We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yume Takeuchi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Yume , appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

The defining moment of my professional career came when I worked full-time at a sliding scale clinic during the pandemic. Located in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, the clinic had a small but strong presence within the community. The fast-paced environment provided constant opportunities for learning and allowed me to regularly refine my communication skills with patients.

When the pandemic hit, like so many businesses, the clinic had to close its doors. But we quickly pivoted to telemedicine, maintaining contact with patients and offering herbal formulas and supplements to those diagnosed with COVID-19. One of the unique challenges of COVID-19 at that time was the rapid fluctuation of symptoms, which made it difficult to match the right treatment to a patient’s most current condition. We developed a system to ensure patients could pick up their formulas safely while maintaining social distancing, enabling us to get them the care they needed in a timely manner.

After two months of staying at home, the clinic decided to reopen with enhanced safety protocols in place. As practitioners, we discussed ways to make both ourselves and our patients feel safe. We adopted scrubs as our new attire, replaced cloth sheets with disposable paper, wore N95 masks at all times, and upgraded the clinic’s HVAC system. For many patients, we became one of the few places they would visit outside of their homes, and one of the select people included in their “social pods.”

It was during this time that I began to understand the depth of the care we were providing. We weren’t just administering acupuncture. We were becoming an essential part of our patients’ lives, helping them navigate a period of unprecedented uncertainty. We were having conversations about the state of the world and providing comfort and healing that was beyond needles and herbs. We felt peoples pulses as we had always done for diagnosis but, for some, this was the only human touch they would receive until their next acupuncture treatment.

The pandemic presented a unique challenge and forced us as practitioners to adapt quickly to a new way of delivering care. It was in these moments that my definition of “care” began to shift. I learned that sometimes, what’s most needed isn’t the perfect remedy or diagnosis, but simply a human connection.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

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Yume Takeuchi, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbal medicine practitioner in Portland, Oregon and the owner of Yuzu Acupuncture. She is a graduate from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (San Francisco, CA) and has been working as a healer for over a decade. She has worked in both private practices and community clinics and has extensive experience treating pain management, women’s health, fertility, chronic conditions and autoimmune disorders.

Yume incorporates acupuncture, cupping, gua-sha, e-stim, massage and herbal medicine in her treatments. She is passionate about utilizing Chinese medicine as preventative medicine and hopes her patients experience the therapeutic and transformative effect regular treatments can offer.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Yes. I can’t imagine doing anything else. Being an acupuncturist gives me the opportunity to better myself. I love that there is always room to grow personally and professionally.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Having colleagues that you trust and can talk with regularly. Whether it is about the specifics of treatments or day-to-day business issues, having peers who you trust is essential. Being a business owner can be lonely and isolating at times and having people you are in touch with regularly helps.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yuzuacupuncture.com/
• Instagram: @yuzuacupuncture
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yuzuacupuncture/
• Other: Google: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Nnok5tjtuHhHftSS6

Image Credits

All photos are taken by myself