FAQs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Absolutely. Not only do I love to learn more about this incredible medicine, I currently have three licenses to maintain with continuing education courses for each. This enables me to stay fresh and integrate new applications of this 3,000 year old medicine.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I thought I wanted to study psychology, so I went to UC Santa Barbara. What better gift to give to the world than helping people answer their problems, right? Well, turns out problems are tricky and so are people. I studied a whole lot of medicine and read a lot of pricey books, but I only learned about symptoms and prescriptions. What about people? With all the medications and surgical techniques, why were so many people suffering? So, I read some more books, did lots of yoga, and became a personal trainer. Turns out bodies were easier for me to understand. But even the most kale-eating, marathon-running, vitamin-swallowing people were still getting sick, getting depressed, and getting disease. (Why did I give up ice cream again?) Then something pretty amazing happened: I turned on the TV and saw a woman beat breast cancer. I opened a magazine and read about an infertile couple getting pregnant. I went to a dinner and met a woman who studied their secrets. It wasnt drugs. It wasnt surgery. It was something called Chinese Medicine. I was intrigued. I followed the womans advice and went to an open house at my local Chinese medicine school. (Who knew I lived only 5 minutes away from the best school in the country?) I listened to dozens of students profess their love for this crazy medicine needles and plants and lots of Chinese words. But I was hooked. Inexplicably. That day, I knew my life would never be the same. As fate would have it, my search of the local classifieds led me to an opening as a receptionist in a nearby acupuncture clinic. I had to see if this stuff was for real. Yup. Luck was on my side, and I ended up working with two of the most highly revered Chinese doctors in Los Angeles. So Beijing came to me, and I fell in love. People got better. Not only better, but well. Happy, even. I saw pretty powerful things every day. Three months later I was learning not reading, attending study halls with TAs, and taking exams, but learning. The only thing more incredible than witnessing health transformations at work for the past four years was realizing I had the very real privilege of sharing this gift with the world. After attaining my national licensure, I spent the next six glorious years launching and running acupuncture clinics and educational programs on some of the highest-ranked cruise ships in the world. It works. After six years, thirty-five countries, and thousands of patients, I can vouch for that. But for each person whose life has forever changed, there are thousands who dont yet know. I have work to do.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
Most patients come in for pain treatments: back, neck, shoulder, knee, hip, etc. Stress is another prevalent issue and responds very well to acupuncture. Since weight loss is a personal passion of mine, I also get to help many men and women achieve results in a very manageable way. Other common treatments include: quitting smoking, depression, menopause, anxiety, headaches, digestive issues and much more. Acupuncture is safe for men, women and children of all ages, including pregnant women, those on blood thinners or other medications, with pacemakers, and with cancer. If you'd like to find out if acupuncture or herbal medicine is a good option for you, just call for your complimentary consultation.