Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebecca Ness. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rebecca, appreciate you joining us today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?
It’s incredible watching patients heal.
I’ll tell you a patient’s story, let’s call her Alex. Alex contracted covid early on in the pandemic and developed long covid. By the time she arrived at my acupuncture clinic, she had long covid for just under 3 years. She had several changing ailments, but her chief complaints were extreme fatigue, joint pain, heightened emotions and brain fog. Alex was anxious to return to her full health and open to everything Chinese Medicine has to offer. We worked in partnership: she received acupuncture, I taught her to do moxa and qigong for herself both of which she did daily. She also drank Chinese herbs most days of the week. After about 8 weekly treatments, Alex started to feel better. She took control of her health and her pain stopped, energy and full cognitive function returned, and emotions leveled. Alex continued with her treatments, her daily therapies and herbs. It’s wonderful that Chinese Medicine is able to help people heal from long covid, but the story doesn’t end here. Five months into her healing, she had a revelation during her morning qigong session about a decades old relationship that she needed to right. This caused some new turmoil that Chinese Medicine saw her through. I saw Alex soon after she had bravely righted the relationship. She was lighter, freer, and calmer than she had been in years. Alex has made Chinese Medicine a part of her daily life and together we have restored her health. It’s easy to miss this medicine if you are not looking for it—the way it supports people through their lives is quietly brilliant.
Rebecca, 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?
I’m a Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist with a patient centered clinic. This means that I listen, provide ample time during your appointment, and expertly customize treatments using multiple modalities. I offer consistent, nurturing support to help you find balance and whole health in your body and mind. Since patient education is a vital part of the medicine as it empowers individuals to play an important role in their own healthcare, I spend time with patients discussing how they can learn to take better care of themselves.
Some commonly treated issues include: stress, anxiety, depression, low energy, insomnia, digestive issues, long COVID, smoking cessation, menopausal discomfort and acute and chronic pain. Modalities utilized include: acupuncture, herbs, moxa, cupping, qigong, supplements, Shiatsu and nutritional counseling.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When my second child was born we decided to leave San Francisco to move to Ohio to be with family. Each time I thought it through, I knew how important it was to raise our children with family nearby. San Francisco was formative for me and I was sad to leave. I had to leave many things in San Francisco: friends, the ocean, and my mentor, Dr. Robert Johns. Apprenticing from a master practitioner lies at the heart of the Classical style of acupuncture—a style that has been practiced in the East for thousands of years. I trained intensively with Dr. Robert Johns in Berkeley, California. Dr. Johns is a classically trained Chinese Medical Doctor with knowledge rooted in his own twenty-plus years of apprenticeships with Dr. Fung Fung, Dr. Andrew Tseng, and Dr. Shen—all high-level Chinese Medical Doctors. My 7 year internship with Dr Johns was the most important and formative aspect of my education. I’m happy that he now offers classes via zoom so I am able to continue learning from him.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Coupling a love for caring for others, having personally experienced many health issues of my own, plus a solid education in Chinese Medicine has aptly prepared me to help patients with a wide array of ailments.
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