Welcome
My practice of acupuncture is rooted in the Chinese 5-element belief that everything we observe in nature can be used to deepen our understanding of what is occurring within the body—even down to the tissues and cells. The beauty of this medicine is in recognizing the rich mirror the world, the universe, and all the dynamics of life present for what is happening inside us. More than just a theory, I see this as a kind of living scripture, a fascinating way to think about people and health that underlies my work at every stage.
A Medicine of Balance
There is a network of pathways which traverse our bodies internally and externally. These pathways—or channels--carry energy known as ‘Qi’. When we are in good health, these channels are full and uninterrupted; when we are ill or simply exhausted, they are blocked, congealed or empty. Simply put, when we let our lives wear us down, our Qi becomes diminished. If we have learned to take care of ourselves and to honor our innate energy, the Qi running through our vessels is bountiful.
This is a medicine of balance. In the run-down state, our bodies are out of balance; likewise, when we refuse to eat what will help us to heal, eating, instead, what is harmful to us, our bodies are pushed out of balance.
An ultimate goal of this healing art, and an implicit theme of the ancient texts known to be at the source of this medicine, is to inspire the body to heal itself by bringing itself back into a state of balance.
The Art of Diagnosis
Sophisticated tools are used to discern where, when, and why a body is out of balance and how, then, to return it to its natural state of health, where the nervous system is relaxed and the heart is open.
Since its origin, Chinese medicine has relied on observations of the body to draw a clear diagnosis. Looking, touching, and smelling are all fundamental to the process.The patient is also questioned, and these more subjective responses also provide pieces to the puzzle. At the foundation of the diagnostic strength of this tradition--and absolutely critical for formulating a precise, overall health picture--is the examination of the tongue and the monitoring of the pulse.
Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis
Pulse diagnosis is a deep listening. You are a witness to someone’s story--their history--as you feel into the physical, emotional and mental dimensions of that body’s life. This listening brings understanding on a profound level, providing a vast amount of information of which the patient may not even be aware. Every sigh, every tear, each cellular secretion reveals something about a person; how he digests his food (and whether he sits at a computer while he eats), whether she catches colds easily, how deeply he sleeps, how tense and vigilant she was as a child—all this is held and communicated by the body. My task is to hear it as best I can, to be fully present to the story as it unfolds. In so doing, I can clearly identify where there is an imbalance and, even, why there is a disease process at all. I can get to the source and arrive at what the body most truly needs in order to support itself and to heal.
I have a deep and enduring interest and passion for Chinese Pulse diagnosis. I study under the tutelage of Dr. Leon Hammer in a system known as Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis. It is an intense, lifelong training that allows one the skills to use this sophisticated diagnostic tool—the taking of pulses—with thoroughness and accuracy.
Respect for--and dependency on--the pulse to uncover the source of people’s ailments is a theme that runs through my practice.