Helping you align with life again, and feel good to keep going.
I’m Gary Chan — a Registered Acupuncturist with over 20 years of experience treating pain (neck, back, shoulder, and post-injury), anxiety and stress, and women’s health concerns using Traditional Chinese Medicine. My practice is based at Queen’s Park Therapy, conveniently located in Uptown New Westminster.
#210 – 601 6th Street, New Westminster
Available Monday & Saturday, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Pain That Won’t Resolve
Most chronic pain isn’t caused by one thing. It builds from a pattern — long hours at a desk, an old injury that didn’t fully heal, accumulated stress sitting in the shoulders and neck, posture habits that compress instead of support. Over time, the body settles into that pattern, and stretching or generic treatments stop being enough.
In my New Westminster practice, I work with patients dealing with:
- Chronic neck, shoulder, and upper back tension
- Lower back pain from desk work or repetitive strain
- Post-injury pain that hasn’t fully resolved, even after physiotherapy
- Recovery from motor vehicle accidents (ICBC coverage available)
- Headaches and migraines with a tension component
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, muscles and bones work together as a network — powered and maintained by the Zang-Fu internal organ systems that circulate energy and blood through the body. Sometimes pain is a straightforward signal of strain. Sometimes it reflects malnourishment. Other times it’s a survival mechanism: the body protects something more vulnerable beneath, and the pain we feel is a by-product of that compensation. Treatment starts with reading what the pain is actually saying — then creating the internal environment that allows the body to do what it naturally wants to do: heal. For most patients, this begins with a careful assessment to map the pattern unique to them.
When Stress Settles In
Anxiety doesn’t always announce itself as worry. It can show up as broken sleep, a tight chest, a constant low hum of tension, an inability to relax even when nothing is wrong. Over time, what started as a response to stress becomes the baseline — the body forgets how to settle.
I treat patients dealing with:
- Generalized anxiety, work stress, and burnout
- Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking unrefreshed
- Persistent low mood or stagnated emotion from major life events
- Post-divorce, post-loss, or post-crisis recovery
- Stress-related digestive issues
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the nervous system and emotional state aren’t separate from the body — they’re patterns of energy and circulation that can be observed and adjusted. Acupuncture signals the body to shift out of its protective, hyper-aroused state and back into a place where it can rest and repair. Most patients tell me they feel calmer and lighter before they even leave the treatment room.”.
When the Cycle Feels Off
Menstrual difficulty, fertility challenges, perimenopausal shifts — these can have many origins, and not all of them have simple answers. But there are often patterns underneath that respond to careful, individualized treatment.
I work with patients on:
- Painful or heavy periods, and premenstrual symptoms
- Irregular or absent cycles
- Endometriosis, PCOS, and uterine fibroids
- Fertility support and preparing for conception
- Perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, sleep disruption, mood changes)
- Hormonal recovery after pregnancy or prolonged stress
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the menstrual cycle is one of the body’s most readable signals — the timing, the flow, the symptoms around it all carry information about underlying balance. When the body is under prolonged stress or depletion, reproductive function is often the first to quietly step aside as the system protects more essential processes.
Treatment works with these patterns rather than overriding them — supporting circulation, nourishment, and the internal regulation behind them. The uterus and ovaries shape more than reproduction; they quietly govern mood, energy, and the underlying sense of ease in the body. When they’re well-tended, the rest of life finds its rhythm.
About This Practice
The Chan Healing Centre carries my family name — but in Chinese, 禪 (Chan) also names the meditative tradition that most Western readers know as Zen. I didn’t choose the name for that reason; it chose itself. Over more than twenty years of practice, the connection has become meaningful.
Healing isn’t a striving toward perfection. It’s a return to honest, sincere presence in the body — peace, even when peace isn’t quiet. That’s the way.
I’ve practiced acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Metro Vancouver since 2006, registered with the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC. My approach draws from classical TCM theory, refined by twenty years of clinical experience across a wide range of conditions.
Common Questions
Does acupuncture hurt?
Most patients are surprised by how little they feel. Acupuncture needles are very thin — much finer than the needles used for injections or blood draws. You may feel a brief small sensation as a needle is inserted, sometimes nothing at all. Once the needles are in place, most people relax deeply; many fall asleep during treatment.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on the condition, how long it’s been present, and how your body responds. For acute issues, a few sessions may be enough. For chronic patterns that have built over years, expect 6 to 10 sessions to see meaningful change, with occasional maintenance visits afterward. After your initial consultation, I can give a more specific estimate based on what I’m seeing.
Do you direct bill extended health insurance?
Yes, direct billing is available for many extended health insurance plans — please contact me to confirm whether your specific provider is supported. Coverage varies by plan, so it’s worth checking with your insurance about acupuncture coverage and per-visit limits before your first appointment.
Are the needles sterile and single-use?
Yes, always. All acupuncture needles used in this practice are sterile, individually packaged, single-use, and disposed of in approved sharps containers after each treatment. This is standard practice for all registered acupuncturists in BC.
What’s the difference between acupuncture, physiotherapy, and massage?
All three can help with pain and physical issues, but they work differently. Physiotherapy focuses on movement, exercises, and structural rehabilitation. Massage works directly on muscle and soft tissue. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine work with the body’s underlying systems — circulation, nervous system regulation, internal balance — to address both the local issue and the patterns producing it. Many patients use these modalities together, not as substitutes.
How will I know if acupuncture is right for my condition?
If you’re unsure, consider booking a 30-minute TCM consultation rather than a full initial treatment. It gives me time to assess your situation, recommend a path forward, and decide together whether acupuncture is the right tool. If it’s not, I’ll say so — and where possible, suggest who or what might be.
Visit the New Westminster Practice
Location
Queen’s Park Therapy
#210 – 601 6th Street
New Westminster, BC V3L 3C1
Hours
Monday & Saturday
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Getting Here
A short walk from Royal City Centre. Street parking and nearby paid lots available.
Ready to book your first visit?