After high school, I had no idea if I wanted to continue my education or work so I decided to do both and enroll in community college and work full time.  Knowing that I wanted to work with athletes, I started the Fitness Technology program at Portland Community College and got a job at Gart Sports, which is now The Sports Authority.

After three years of off-and-on schooling, and six years of working at Gart Sports, I felt I needed a change in my life.  I decided I wanted to continue my education and was accepted into the Human Physiology program at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.

I really enjoyed my classes and my time there, and was focusing on a career in physical therapy and athletic training.  However in the winter term of my last year at the U of O, I took a course called Complementary and Alternative Medicines and I was immediately fascinated with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.  The following term I began looking into schools for Traditional Chinese Medicine and found the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in my hometown of Portland Oregon.  I applied to OCOM, and after graduating from the U of O with a BS in Human Physiology, found out that I was accepted into OCOM’s Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine program.

My exposure to athletics and athletes has also given me exposure to injuries.  As Western practices like surgeries and pharmaceuticals can surely help injured athletes, the recovery time with such therapeutics can be long and painful.

I believe that acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be integrated with western modalities, or stand on it’s own to help decrease recovery time from injuries as well as increase performance levels of athletes, and prevent future injuries.  Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is a relatively non-invasive and time proven modality that uses the body’s own energies and immune system to keep the body in balance and can be a very effective medicine to athletes and weekend warriors.

My clinical experience at OCOM proved to me that acupuncture is a great medicine that can not only treat pain, but can also be effective for people suffering from insomnia, menopausal symptoms, digestive disorders, colds, flu, and allergies.