About Me

When I was in acupuncture school many years ago in Santa Monica I had a teacher who'd become an expert in Chinese Medical Dermatology because she'd suffered for many years in her teens with disfiguring psoriasis.  Dr. Li's skin was by then clear and beautiful.  She'd developed herbal creams and lotions, and taught us massage and acupuncture techniques to treat many different skin conditions.  My first instructor of Cosmetic Acupuncture, she really sparked my interest in health and beauty. 

After graduation I practiced in Santa Monica, then Beverly Hills and Los Angeles where I had many opportunities to use the skills she'd taught us.  Over the years I've been able to learn from other leaders in the field - Michelle Gellis, Mary Elizabeth Wakefield, Martha Lucas and Shellie Goldstein.  They've very generously shared their tricks of the trade and today Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture is a rapidly growing specialty.  After all, it's been used for thousands of years in Asia to maintain a more youthful appearance. 

Here I am at age 50 and several years later...

Before acupuncture school, when I was living in San Francisco in the early 90s, I had the opportunity to study with many outstanding Asian Massage practitioners.  Certified in Shiatsu, Thai Massage and Chi Nei Tsang, I worked at the Kabuki Spa in Japantown before heading south to study Chinese Medicine at Yo San University in Los Angeles.  I graduated in 2001 with a focus on Women's Health (which of course includes skincare!), and was soon drawn to specialty training in Infertility because of all the patients I met who were having trouble conceiving.  These studies gave me an in-depth understanding of how hormonal imbalances and auto-immune responses affect our health and the role stress plays in it all. 

I'm a great believer in finding ways to regain balance that are fun and fulfilling.  For me that usually comes through playing music, dance, friendship and laughter.  I've lived in NE Portland with my husband since April of 2016.