Inspiration: In 1993, Amy lived on 400 acres of wild land that was formerly a bird sanctuary in Sonoma County, California, on the Russian River. She explored wildcrafting herbs there, making tinctures, liniments, and salves. She took classes at the California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville, compiled a library of herbal books, and consulted with local individuals familiar with herbal traditions.
One day, Amy came home to discover two scorpions in her mortar and pestle. These natural Chinese remedies piqued her interest in exploring Chinese medicine further.
Traditional Chinese Medicine views the body as a whole, with correlations to natural elements and treatment techniques tailored to individual body types. This holistic view of diagnosis inspired Amy to enroll at Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine, the first Traditional Chinese Medicine school in California.
Practices Throughout California: Over her 23-year career as an acupuncturist, Dr. Amy cultivated busy private practices in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Oakland, and Ojai, California, with a brief six-month acupuncture pop-up offering massage and acupuncture at a psychology office in Laguna Beach.
Early Study and Career: Amy began her private practice in Santa Barbara in 2002, following her graduation from the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine and passing the California and National boards. In Santa Barbara, she also provided care for patients through the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CADA). There, she administered ear acupuncture for patients in recovery from Alcohol and drug abuse.
Further Education and Doctoral Study: In 2007, Dr. Amy enrolled in one of the first doctoral programs for acupuncturists in the United States at Five Branches University in San Jose.
An extended study in Zhejiang, China, brought Amy closer to the roots and culture behind this powerful medicine.
Amy helped develop a research project to better understand the symptoms of women with postpartum depression at New York University’s Langone Center in Brooklyn, collaborating with Claudia Citkovitz, a well-published research author in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She also completed an externship in acupuncture with Claudia, focusing on birth and delivery. Amy’s capstone thesis explored the benefits of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine for symptoms of postpartum depression.
Teaching at the Graduate Level: In 2009, Dr. Amy accepted a teaching opportunity at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) in San Francisco, California. Amy taught Acupuncture Points classes and facilitated student treatments at the school’s acupuncture clinic. Dr. Amy also had the opportunity to oversee student treatments at the Davies Medical Center CPMC in the Traumatic Brain Injury Department in San Francisco.
Assisting at Home Births: Amy worked alongside Angelika Nugent of San Francisco Midwifery from 2012 to 2019, providing comfort and care to laboring patients through massage, acupuncture, and moxibustion.
Garden Practice in Ojai, California: After mostly seeing patients in urban environments, in office buildings, Amy dreamed of having a tranquil practice surrounded by trees and a garden of herbs to source and serve patients tea during their visits. Placing yurts encircled with windows in the gardens made the dream of being closer to nature possible.
Developing the next vision for her practice: Amy has had the opportunity to treat patients from diverse economic, cultural, and social backgrounds, which has helped enrich her understanding that most people share a basic need for holistic care.
The financial and racial disparities in healthcare that require improvement have also come to Amy’s attention. Amy vows to be part of the solution by finding ways to create equity in the healthcare system as well as incorporating traditional practices that prioritize people and community.
Wellington New Zealand: You can find me practicing in Wellington, New Zealand now.