility and creativity.
I believe strongly in the use of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture for general health maintenance, fertility, menstrual and mental health complaints as well as the management of acute and chronic conditions.
Caz completed her Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine) at SSNT. Throughout her degree she was mentored by skilled clinicians at least one day per week. This in clinic training was an anchor through the four years of intensive book learning.
She was mentored by the late Steve Clavey in herbal gynaecology and was lucky enough to work alongside him in his clinic in Hawthorn. She also spent five years working under Kirsten Wolfe at Mornington Chinese Medicine where she was trained in the Fertile Life Method and supported a high volume of patients with fertility support, gynaecology, general health management, internal medicine and chronic conditions.
While clinically she has extensive expertise in women’s health, what underpins her values as a clinician is ensuring that no stone is unturned, and what that boils down to is ensuring that all elements of a person’s health is assessed and managed. From a Chinese medicine perspective, everything is connected. To steal from her GP’s own bio, while she has specific expertise, the nature of Chinese medicine is that we can support anything that walks in the door.
It is also important to Caz to assess a patient’s priorities, motivation and habits when creating a treatment plan. She takes it as her responsibility to ensure that her patients are well-informed, educated and understand the “why” behind their treatment trajectory. This includes referrals, recommendations and timeframes.
Continuing Education over the years
Dr Tan Balance Method Acupuncture
Fertile Life Mastery
Master Tung Acupuncture
Cosmetic Acupuncture
Shang Han Lun (Classical Herbal Training)
Integrative Chinese Medicine (understanding pathology from a TCM lens)
Reproductive Health w Rhiannon Hardingham
Classical Acupuncture (Luo Channels & Pulse Diagnosis)
Other Professional Achievements
Presented a lecture to practitioners on how to support patients who have experienced grief at a TCM conference
Hosted and moderated a panel of experts at The Memo called Pregnancy & Postpartum Illuminated
Ran women’s circles/workshops including journaling, discussion and topped off with acupuncture
I pride myself at being a welcoming and down to earth practitioner and enjoy seeing patients from all walks of life. I continue to do my best to be an LGBTQI+ ally and I just want everyone to have a good night’s sleep.