Sometimes, when we are in the depths of illness, pain or even sadness, it can feel impossible that things will ever change. As a kid, I was the one my mom would task with undoing a big snag in the sewing thread or knitting yarn. I’ve got patience, determination, and an ability to not get overwhelmed by what can feel like insurmountable details. I bring these same qualities to my work as a practitioner. Health issues can sometimes feel like a tangle knot. Disease and pain can often be a complex web of dietary choices, lifestyle choices, family history, emotional factors, trauma and even social issues like poverty, oppression or abuse. Healing often takes time. It is often hard to know where to start. Sometimes we get lucky and the first thread we tug on unlocks the whole knot, other times we free one thread, only to find 3 more knots underneath. My clinical training in both TCM and Classical Five Element Acupuncture has equipped me with a unique set of tools to help prioritize which issue to deal with first and how to maximize or time together so that you can get the most benefit from the work.

I first discovered the healing power of acupuncture as a young woman. I was one of the many Americans without health insurance in the early 2000s. A local acupuncture clinic offered affordable relief from my back pain and painful periods. As I began learning about natural medicine I became hooked and decided to enroll in graduate school to learn Chinese Medicine.

In 2009, just after I graduated, I was diagnosed with an Auto-immune thyroid condition. I couldn’t believe that after all those years of studying and practicing natural health, I was sicker then I realized. This is what caused me to seek out Five Element Acupuncture and begin to address the emotional roots of my healing journey. 

Prior to finding Five Elements, I figured that if I ate all the right foods like diet rich in coconut oil, kale, grass fed meat and low in sugar, I would be fine, what I didn’t realize was that I was using the teachings of natural medicine to stoke my own inner perfectionism.

When I got my diagnosis, I was gutted, I felt like my illness was a sign of my personal failure. Working with a Five Element practitioner helped me realize that true health wasn’t about ticking all the boxes or trying to be perfect, it was about embracing my body and truly giving it what it needed. Sometimes that is a gluten free diet, and sometimes that is eating foods and not worrying about how ‘healthy’ they are. I still believe that the principles of healthy living are sound ones to follow, but not when they are turned into a weapon against yourself.

Within 6 months of regular Five Element sessions my lab numbers were normal, and better yet, I had realized the one missing piece to health: a healthy mindset and healthy emotions. It was then that I decided to do a year-long post graduate mentorship learning this amazing medicine. Dealing with health issues can be hard. I’ve alway had a good knack for untangling.