About Me

My journey to becoming a Chinese Medicine practitioner began about fifteen years ago when I was living in Thailand at a Buddhist monastery learning to meditate. During this time, there was one Burmese monk who made such an impression on me that he transformed the course of my life. A trained medical doctor, this monk opened a small clinic on the monastery grounds for Burmese refugees dying from incurable diseases. While at the monastery, I was lucky enough to bear witness to the ways in which he seamlessly integrated his dual practices of meditation and medicine in truly meaningful ways.

The clinic was built and run solely on donations from the community. Although he often could not afford modern medical treatments for many of his patients, he nonetheless was still able to offer dignity and kindness to his patients as they passed from one world to the next. He taught them about the Dharma, and how to use mindfulness and meditation practice to develop inner peace. In doing so, he offered these people a meaningful end to their lives. The compassion and love he showed his patients, combined with his commitment to providing medical interventions and treatments was deeply inspiring to me.

By the time I returned to the United States I had made my decision: I was going to become a medical doctor. I finished college with a degree in biology and biochemistry and attended The Medical School for International Health, a unique medical school in the desert of Israel that focuses on practicing medicine in the developing world. While in medical school, I realized that allopathic medicine was not the right fit for me and decided to shift my focus from Western to Eastern Medicine. I still use the knowledge and problem-solving skills that I learned in medical school when I practice Chinese medicine, including the precise knowledge of human physiology and pathophysiology and the ability to think through a set of complex symptoms to come up with a working diagnosis.

After graduating from medical school, I moved to Seattle to attend The Seattle Institute for Oriental Medicine, an extremely intensive and rigorous three-year program for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. I then returned to Thailand to run a community clinic at the monastery. The three months I spent there were a true success, and they helped to set the path for opening of The Eureka Community Acupuncture Clinic.

The monastery has remained a vital force in my life. The healing environment I wish to cultivate at The Community Acupuncture Clinic is greatly informed by the open and compassionate climate of the monastery. Three guiding tenants I put forth for the clinic are unconditional acceptance, effective support, and dependability. You can bring yourself exactly as you are. At my clinic, there is no need to pretend about anything: You can take off your mask. In addition to fostering unconditional acceptance, the atmosphere of the clinic promotes effective support and ease. As your practitioner, it is my goal that after each treatment, your symptoms will be less intense and you will feel wholly supported and more at ease. Finally, the clinic will always be available to you when you need it.

I currently reside in Humboldt County with Hugh, my partner in life and love who I met in medical school, and our one-year old daughter Artemis, who is the brightest light in our lives. As a family, we love mushroom hunting, going out into nature, doing creative things, baking, and playing music. We love being a part of this vibrant community of Humboldt.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to offer this clinic to our community. I hope to see you there!