About Me

My Story

I first felt the urge to be a healer in childhood, when I learned that plants could be used as medicine from my grandmother. She would take me with her to the woods to help her dig up Sassafras roots in the fall that she kept simmering on the stove all winter. We would collect dandelion greens in the spring to clear toxins from the liver. She urged me to take bitter tasting herbs like horehound that she had grown in her garden, which always made me feel better when I had a cold.

I have been delivering independent home health care since 1982. Prior to that, from 1980 to 1982 I studied Oriental Medicine courses with Angela Longo and Angela Chi Feng Wu Shen at San Francisco State University. During the same period, I learned the long Yang style of Tai Chi Chuan from Terry Hall at City College in San Francisco and took classes in anatomy and physiology.

In 1982, I moved to Maui, Hawaii, where I worked as a home health aide and became a licensed Acupuncturist after studying at Amerasian University for five years. I graduated with honors with a Diploma of Oriental Medicine. In 1987, I was licensed as an Acupuncturist in the State of Hawaii. I started doing acupuncture treatments for the disabled in their homes; I also worked as a nurse aide in Kula State Hospital, and became certified as a paramedical assistant. I continued my education with additional hospice training and have maintained a current CPR and First Aid certification since that time.

In October 1990, I completed the National Acupuncture exam and received certification from the National Certification Commission of Acupuncturists. After this, I decided to increase my knowledge, skill and ability to care for others by attending nursing school at City College of San Francisco. After another five years of study, I graduated with high honors and received my Nursing Degree in July 1995. I took the State Boards for Nursing and earned my Registered Nurse (RN) license in January 1996. I continued studying Tai Chi Chuan on a weekly basis for an additional two years, this time with my teacher’s teacher, Sifu Chen, in San Francisco.

I worked at the Oakland Alameda County Hospital in California as a medical-surgical and oncology nurse, as well as in home care delivery. I was also certified in IV therapy and in peripherally-inserted central line catheters. Over the years, I have continued to work with various pediatric, geriatric, paralyzed, and hospice patients, helping them maintain their independence at home.

I have been licensed as an acupuncturist in Washington State since 2004 and have maintained an active acupuncture practice since then. I earned a post-graduate degree in Chinese Herbal Medicine in 2009 from Bastyr University. I continue to take advanced courses in acupuncture, herbology, Tai Chi, and Tui Na. I have been invited to lecture on East Asian medicine in various cities around the USA. I have delivered comprehensive medical-surgical and oncological care in both hospital and home care settings. Trained in the competent delivery of medical treatments in the home from acupuncture to wound care, I bring a special caring touch and compassionate attitude to my work.