I am an acupuncturist in Seattle, WA at Zen Attitude Acupuncture. I have always felt called to help people. One of my earliest memories, was seeing a man sleeping behind a dumpster. When I asked my grandmother why, she explained to me, about homelessness, and people who are less fortunate. I immediately begged her to take me home, so I could retrieve my piggy bank, and give it to him.

 

When I was six years old, my parents sent me to Colombia, by myself, to learn the language, be immersed in a different culture, and get to know my mother’s side of the family. The most impressionable thing I was introduced to, though, was the world of natural medicine. While staying on the farm, I developed a respiratory illness, and my great aunt took me out for a walk through the trails. We found flowers, which we picked and brought back to the house. She boiled water and made a tea out of them. I thought she was crazy, and I didn’t understand why she was making me drink plants. I went to sleep, and when I woke up, it was like I had never been sick at all. To this day, I do not know what the plant was, but it sparked an interest in nature and natural healing, that has stayed with me through my life. While always intrigued by it, I had no idea it was something I would ever be able to learn or study in the United States.

 

One day, I heard about Bastyr, and I was both shocked and amazed, to realize that I could possibly learn forms of natural healing, right here, in the US. From then on, I seemed to hear about Bastyr, everywhere I went. Even during road trips to Canada, and across the country, I started hearing about Bastyr from strangers all over. I researched, found that they were the top school of natural medicine, in all of North America, and decided that it was meant to be. I sold everything I owned, packed only what I could fit into my car, and drove up to Seattle.

 

I enrolled in the acupuncture and herbal program, and immersed myself in all that the school had to offer. I took as many extra clinical shifts as allowed, with as many different supervisors as possible, in various hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. I also tried to supplement with as many other modalities as possible, completing the massage program, and taking courses on sleep, traumatology, nutrition, exercise science, medicine-making, craniosacral therapy, Ayurveda, and more.

 

I have a Master in Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine, but the path of learning never ends. I am currently apprenticing with a mentor, and will be completing my Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine this Fall.

 

I love treating all types of conditions, and am particularly drawn to acute neurological conditions, sleep support, and both physical and emotional pain. It brings me so much joy, to help people through their healing journey, and I am excited to be a part of the Zen Attitude team.