Dear Friends,

August is a special month in my family. My mother, my daughter, and I have birthdays exactly 5 days apart in the month of August. It’s a big month of celebrations in our family – and it is always a time where I am reminded of all the special bonds we have created in life.

I want to share with you a personal journey of why I started studying and applying holistic medicine in my life.

Growing up, I’ve always been fairly healthy – occasional gastrointestinal upset but rarely got sick. Except for as long as I remember, I’ve always had the most gnarly menstrual cramps. Every month – for as long as I remember. The episodes were so bad that I would not be able to get out of bed to function for the first 2 days during my period if I was not taking pain medications. It started with 1 Advil 3 times a day when I was younger, but easily into my 20’s I remember popping 2 Advils at a time 3-4 times a day just to be comfortable enough to get on with life.

I’ve talked to many doctors in my adulthood – primary care physicians, OBGYNs – they’ve always determined I was “healthy,” and this was not a big problem and often dismissed it nonchalantly. I also didn’t think much of it earlier in my adulthood because popping those Advils seemed convenient enough to get rid of the pain so life could go on.

Coming into my 30’s – I am much more aware of personal health issues, and I am also thinking about starting a family. Something just seemed way off about having to take 6-8 Advils a day to deal with these cramps. My primary motivation was to take care of my body so I could give my kids the best start in life as much as I possibly could. I sought out a Chinese medicine practitioner for a consultation. I have to confess that I was skeptical at first—after all, my training has all been about Western medicine. However, he pinpointed my issues and described my symptoms without me telling him, just by checking my tongue and feeling my pulse. I had my first acupuncture session with him. That month, I was 70% better with my symptoms and was able to get through my first days of menstrual cycle without any drugs!

In disbelief, elated, and completely convinced. I went back for 2 more acupuncture sessions and started Chinese herbal medicine for 6 months. After that, I didn’t experience the pain I had for almost 20 years again. He definitely turned this skeptic around. I only wished I had tried it sooner.

This is how I began looking into Chinese medicine for my patients—a gentle, whole treatment modality designed to balance the body instead of just masking the symptoms. I believe Western medicine will always have a place, but Chinese medicine is a powerful tool to complement areas where Western medicine reaches a limitation.

I’ve been so blessed to have been able to help pets in this capacity. This path has given me so much joy. I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives and caring for some of the most important members of your family.

Thinking of you and sending love to all of you.

Dr. Lily