About Me

Why acupuncture and Chinese medicine?

My exposure to Chinese medicine started over a decade before I even thought about attending school for acupuncture.

When I was 11 years old, my family moved to Shanghai, China. I spent the next eight years of my childhood living amongst and immersing myself in Chinese culture, including the medicine, as its principles are deeply ingrained into everyday Chinese life. There I was introduced to the ideas of eating and living one's lifestyle in accordance with the seasons. While living in China, I also regularly received Tui Na (Chinese therapeutic massage), and I loved how Gua Sha (scraping) treatments made me feel so much that I asked to be taught how to do it myself.

After returning to the United States, when I started to experience pain and other symptoms that weren't easily managed by Western medicine, because of my early positive associations with Chinese medicine, I turned to acupuncture as a patient. I was quickly captivated by what acupuncture and its adjunctive therapies are capable of. Thus, I decided that I ought to learn how to practice the medicine myself so that I may share the special healing that needles bring with others.

"The sickly constitution you have endured will help you going forward; a [healer] who understands her own nature and the sufferings of her own body can better treat another...for their natures and bodies are in sympathy" (Lady Tan's Circle of Women, Linda See).

Why my special interest in helping others manage their Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) symptoms?

Like most other people who have been diagnosed with one of the many types of EDS, I have spent a lot of time throughout my life in doctors' offices feeling like I was not heard. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with hypermobile EDS (hEDS) at age 26 that my questions about my body started to get answered; suddenly everything made sense. Since then, I have spent countless hours researching and studying what little is known about EDS to better understand what makes our bodies different, both anatomically and functionally (including attending conferences held by the Ehlers-Danlos Society, see the 'My Qualifications' page). Through this better understanding of my body, I have learned how to manage so many of my hEDS and related symptoms with acupuncture, including but not limited to: pain, dysautonomia, gastrointestinal symptoms, muscle tension and spasms, neuropathy, migraines, and brain fog. I cannot wait to share what I have learned with you to help you feel better and more balanced.

If you have any questions about my experiences, or how/if I may be able to help you, please call or text me at (602) 603-4440.