“I’m just getting tired of the pain. First it was in one place, now it’s another… and I just want it to GO AWAY. I’m getting frustrated and angry and depressed and I can’t think about anything else because it’s always there and I’ve tried everything and nothing helps!!” I hear some variation of this desperation every single week, and it's always a little heartbreaking. Yes, we all have pain from time to time – a sore lower back, a kink in the neck, a headache or migraine - a

Sometimes you just have a sad day. And sometimes it lingers. Sometimes for a week, sometimes for endless awful months. Sometimes you push away the people that you like the most, just because you can't bear to bring them down. Sometimes you feel like an alien, like you belong to another species, one that hides away and watches endless hours of Netflix in an attempt to distract yourself from the isolation, the monotony of depression, the feelings that you are unable to look at

Ask anyone who's ever travelled to India and they will undoubtably tell you the same thing - that this is the land of unapologetic contrasts. In no place is the stark disparity between the beauty and the ugliness of life more evident than it is in this country. The very rich and very poor live side-by-side - the slum just streets away from some of the biggest mansions in Gokulam. The starving homeless walk, begging, along the wide, flower-lined lanes. There are gorgeous, lush

When I am good at what I do, I am fully present. I'm not at my best when I'm coming up with the most accurate diagnosis, or the most intricate acupuncture point combination, or when I'm treating as many patients as possible. I'm an awesome acupuncturist when I'm sitting there, listening to someone, and really seeing them. Because we all want - we all need - to be seen. And when we're not seen - when we go unnoticed, feel unappreciated, undervalued - that's when people transfo

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is built on the foundational theory of Yin and Yang. Some people might recognize the Yin/Yang symbol and associate it with the 1960's hippie movement. Or maybe you've heard Yin and Yang used as terms to categorize - men are described as Yang while women are Yin. This theory, however, has much more far-reaching applications. Yin and Yang are comparative terms, ways to contrast any objects or states in relation to one another. Day is more YANG

Favorite thing about acupuncture? M: I love that acupuncture plants people back in their bodies. We spend SO much time hanging out in our heads, worrying about things that happened, planning for the future, making shopping lists… acupuncture has the unique ability to pin people down, and force them to hang out with themselves, in the present moment. And most of the time, it’s not as scary as you think it’s going to be. Oh, and it makes people feel better. That part’s pretty g

As an acupuncturist, I hear this sort of thing often: “I tried acupuncture once, and it relieved my stress/back pain/headache/insomnia/anxiety/fatigue/allergies…but only for about a week. So I never went back.” And: “I REALLY want this injury/illness-situation to resolve… but I don’t have time to book another treatment.” We need to see you to heal you! As one of my colleagues put it, “I’m an acupuncturist, not Jesus…”, which is why the community acupuncture model is so amazin