Welcome
I consider the biggest part of what I do to be listening.
When we listen - and this means using all of the senses to fully grasp the person before us - great things happen. And so part of what you will experience under my care is asking and answering questions about what brings you to me and the willingness and desire to feel and be better.
The way I do diagnosis is something that sets me apart and one of the ways that I gather information about my patient is by palpating the channels below the elbows and knees to get an understanding of where dysfunction resides within the body. For many people this feels like a massage. By doing this (in addition to taking the pulse, looking at the tongue and complexion, and listening not just to what is said but how it's said), I gather objective information and am able to understand how to proceed to treat the immediate condition - or chief complaint - while understanding the backdrop of the individual's health concerns or constitution.
Who I am is someone who is curious, observant, and always learning. I study Chen style taiji and Taoism and am always surprised by how deep knowledge can go when you continue to search and study. My hair is a little bit shorter these days (than in this photo) but my ‘teeth’ continue to grow.
I have bachelor’s degrees in Art History and French Language and Literature (Univ of Maryland, College Park), a master’s degree in History of Science (UC San Diego), another master’s degree in Chinese Medicine (PCOM), and have also completed a doctoral degree in acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from ACTCM/CIIS (in San Francisco). I am licensed in the states of California and Pennsylvania and thus have certification through the California Acupuncture Board and NCCAOM as a Diplomate of ‘Oriental’ Medicine since 2014.