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

Cameron , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?

As a student in my 2nd year of Chinese Medicine school, I was given the incredible opportunity to work with not one, but two of the most renowned Chinese medicine doctors in Boulder, Colorado. Both are well known in the field, and each are specialized practitioners within the medicine.

One was a brilliant Chinese medicine historian and scholar, author and classical Chinese text translator, acupuncturist and master Chinese medicine herbalist named Chip Chace. I was honored to apprentice in his herbal pharmacy for 4 years, making custom herbal blends for his patients, and shadowing him in his consults and treatments. It was an incredibly in-depth and experiential way to explore the medicine in my early years. He has since passed away, and I continue to hold his teachings close to my heart, and call upon his deep wisdom everyday in my own clinic.

The other practitioner I was fortunate to apprentice with is Jeffrey Dann, Ph.D., L.Ac., a master of Japanese acupuncture, who has studied extensively in Japan with many renowned sensei masters in the field of Asian medicine. He specializes in Japanese meridian therapy, and has a strong osteopathic medicine influence. His needle technique, diagnostic tools and “listening” skills are extremely fine-tuned, and being given the opportunity to work in his clinic, and learn his craft was an extraordinary gift in my early years of practice.

Both apprenticeship opportunities helped to create a rich foundation on which to build my own practice. I am deeply grateful to both of these extremely talented practitioners for sharing their wisdom and expertise.

Cameron , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been practicing Chinese medicine for nearly 20 years now. I grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where holistic medicine was quite mainstream, and my primary care doctor was a naturopathic doctor. He taught me so many things pertaining to health, wellness and how to feel good in my own body. I learned all about nutrition and physiology, and as a competitive gymnast in my teenage years, he helped me navigate overuse injuries, fatigue, and athletic recovery. As I ventured off to college, I knew I wanted to study medicine, and decided on pre-med studies. I kept up with my athletic endeavors, and began exploring the multi-disciplined sport of triathlon. At this point, I was working not only with my naturopathic doctor to stay healthy, but also enlisted the help and expertise of an acupuncturist. They both worked wonders with my body and mind, and kept me sane in an insane world of competitive sports.
As I continued to race at a top level, my need for support, physically, physiologically, emotionally and mentally was high. And these 2 practitioners kept me in top shape for several years. As I was finishing college, I realized that traditional allopathic medicine was not actually the path I was interested in. I was far more intrigued by preventative and health-affirming modalities of medicine. Thus, after a successful years-long venture in competitive triathlon, I retired and I embarked on a journey of holistic medicine, entering Chinese medical school, traditionally a 4-year medical program, that I managed to do in 3 years, in an expedited program at The Southwest Acupuncture College (which then had a satellite school in Boulder)

After medical school, I began practicing in both Boulder and Denver, with a specialty in sports medicine. I treated who and what I knew best – athletes. It was a wonderful way to jump in with both feet, and learn so much about the medicine, first hand.
After several years working in the sports medicine realm, I began exploring more in the women’s health arena, learning all about fertility, prenatal/postpartum medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and hormone support and wellness.
While I treat a wide variety of patients, both men and women, I specialize in women’s health and wellness, and am passionate about supporting women in all stages of life.
I have a busy private practice in both Boulder & Basalt, Colorado, and I am a partner provider for the Parent and Family Wellness Center (https://parentfamilywellness.com) a collaborative and multi-disciplinary mental health and wellness clinic, dedicated to supporting the emotional wellness of women and their families through reproduction and the transition to parenthood and beyond.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective way to build a business is showing people what you’re made of and what you can do, first hand. Walking the walk. In my early years, I would give acupuncture treatments to everyone I knew, in all disciplines I could think of. I shared my passion for the medicine far and wide, and let their experience with me do the talking. Soon, I was busier than I could ever imagine, all by word of mouth.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

To succeed in this field, you must have a true desire to help the people who walk in the door. You must gently build a rapport, and gain the trust of your patients with your honed listening skills, compassion and knowledge of the body and its functions. I also believe that no one practitioner can know everything, and admitting when you do not know the answer to a question or health concern is vital. Having a deeply knowledgeable referral network is essential for any skilled practitioner. Know your field, know your specialties, and know when to refer to someone else for THEIR specialties. I collaborate with many other medical professionals throughout Colorado, and find their varied medical insights invaluable in my own practice.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.solsticehealth.com www.parentfamilywellness.com
• Linkedin: Cameron Elmendorf, Solstice Health

Image Credits
I do not have any practice/facility photos on hand. I will see what I can find! The previous photo is another headshot because I could not submit without a photo! More to come soon!