My mission is to put the care back in healthcare. This philosophy guides both my approach to my acupuncture practice in particular and my approach to health care in general. This is why I offer complementary therapies at no extra charge, combining acupuncture with traditional treatments that enhance its effects, such as herbal medicine, tui na (massage), zhi ya (acupressure), ba guan (fire cupping), gua sha (jade and horn massage tools), and 5 element nutrition. Chinese medicine is so much more than just acupuncture and I have found that this integrative approach takes full advantage of its many benefits, giving me the ability to address a wide range of diverse conditions. Ultimately, my focus is on providing you with quality, comprehensive care so that you can get better faster with fewer treatments.

 

11 Best of WNC Awards, Over 200 5-Star Reviews

I am honored to have received  11 "Best of Western North Carolina" awards and over 200 5-star reviews, and am thankful to my community for entrusting me with the health of their family and friends. I have experienced the healing power of acupuncture and Chinese medicine as both a patient and practitioner and feel truly blessed that I am able to help others achieve higher levels of wellness in a way that is both natural and gentle. It is a deep honor to practice this wise and ancient medicine, and I consider it to be both my vocation and my life's work. Please click here to read some reviews.

 

Conducting private, one-on-one sessions vs. treating multiple patients in the same room is another important part of my practice. I find this approach delivers superior care because it allows full access to all of the acupuncture points on both sides of the body, provides privacy for disrobing and complementary therapies like cupping, and gives you space for deeper rest and relaxation, something I believe is an absolutely essential component of healing. It also helps me really get to know my patients, dedicating plenty of focused time to each individual for things like case history, examination, questions, education, and treatment. As Hippocrates said, "It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than it is to know what sort of disease a person has."

 

For me, another important part of quality care is ensuring that I am available for my patients. This is why I work full time, five days a week, have an answering service, offer online booking 24/7, and retain a second treatment room for last-minute appointments. This also fosters what I call consistency-of-care, where we work together one-on-one throughout the entire course of your treatment, evaluating and charting your progress, adjusting and adapting your treatment plan together as we go. My schedule is very flexible and I typically come in early or stay late most days of the week in order to accommodate my patients' scheduling needs. As a resident of the neighborhood, practicing here holds a special meaning for me and I look forward to serving my community for many more years to come. My office is located in the historic Bledsoe Building in the heart of downtown West Asheville.

 

I originally moved to West Asheville in 2003 to attend the four year master's program at the local acupuncture school, Daoist Traditions, and I am honored to be a member of their very first graduating class. This comprehensive program consisted of eight semesters averaging 20 to 25 credits each and included three years of supervised clinical experience. I have been a Licensed Acupuncturist since 2007 and a Certified Herbalist since 2000 through Rosemary Gladstar's program at Sage Mountain. Doctorates are just beginning to be offered in my field and I am excited to be attending my fourth and final semester at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, on track to be Asheville's first Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. For more information about the path that led me here please see my resume and biography

 

Holistic Primary Care, Individualized Plans, Lasting Results

In my practice, over 85% of my patients see significant relief of their symptoms, typically without side effects. The key to the success of this system is in its holistic approach which creates targeted, individualized treatments that work on many levels at once, giving symptomatic relief while, at the same time, improving your overall levels of wellness in all systems so that your symptoms are less likely to re-occur. Whether you are seeking something more natural, have exhausted mainstream medical options, are looking for treatments to complement other types of therapies, or are considering alternatives, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine may be just what you are looking for. Please click here to learn more about what I treat.

 

Over time I have come to understand that, no matter how long an initial appointment is, it really is impossible to know everything there is to know about a person the first time you meet them. Because of this, and in order to make my sessions more affordable, my initial appointments are set at the same rate as follow-ups, $75 for one hour. In addition, because I often work with people who have chronic conditions that require more than one treatment, I offer discounts on packages of three and six that can be shared with friends and family and never expire. As mentioned above, my rates reflect my policy of including complementary therapies like herbal medicine, tui na (massage), zhi ya (acupressure), ba guan (cupping), gua sha (jade and horn massage tools), and 5 element nutrition at no extra charge.