We recently connected with Deanna Carell and have shared our conversation below.
Deanna, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
It’s 2011, I just graduated from Seton Hall University with my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing and the country is digging itself out of the great recession. At the end of 2007 into 2008 America found itself in a subprime mortgage crisis which caused record breaking inflation and many people losing their jobs and businesses going bankrupt. Although the recession ended in 2009, many of those effects were felt, especially in lower income families like mine. I grew up in a single parent household. My mom worked and took care of my sister and I on a very tight budget. I learned at a young age from her the importance of hard work and saving money. Going to college was a dream, as the oldest I was the first from our family to graduate college after receiving scholarships and government grants for my academics. I graduated at the top of my class, from the Marketing Honors Society with a good job laid out for me. And I decided not to take it.
During college I began experiencing what I then learned to be severe anxiety. Stomach pain, nausea, throwing up, heart racing, hot flashes – how could it be just anxiety I said to my doctor as she handed me a script for an antidepressant and xanax. I went home with that little blue paper in hand, knowing a bit too much about those drugs and knowing that they weren’t something I wanted to become addicted to. I wanted to seek out the reason why my body felt like this instead of masking it. After a recommendation to try acupuncture I took the plunge. I feel like from this moment my life shifted. I felt better after the treatment in a profound way. That summer after graduation I began looking into acupuncture schools and started applying. My friends and family thought my severe change in career choices was wild. Fun fact, I hated needles. I am the type that feels faint at the sight of blood or would pass out getting my blood drawn, but I was determined to become an acupuncturist. It was a deep, serious feeling that I knew this next career path was leading me in the right direction.
With no money, student loan debt and now no job, I enrolled into a 4 year Masters program for acupuncture. It was the greatest risk I had ever taken but in the end, I reaped the biggest reward. 10 years into practice, I am a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese medicine. I have helped thousands of patients like myself, suffering from anxiety (and other ailments too), and I am forever thankful for that inner voice that lead me down this road and helped me take the biggest risk of changing my career, going further into debt, to reach my full potential.
Deanna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Dr. Deanna Carell, and I am a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. My introduction to acupuncture began in my early 20s when I sought alternative treatments for my anxiety. After being prescribed medication and discovering its potential side effects, I realized I needed a better path. A recommendation led me to explore acupuncture, and I quickly became fascinated by its holistic benefits.
After graduating from business school, I landed a job in publishing, but deep down, I knew my true passion lay in natural healing. I researched the requirements for acupuncture school and decided to enroll that next fall. Since then, I’ve never looked back.
I was amazed to discover that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a complete medical system with modalities such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutrition therapy as alternatives to prescription drugs. As I began practicing, I treated a variety of conditions, including neck and back pain, migraines, anxiety, and women’s health issues. Over time, I developed a particular passion for women’s health, focusing on areas such as hormone regulation, menstrual health, and fertility support.
I gained recognition in my community, especially for my work with fertility and pregnancy, thanks to referrals from local OB-GYNs who witnessed the positive results my patients experienced. I wanted my acupuncture practice to be a safe space for women to share their stories, discuss their feelings, and receive supportive care that complements their Western medical treatments. I strive to offer a holistic approach, addressing concerns often overlooked in traditional medicine.
In recent years, I have developed a strong interest in cosmetic acupuncture and microneedling. With societal pressures on women’s appearance continuing to grow, I felt it was essential to provide natural alternatives to invasive treatments like Botox and fillers. My approach integrates cosmetic acupuncture with microneedling, focusing on internal balance to create lasting external change. By considering the whole person, I aim to empower my clients to enhance their natural beauty while prioritizing their overall well-being.
Being an acupuncture physician is a core part of my identity. I genuinely love what I do and strive to incorporate holistic practices into my own life. When I’m not seeing patients or focusing on my practice, you’ll find me reading, cooking, baking sourdough, or practicing yoga. I often joke that I’m in my “grandma era,” cherishing quiet weekends spent with friends, enjoying the beach, or lounging by the pool.
At my practice DC Aesthetics & Acupuncture, we are dedicated to delivering transformative skin rejuvenation through a comprehensive holistic approach that masterfully combines cosmetic acupuncture and microneedling. Dr. Deanna Carell, a leading authority in this field, is passionate about empowering fellow practitioners by offering in-depth continuing education courses focused on safe and effective treatment techniques.
As the co-owner of Microessence, she and her associate Cara have crafted both in-person and online courses to equip acupuncturists across the nation with advanced holistic microneedling skills, enabling them to provide exceptional natural beauty solutions to their clients. Experience the difference of a truly integrative approach to skincare and wellness with us.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In September of 2021, our practice was flooded from a flash flooding during Hurricane Ida. We had over 4 feet of water in the office which caused us to lose everything within our space as well as the actual space to practice out of. We had just got back into the groove after being closed for months from COVID shutdowns and patient’s feeling nervous about going back into their regular routine. It felt as if we were starting business over, and then the flood happened. It was so overwhelming and I felt completely defeated. During COVID, I stayed positive and tried to be a pillar for the community, understanding the stress everyone was going through and offering support. We had really bad weather the week prior with flash flooding in our area. That night of the storm the office closed early and we went home. I remember being on Facebook and across my feed pops up a live video. Someone who lived in our mixed use building on the second floor was filming the entire street filled with water, firefighters coming down the street in boats to rescue people stuck inside of the restaurant across the street. At this moment, I knew there was little to no chance our office was ok. I broke down into tears and just cried. If felt like all of the hard work I had put in for years was just washed away. That was a very hard night and then the following morning after the rain had stopped, the water had receded, we found a way to the office through downed trees and road closures. It was a bad as I expected. There was nothing that could be saved, everything had disgusting sewer, mucky water covered in it. The desk overturned, treatment beds bent from the force of the water. We had a choice, to give up here or find a way to keep going. Another acupuncturist in town, my friend Alan, messaged me after he found out what happened to our office and offered his office space during the days and times he was not seeing patients for us to use. We ordered new supplies, contacted our patients and began working out of his office that weekend. We stayed at Alan’s office for over a month while we worked on cleaning out our old office. It would take months for insurance funds to come through and for the renovations to be complete. and even when they were done, we didn’t want to return to that space. After going to look at many, many office spaces, I finally found one that would suit our needs. We were so lucky to sign a contract for the new space and that very next day we moved out of our temporary space with Alan and into our new office space. That event was a pivotal moment for our practice and I’m so glad to have purservered through that difficult time to come out on the other side.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
If I could go back, I would not change a thing. I absolutely love my profession within the world of medicine and feels so aligned with what I do. I often get asked, for the amount of schooling I completed why didn’t I become a real doctor, an MD. And that is a valid question but my answer is that I did not ever want to be an MD. Every doctor or specialist has tools in their tool belt. For the majority, the tools in an MDs tool belt are prescription medications and surgery. The tools in my tool belt as an acupuncturist are acupuncture, herbs, supplements and vitamin injections. I greatly respect MDs and what they do, I just personally align better with the practices of an acupuncturist and love sharing it with my patients and the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.naplesacu.com www.deannacarell.com
- Instagram: deannacarellacupuncture thenaplesacupuncturist
- Facebook: Deanna Carell
- Linkedin: Deanna Carell
