How I Discovered Chinese Medicine: My Personal Journey

First off, I am not Chinese. I, like many other Americans, was raised in the Western medicine tradition. Chinese medical practices were, for me, quite strange and alien, esoteric and exotic… until they changed my life. Here’s my story.

Years ago I was traveling in China, and had my first acupuncture treatment while staying at a small Beijing hotel. I have never forgotten that treatment because it was so different than anything I had ever experienced. The doctor took my pulse on both wrists with 3 fingers, looked at my tongue and palpated my abdomen, and then pressed some points at different places on my body. He then used very long, non-disposable needles ( which i hoped were sterilized) and basically sent me into a dream state. I woke up 30 minutes later feeling so relaxed like i had been on vacation for a week.  

Several years later, when I was ready to start a family but was having trouble conceiving, I heard that acupuncture and Chinese medicine could help. After trying various other treatments for infertility, I decided to go for a series of acupuncture sessions. After two months of weekly treatments everything changed. My menstrual cycles became more regular, and, soon after, I became pregnant.

This was a real eye-opener for me! I had never before considered any approach to treating illness or achieving good health than the Western ways of medicine. I started researching, then studying and getting my masters degree, then practicing Chinese medicine, and since then, applying that knowledge to help others has been my life’s work.

In my practice I have helped women with their issues of infertility, hormonal imbalance, menopausal discomfort, painful menstrual cycles, migraines, and PMS. I have found combining Chinese herbs with acupuncture, one of the most common ways of treating women’s health issues in China, to be highly effective.

One quick example: An older client, well into menopause, came to my office concerned that she hadn’t had her period for months. After only her second treatment she found her period had resumed.

Of course, acupuncture can’t stop menopause, but it does re-balance the body so the changes of menopause progress more smoothly; acupuncture calms the symptoms. 

One final piece of my own story about acupuncture and pregnancy: When I was ready to deliver, I used acupuncture to induce my own labor. Our son was born later that same day!