Everything is engaged in the healing process.
private consultations
in person in Montague, Mass.
and remote via phone call, zoom for new clients.
“You keep me sane in my health process.” - sami
I practice herbal medicine using the Daoist cosmology, a view that includes the whole. This complex system includes the seasons, the elements, and the cyclical nature of time in our own health. Essentially, when we can easefully move through each stage, healing naturally occurs. To rely on these cycles is to reclaim our trust in the Earth’s wide, vast intelligence, and can have a huge effect on how we inhabit ourselves and the world.
Working with me will bring a lot of tools to the table that western, allopathic medicine doesn’t recognize. I weave understanding of your situation using tongue, pulse (for in person sessions), and facial diagnostics, as well as Daoist dream diagnosis, and somatic based inquiry. I do a lot of teaching during the sessions with the intent to enable you to read them yourself.
Treatment often looks like custom formulations of herbs, diet/supplement recommendations, and medical qigong. These help us address stagnation and achieve circulation, which can free up lots of energy and address the illness/imbalance at its root. Where we find blockage or stagnation is the key to unwinding illness.
Healthcare is not a fixed system, and should not be reductive or singular in its view. To include traditional medicine with emergent procedures, new drugs with ancient methods, and science with mysticism is to acknowledge the vast ability for humans to right ourselves. Traditional herbal medicine does not replace healthcare, it is a vital part of it. As the systems that we’ve relied on for a hundred years begin to change, we have to widen our capacity to be resilient. This is where the plants come in, who are nothing if not our best teachers in how to shapeshift.
I have been in private practice for over 15 years now, and work with all ages and genders. I am particularly versed in all things mother (current or future) and child, having 9 pregnancies and 2 amazing children to learn from. I continue to study and deepen my knowledge with annual trainings in diagnostics, herb/drug interactions, unfolding ailments and cancer treatment. I do this work in support of all of us, with endless gratitude for the healing plants, who teach me more than anyone.
Ultimately, we each know ourselves better than anyone else. I support - and stretch - this innate intelligence, with the help of potent plant medicine and medicinal movement.
Common Issues I work with:
infertility
menstrual cycle health
perimenopause
menopause
metabolic diseases (diabetes, hypertension)
auto-immune disorders
endocrine function
cancer diagnosis
pain management
mental health issues/diagnosis
healthcare for those using synthetic hormones
first aid for elderly and children
anxiety and depression
childhood allergies, ezcema, reactions
chronic injuries and illness
Illness is the healthy response to a system out of balance.
When healing is needed, it offers us all the opportunity to ask for and receive aid.
Healing, at its root, is mutual aid.
How can I help you?
Whether you are looking for sustained wellness for your constitution, remedies for acute situations, or support in continued health, you are welcome here.
Initial consultations are 1.5 hours of in-depth constitutional inquiry designed to give insight into the way that your body systems are working together. For children, we adjust a consultation to meet their attention span, often playing in the garden or making medicine while consulting.
Follow up appointments are usually one hour and scheduled from one to four weeks after initial session, depending on your personal needs. I suggest 3 appointments in close succession to establish our foundation, then adjust as needed.
*A note about video calls: I used to only see clients in my herb garden, full stop. In 2020 that changed and I began seeing people on zoom also. Due to the accumulation of hours I now spend behind the screen, I only see new clients and private qigong students via video, or if you request it as an established client. BUT, I love working with clients from afar via phone, and encourage you to find your own local plants to sit or walk among for our sessions!
Using the in depth diagnostics of Daoist Medicine, I call on herbal medicine and medical qigong, customized for each individual. Read more about each below.
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why herbal medicine?
The root word of "medicine" is "media" which means the middle way, or balance. Herbal medicine offers a balanced, sustainable path towards health.
People seeking to take an active role in their health often turn to traditional forms of healing. While ‘herbalism’ comes in and out of cultural prevalence, using plants to heal and promote vibrancy is a birthright as old as our species. For as long as we have been on this earth we’ve been tapping into this ancient wisdom of connection that not only offers us a safe, effective form of healing, but a chance to reconnect with the earth itself. Herbal medicine is a simple, ancient form of deep listening: to our own bodies, to each other, and to the earth’s body.
Herbal medicine has never been complimentary, but essential.
"Herbalism is based on relationship — relationship between plant and human, plant and planet, human and planet. Using herbs in the healing process means taking part in an ecological cycle. This offers us the opportunity consciously to be present in the living, vital world of which we are part; to invite wholeness and our world into our lives through awareness of the remedies being used." -Wendell Berry
what does it look like to work together?I look to the story that is written in your face, pulses through your veins, and is mapped on your tongue. From this gathering, I then ask the pertinent questions that get at the heart of your concerns, and together we map out what plants are your allies in balance. I use the Daoist frame to view the imbalance and work with transparency and open discussion so you leave with a fuller understanding of what’s going on for you. I formulate and work holistically.
Holistic medicine is characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account emotional and social factors, constitutional and genetic pre-dispositions, and personal lifestyle.
As true healing is a holistic process, together we create a healing protocol that might include personalized herbal formulas for your specific needs, community support plans, mindfulness practice, nutritional guidance, and a movement plan to keep your body free from stagnation (often at the heart of disease). If you come with a first aid injury, I’ll likely utilize poultices, moxa treatment, and bodywork to support your healing process. You will feel empowered and supported on your path to deep wellness.
I work with everyone, but am most familiar with these conditions:
reproductive and fertility issues (all genders)
sleep disturbance
digestion
hormone balancing
stress
fatigue
diabetes
auto-immune disease
inflammation
heart conditions
common childhood ailments
first aid
Whether you are looking for sustained wellness for your constitution, remedies for acute situations, or support in uprooting imbalance, I am here to serve.
*I also highly recommend considering Healing in the Round, my small group herbal clinic which includes an educational component and community support, in addition to the same individual herbal care you receive in private sessions. -
Medical Qigong is a form of healing developed through the shamanic roots of Daoist Medicine, and the seed that grew into all facets of Daoist Cosmology, Chinese Medicine, and modern acupuncture/TCM medicine.
Medical Qigong is sometimes referred to as Acupuncture without needles. It is a form of advanced energy medicine, which involves both hands-off and hands-on healing techniques, using internal and external practices that unblock stagnation and directs the body’s innate healing power to the source of imbalance.
What does is look like to work together?
We begin with a full intake, including pulse, face and tongue diagnosis. Using this information we begin to decipher any anomalies in your energy field that might be obstructing the flow of qi. When the qi becomes blocked in the blood, the lymph, the organs, and/or the meridians, then this sets the stage for accelerated aging and disease. We decide together what is most beneficial for you, to receive a treatment externally, or apply the theory internally. Once this blockage is released, then the qi moves once again like a flowing river, and then the body can heal itself. This is deep work that includes all aspects of the self, including the narratives, roles, persona, physique, ancestry, and energy we lead with. Medical Qigong can support in untangling all matter of disease, from chronic pain to auto-immune disorders, PTSD and trauma resolution to digestive disorders.
The Daoist system of healing is rooted in the body and it’s relationship to landscape. All the complexities of the meridian system, organ/emotion affinities, and diagnostics came out of being a body in a place, and listening deeply. This is how we come to this work, and get out of our own way to live our lives in right relationship.
Who is this for?
This kind of work is best suited for someone open to deep systemic change, practicing new pathways, and willing to allow the subtle wisdom of the body to lead into health.This offering is best done in person, but can be done remotely as well, via video/phone.
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This offering is for people practicing or interested in learning qigong as a movement form that supports deep health. You will share your desires for a daily/weekly practice and I will teach you sets that support your growth, health, and unwinding. We check in as the practice changes you, much as I do with herbs. Movement is medicine too.
We meet in person or via video and I work with you to physically achieve the open flow of qi in your practice.
Qigong is a practice, and needs to be practiced. That means you have to participate, and practice!
You do not need an “issue” or “ailment” to receive support, and once you enter my practice you have someone to call on when illness interrupts your path.
book a session
85 minutes | $175
First visit for new clients, or if we haven’t met in over 1 year, with extra time to dive deep into your personal health history. These can happen in person, on zoom, or phone call.
*click here to complete an intake form after booking
55 minutes | $125
For established clients only. If we haven’t met in over a year, please book a new client session instead. This option happens either in person or via phone only, with no zoom option (but I will ask for a picture of your tongue before our meeting:).
Deep Support Package
6 herbal consultations at a discounted rate
payment
You will be prompted to pre-pay for your session at the end of the booking process.
You can find more information on my pricing philosophy, and links to make payments here.
cancellation policy
Your confirmation email will have links to reschedule or cancel.
Please note: I hold a 48 hr. cancellation policy and I request you make a payment if you need to cancel within 48hrs. of our scheduled consultation. This greatly supports my ongoing availability. Full refunds will be given to anyone who cancels with more than 48 hours notice and cannot reschedule. Email me here to request a refund.
intake
Please remember to complete an intake form for initial consults, or it’s been over a year.