About me
I am a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, having earned my Master's degree in 2013 from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. My training included four years of education in the principles of Chinese Medicine as well as Tui-Na massage, cupping, nutrition and Qi Gong. My residential externship was at Housing Works LGBT Center in Greenwich Village and practiced privately in Los Angeles from 2013-2016. I completed a fellowship in advanced clinical practice under Dr. Frank Butler at Evolve Health and Wellness, where I was certified in Tui-Na massage and oncology support; and studied stroke rehab and neurology under Dr. Clayton Shiu. Although my present "weapon of choice" is yoga, I hold a black belt in Shorin Ryu Karate and studied various forms of Qi Gong under the tutelage of acclaimed teachers such as Tom Bisio, William Kaplanidis and Frank Butler. One of my proudest achievements was something no one bore witness to, completing three consecutive years of a daily practice called "San Ching" with the intention of harmonizing mind, body, and spirit. Not sure whether it "worked." I am a regular contributing blogger to Elephant Journal, and worked for 15 years as a stand-up comic, performing all over the world and appearing on MTV, HBO, as well as many major festivals. Chinese Medicine has helped me with my own issues with anxiety, insomnia and Gout disease, and I truly have no idea where I'd be without it. I subscribe to the principles of holistic medicine, which holds that a) the body is a system of interrelated parts, b) diet/lifestyle is at least half of every condition and c) there is no 1:1 correlation between symptoms and prescription of treatment. Everyone is a unique individual and should be treated as such. I believe a healer's job is as much to educate as it is to treat, and through the intelligent efforts of patient and practitioner almost anything is possible.
