Why I Chose Acupuncture

One of the most common questions I get asked is what got me into acupuncture. The short answer is that it helped me with my own health and I want to do the same for others and the long answer is below.

I have always loved to take care of people and animals. I have always known, even if it was subconsciously, that I wanted to take care of people and be a part of the health care field. But it took some time for it to become a reality and to discover in what capacity. I considered going to nursing school but if I am being very honest I struggled with self-confidence and thought I wasn’t smart enough to be a nurse.

Anyway,  I went to college and studied environmental studies and environmental art. Not exactly what you would call healthcare. I mean if you dig deep you could say a clean environment makes for better health or you could say that art and beauty can inspire and nourish the heart, but that is grasping at straws.

During my studies I began training in martial arts. I ended up getting injured during my training. I began my search for ways of healing my back and getting back into the dojo. During my search I found....not acupuncture but massage therapy. After finishing my undergraduate degree I went back to school and became a massage therapist. I am sure that my parents thought I was a complete nut but they supported me and I received massage certificate.

I got hired right our of school and began working at an injury management clinic working alongside doctors, chiropractors and physical therapist. I was finally in the health care field and working with injured people, helping them heal and get well.

After many years of being part of the western medical system a certain amount of desire and need for more crept in. I began to ask what is the next step? What is this feeling of dissatisfaction? What is this need for more?

After some consideration I thought I would once again hit the books and go back to nursing school. What a better way to be of service? But unlike me, I kept dragging my feet. I couldn’t get the applications in, I couldn’t get the school tours scheduled. Also while I was doing my soul searching and research I continued my work at the injury clinic, and although I enjoyed working with the patients and even with my colleagues I was also becoming increasingly disenchanted with the western approach to health care. The detached way they interacted with patients, the band-aid approach to treatment, the formulaic attitude toward illness and treatment were all becoming more and more frustrating and disappointing. 

I think that subconsciously this was why I kept dragging my feet. I knew western medicine wasn’t my calling, it wasn’t the fit for me. 

Then one day a friend introduced me to an acupuncturist. I began seeing her for my back pain and insomnia. It took one visit with her and I was hooked! I wasn’t hooked because she got rid of my back pain in one visit. She didn’t make my insomnia disappear over night but she listened to me, we developed a care plan specific to my needs, we spoke realistically, she was knowledgeable both in western and eastern approaches and it was all natural. It checked all the boxes for what I had been seeking: taking care of people, listening and learning about the individual, specialized care for each person, holistic and natural approach that treat the root causes of illness. 

Before I knew it I was filling out an application for graduate school, buying books, pencils and a new backpack…poof four years and a master’s of science in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

What drives me forward in this medicine? This is something that I have been thinking a lot about lately and trying to articulate. I have always liked taking care of people. I like seeing people feeling healthy and happy. I have also always had a desire for service but that doesn’t really answer why acupuncture?

With my background in healthcare as a massage therapist I have seen many gaps in western healthcare over the years. I have seen over and over peoples frustrations and desperations with a system that neglects certain aspects of their care. Treating one thing while neglecting others. I have heard tail after tail of doctors not listening to what their patients are telling them. Doctors not hearing their concerns or believing what they say. I see a lot of doctors prescribing prescription after prescription putting band aids on problems but often not really solving the real root of those problems. Seeing these gaps in the healthcare system, helping people navigate these frustrations and seeing their desperations have helped me figure out my why. 

So what is my why? 

It is to help bring health care to underserved populations and to help sooth peoples feeling of desperation and frustrations and from being misinformed or under informed about their healthcare. 

I want to bring holistic care that treats root causes of illness and listen to the needs of each person who comes to me for help, and to work in partnership with them to make their healthcare journey a positive and successful one.