My Modalities

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I offer a range of treatments designed to help restore balance, alleviate pain, and support your body’s natural healing processes. Each modality is tailored to your unique needs, with an emphasis on holistic care and individualized treatment.

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Bodywork

Massage

  • TuiNa: A traditional Chinese therapeutic massage that uses Chinese medicine anatomy to treat blockages in the body. It’s focused on problem areas and utilizes deep pressure to open blockages.

  • Shiatsu: A Japanese form of bodywork that also applies Chinese medicine anatomy. Shiatsu works on the overall flow through the whole body, helping relieve tension, improve circulation, and promote a state of flow.

  • Scar Tissue Massage: A deep and targeted form of bodywork focused on areas with scar tissue and adhesions, which can result from past injuries, overuse, or chronic postural dysfunction.

  • Cupping: This technique involves placing glass cups on the skin to create a vacuum, drawing blood to the surface. Cupping causes microtrauma, breaking capillaries and promoting new blood flow. It stimulates the immune system to clear the area and is particularly beneficial for old injuries or areas of chronic muscle tension. Cupping also helps transform dampness and release the surface; it is effective for conditions like the flu or common cold.

  • Gua Sha: A therapeutic technique in which a smooth-edged tool is used to scrape the skin, promoting circulation and relieving muscle tension. It has a similar effect to cupping but focuses more on the surface layer and clearing wind or nervous system tension.

Structure and function are deeply interconnected. The alignment and condition of the body’s muscles, joints, and organs directly impact its overall function. When imbalances or restrictions arise, the body’s natural processes can be disrupted. In Chinese Medicine, we say, “where energy goes, form follows.” The form of the body reflects the chronic state of energy, and conversely, the condition of the form impacts the flow of energy. Imagine a stream: the water flows, and over time, it carves the stream's structure. If a large boulder falls into the stream, it blocks the flow of water. Similarly, structural issues can impede the flow of energy, and blockages in energy over time can distort the form.

Pain is often caused by a lack of flow. Whether due to a structural blockage or sluggish energy flow, bodywork is vital in reestablishing balance. Bodywork is not just for musculoskeletal (MSK) issues, but for overall health. Techniques such as TuiNa, Shiatsu, Cupping, Gua Sha, and joint manipulations help restore balance by addressing structural blockages to improve energy flow. Indirect bodywork methods, like somatic reeducation and craniosacral therapy, focus on restoring the flow of energy to correct the form, leading to reduced pain and improved overall health.

Joint Manipulations

  • Joint manipulations are used to restore proper alignment and movement in the joints. Joints are areas where energy accumulates in the body. Restoring proper alignment not only corrects structural imbalances and reduces compensation patterns but also improves energy flow through local meridians, which supports the function of corresponding organ systems.

Indirect Bodywork

  • Somatic Reeducation & Craniosacral Therapy: These techniques use gentle touch and positioning to help the body relax. Often, a weak or injured area stays tense as a protective response. Indirect bodywork helps "reassure" the body that it can relax, allowing it to find a new setpoint with less tension and more ease.

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Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

The body’s meridian system is created by the intersection of the bioelectromagnetic field from the various organs, structures, nerves, and cells in the body. As they overlap a grid is formed and nodes of energy accumulate, outlining the meridians, or channels of Chinese medicine anatomy. Qi is the energy that flows through this system. 

Acupuncture

Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine, sterile needles into specific points along the body’s meridians to regulate and enhance the flow of Qi, promoting healing. Acupuncture can be used to support treatment in any condition, it is particularly effective in pain conditions and conditions involving the nervous system.

Moxibustion is a complementary therapy where moxa, dried mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), is burned on or near specific acupuncture points. Moxa is a warming and tonifying herb. The heat from moxa stimulates circulation and further enhances Qi flow, which helps relieve pain and strengthen the body’s defenses.

While moxibustion is more tonifying, providing warmth and building energy, acupuncture is generally more focused on moving and clearing energy. However using different techniques can allow both these modalities to tonify the system or clear blockages.

Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine is a cornerstone of Chinese medicine, harnessing the healing properties of plants, minerals, and animal products to restore balance and address a wide range of health conditions. As a form of regenerative medicine, Chinese herbal medicine not only addresses pathology but also promotes healing and rebuilding of damaged areas in the body. For example, herbal medicine can be used to support conditions like liver cirrhosis, kidney failure, and heart failure. Each treatment is personalized, with herbal formulas tailored to your unique constitution and state of health, aiming to restore vitality and balance.

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Regenerative Injection Therapies

Regenerative injection therapies are designed to promote healing and reduce pain in the body by stimulating the regenerative process of tissues and nerves.

  • B12 Injections: Vitamin B12 is essential for healthy nerve function, energy production, and overall vitality. B12 is also effective at breaking down scar tissue and releasing adhesions. 

  • Perineural Injections: This treatment involves injecting a low concentration dextrose solution around irritated nerves to reduce inflammation, correct nerve and muscular function and promote healing. 

Injecting a bolus into an acupuncture point will stimulate the point for a few days, this is a modern way version of “burying the needle” where a needle would be placed in a point and left for a few days before removing in order to have a prolonged effect with acupuncture. 

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Other Modalities

UNDA Homeopathic Therapy

UNDA homeopathic therapy, also known as Biotherapeutic Drainage, is a holistic system that uses highly diluted remedies to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes. This therapy is particularly effective for chronic conditions, detoxification, and supporting overall wellness. UNDA remedies work by rebalancing the body’s energetic system, stimulating its emunctories (the body's natural elimination pathways), and addressing the root causes of illness. By restoring harmony to the body, UNDA homeopathic therapy helps guide the body toward a state of optimal health.

Nutraceutical Supplementation

Ideally, we would obtain all of our nutrients from whole foods. However, due to soil depletion, GMO foods, modern farming practices, food processing, and the standard American diet, it is often challenging to meet our nutritional needs through diet alone. Nutraceutical supplements, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other bioactive compounds, help bridge these gaps. Additionally, there are times when the body requires a supraphysiological (higher-than-normal) amount of certain nutrients to move out of a disease process and restore optimal function.

In my practice, I use evidence-based nutraceuticals alongside Chinese herbal medicine to support the body’s healing processes, address deficiencies, and provide targeted aid. Think of herbal and homeopathic medicine as the blueprint guiding the healing process, while nutraceutical supplementation provides the raw materials necessary for rebuilding and recovery.

Dietary and Lifestyle Counseling

Proper nutrition and lifestyle choices are foundational to health. We provide personalized dietary recommendations and lifestyle adjustments based on traditional wisdom and modern research. By aligning your eating habits, exercise routine, sleep patterns, and stress management techniques with your body’s natural rhythms, we help you achieve greater vitality, energy, and long-term well-being.