I received my Master's in Science at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley, and my Bachelor's at UC Berkeley in Medical Anthropology. I have studied community herbalism since the 1990s and worked as a massage therapist specializing in Asian style bodywork and orthopedic massage for 20 years before transitioning to acupuncture and herbal medicine and bodywork full time. I love working with patients one on one as well as in community settings and really try to tailor sessions to bring in what each patient needs.
In my practice, I do not separate body from emotions from spirit, and draw from my whole life in my healing work. From my studies of various forms of medicine, spirituality, poetry, music, dance and travel and I enjoy bringing resonance, connectivity and celebration to my work and I encourage my patients to do the same. When patients come to my office suffering, I try to help guide them to find levity, humor, comfort and joy in their healing process. In doing this work, from acupuncture to herbs to bodywork, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to fully show up as myself; a curious, diligent researcher bringing empathy, whole heartedness and humor to each session.
I believe in making sure all kinds of populations access acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. I treat in Portuguese and Spanish and have I worked through my career in choosing to align with projects and organizations that bring holistic health into more accessible public health spaces. Most recently, I volunteered monthly at Caare in downtown Durham with folks in recovery and under-served elders and worked as a research clinician acupuncturist in the Duke Emergency room. I love working with the LGBTQ community that I am a part of and am educated on the healthcare aspects of gender transition and detransition and respectful of the full diversity of gendered and sexed expression. I am currently in the process of transforming my practice into a non profit and where I'll be formally offering weekly sliding scale appointments.
Attention is the beginning of Devotion ~ Mary Oliver