The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well. -Hippocrates
My services
Naturopathic medicine
Naturopathic medicine restores health by respecting nature, science, and using interventions that do the least harm. Because food is a key foundation of health, nutrition is emphasized. I believe different diets work for different people, constitutions, and conditions - therefore I make recommendations according to individual needs.
Nutrition
Since good digestion is essential for health, and the gut is often the source of inflammation, you bet nutrition will be discussed. No one diet that suits everyone. We will work to figure out which diet works best for you.
Herbal Medicine
I consider herbs as superfoods. They are traditionally ingested as a decoction (strong tea). Since I am trained in both Western and Chinese herbs, I may suggest Western herbs, Chinese herbs, or even both as I deem fit. These days you can still drink your herbs as a tea, but they also come in the form of powders, pills, tinctures, or syrups.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture uses very thin needles to stimulate specific points along meridians. This stimulation can be directed to unblock energy that is “stuck” or to bring energy into areas that are lacking energy, thus assisting the body to move back into balance.
Cupping
Growing in popularity, cupping therapy involves applying local suction to areas of the body. Cupping may cause bruising that can last for days to even weeks, which is actually a good sign!
Moxibustion
Moxibustion or “moxa” is a heat therapy using dried mugwort to improve circulation and qi flow, as well as to warm acupuncture channels to relieve pain.
What I can help you with
Prevention is the best medicine. Some of my patients are generally healthy but seek my services to maintain wellness - however, all diseases and dysfunctions can be addressed with a holistic approach. It’s difficult to list all the conditions I see. The body is connected, so a problem in one area is most likely connected to an issue elsewhere. For instance, a skin issue could be a manifestation of a digestive/food/microbiome issue.
After years of practice, I believe that most health issues come down to inflammation, whether it’s from stress, food, infection, or a disrupted microbiome as the cause. My job is to help you figure this out and how to deal with it. Here are just some of the health issues I see:
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Fertility + Pregnancy
I find great joy helping women (and men) during their fertility journey, whether it’s egg freezing, preconception care, IUI, or IVF. The combination of acupuncture and naturopathic medicines are perfect for optimizing your chances, whether it’s a structural issue (blocked tubes), hormonal imbalance, or poor egg/sperm quality. Acupuncture enhances blood/qi flow and has been shown to increase implantation rates. Further, Chinese Medicine helps to manage issues that arise from pragnancy (when there is limited use of meds).
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Women's health
I got into naturopathic medicine because of irregular periods. My doctor’s answer: the Pill, which even I took for a few years before realizing that it wasn’t solving anything. Female hormones are powerful. I know this. And there are effective ways to help manage these without relying on the Pill or hormone replacement. Some conditions I commonly see are: irregular periods, painful periods, fibroids, PCOS, PMS, menopause.
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Digestive issues
Many inflammatory conditions may stem from the gut, such as eczema, acne, even autoimmune disease. Mood disorders, irregular periods, fatigue (to name a few) can also all be linked to poor gut health. There’s the gut microbiome which can be affected by antibiotic use (herbal antimicrobials too), gut infections, unknown food sensitivities, and stress. If that’s unbalanced, there’s inflammation. And did you know that up to 70% of the body’s serotonin and dopamine are produced in the gut? Yeah, good digestion is a major key to good health!
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Skin health
I find that inflammatory skin conditions are often due to an unhappy gut. The usual course of treatment from a dermatologist may be a topical (or oral steroid) or an antibiotic. The steroid is not addressing the issue - inflammation, and may be doing deeper damage by suppressing your inflammatory response (it will go elsewhere!). Antibiotics are counterintuitive, if you ask me. They work for acne by killing the bad bacteria which contribute, however they are also killing off good microbes, thus affecting the skin microbiome. It’s time to break that cycle and address the cause.
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Cancer support
The C-word is terrifying. It is terrible that there is little support for cancer patients. This is where I love to help. In acupuncture school, I was trained to help patients undergoing treatment, to lessen the side effects of radiation and chemo (nausea, fatigue, low appetite, low blood counts). Then after treatment, many patients are left with little guidance on what they can do to prevent recurrence. That’s where my naturopathic training comes in. There’s so much with diet, herbs, nutrients, and all the carcinogens to avoid.
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Aches + Pains
It would be remiss of me to not mention pain management. Conventional medicine recognizes acupuncture as an effective way to mange pain and a way to address our opioid crisis. Acupuncture release endogenous opioids and corticosteroids to relieve pain and aid in healing. You name the injury, ache, pain, and I bet you acupuncture can help. If acupuncture is not your thing, it’s important to address inflammation and/or considering natural anti-inflammatories (which are safer for your body).