We were lucky to catch up with Kim Truong, L.Ac. recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

Business is borne from an impassioned idea- its conception starts from a spark of the heart. From that initial spark of life, business is then meant to be run like a machine to continue its realization of connection and productivity. However, any machine requires fuel, and the life blood of business still ultimately draws from that core heartbeat to stay alive. The mechanics of business maintain production and distribution. But why a business connects to others is ultimately through its unique heart and soul. It’s the personality and aura of a business that people connect to just as much as its brain.

So as entrepreneurs and experts of our professions, we need to maintain the heart in why we do what we do. This is where our personal heartwarming stories are banked. And what are heartwarming stories? These are the events, incidents, interactions, memories that create and refine the deepest meaning into our ultimate Why.

As professionals, we all started off believing so much in this pursuit that we had decided to embark on. We believe in our idea, and then we believe in ourselves to be the transmission of that idea. But naturally, most of us will have some bumps in the road, the dips and valleys where we feel burnout. In those detours into soul fatigue, many of us might sometimes question our past decision to walk this very path. We momentarily forget our why and it becomes essential to be reminded. This is why heartwarming stories are important to take note of and record into our Why. Our Why is the vehicle we use to drive our businesses into longevity.

Early on in my career, I was fortunate enough to befriend someone who has worked in the medical profession throughout his long career. He’s well aware of the sometimes extreme ups and downs- the yin and yang cycles- of life and work. He advised me that in those low moments, your lifesaver could be something as simple as a notebook. Why? Because that would be where you could jot down all the heartwarming stories you’ve gathered through time.

For me, it’s about my patients healing and how they express joy and gratitude in their renewed health. It’s the sincerely thoughtful gifts with the personal touch- like a basket of fruits from a patient’s garden, a flower handpicked by a patient who knows my sentimental favorite, or a ribbon-tied collection of tea bags that a patient felt I would enjoy. Perhaps one of my favorites has to be the giggling hugs I earn from my happy and healthier pediatric patients. It doesn’t have to be elaborate at all, but simply a genuine expression of shared joy. It’s the stories that patients tell me about how their lives have changed so much for the better. That just completely makes my days. It’s never about the actual things but about the thought, and heart, behind them. In all honesty, it’s so much about the smiles of relief and joy, the spark in a person’s eyes when they feel better. That to me is everything my work is about.

The human connection through healing- there isn’t anything else like it. Your own heartwarming story is whatever makes you smile when you think about it, reignites the primordial spark that created this business, and makes all the work you put into it totally worthwhile.

Kim, 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 Kim Truong, L.Ac. and I am the licensed acupuncturist and medical herbalist at A New Day Acupuncture and Herbal Clinic in Houston, Texas. I offer holistic and natural health solutions through Eastern medicine.

Have you ever had a health condition that was difficult to heal? And have you tried various medical options in vain, intending to avoid taking pharmaceuticals, injections, or surgery? Were you ever medically evaluated and then basically told that you wouldn’t heal and would have to simply cope with your illness? Or have you found some remedies that help with your primary symptoms but then create new side effects? These are areas that my clinic stands to remedy on the health care front.

Acupuncture revitalizes, redirects, and restores physiological function. Herbal medicine repairs and replenishes the body chemically and nutritionally. With the conjunction of these complementary practices, patients of my clinic find they are fully capable of healing naturally after all.

The reasons I am in the field of natural healthcare are accumulatively drawn from various experiences. Each incident has come to the same conclusion: that the narrow options of the medical care I had previously received either didn’t feel right or enough. I recall going to the hospital as a child and being advised to drink lemon-lime soda and eat colored gelatin as part of my recovery diet. Surely, anything and everything we consume alter and influence how we feel. Food as well as medicine ought to be natural in order to truly heal. I recall all the colds and flus I went through- taking the prescribed and over-the-counter medicines were a good temporary fix, but usually made me feel worse in the long run. Those medicines reduced symptoms by way of suppressing bodily resolution to pathogens. So it immediately worked, but it was no surprise that illnesses lingered and recurred. I knew there had to be better, gentler, natural medicines that were conducive to our own biological functions to heal oneself. Something that wasn’t only a quick fix for today, but created a shift for better health moving forward. There is. And this is exactly what I offer through my clinic.

The key to Eastern medicine is not suppressing physiological function, but strengthening it exactly where it is needed so that your body is organically capable of healing itself. When the medicine is easily adaptable to our biology, health flourishes very naturally on many levels and the results are sustainable.

Instead of compartmentalizing the anatomy, or separating the body and mind, my clinic offers holistic medical support which sees human health as an interconnected system. What that means is not only do I evaluate what your symptoms are, but also why these symptoms came to be. I treat what is causing and maintaining these symptoms. By doing so, the body’s entire system is given consideration and respected. Patients can then see multiple facets of their health improve even while addressing one. When you approach health as a unified system, there is a ripple effect of healing, well beyond the singular issues a person came to address.

Health is often a cumulative development, like a snowball effect. There are many layers that have built upon itself to create the present state. The present picture of your current state of health oftentimes has progressed over a length of time. So when there is illness, it often has steps leading up to it. Each aspect is a presentation of how your health came to be and where it may go. I evaluate your present health by determining your past state to prepare you for a healthier future.

Many chronic conditions are then able to get a second chance to heal. And many conditions which would otherwise rely on medication indefinitely, find hope in recovery.

In my clinic, I see many cases of neurological disorders, women’s health, digestive health, pain management, pre and post operative care and rehabilitation. I treat patients of all ages, including pediatrics. The results are truly holistic so there actually aren’t any barriers or limitations on which specific conditions patients may be helped with.

What I am most proud of each and every work day, is offering medicine that restores hope in people. People who have been told and believed that there wasn’t any way things would get better. Then they discover that their body has been capable of healing all along.

As a heartwarming example, a patient came in with a case of Bell’s palsy, a condition of partial facial paralysis. She had done the correct thing and went to see her family doctor immediately. After two rounds of antibiotics and muscle relaxants, there wasn’t any change to her facial mobility and she was told there wouldn’t be. She was to be indefinitely medicated without any recovery of muscle control. When she came to see me, she was under great distress and had lost weight from worry. It had become a vicious cycle of inflammation, stress, and pain. I assured her that she could relax, and within a month of committed treatment, her facial features were fully symmetrical with 90% muscle control restored. She got her smile and her life back.

It is medical interactions like these that continue to grow the heart of my clinic and is the very core of its purpose.

That is essentially what I offer. Natural healthcare that collaborates with your own body’s systems to repair, renew, and strengthen the very essence of your health. This way your health flourishes in the most natural way possible, to become your own unique best version.

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

In the study of Eastern herbalism, it is said that every single herb has its unique nature, and that specific nature designates the herb’s functions. It could be hot or cold, heavy or light- when the right herb is utilized in the right manner with the right person, it can work its wonders in healing and fulfill its reason of being. Even with certain botanicals that appear difficult to use, there are ways to utilize its properties to instead become its assets and bring about benefit for others. There is a right place of belonging for everything, and everyone.

The same concept can be applied to just about anything, including people and their jobs. There is a place and a way to bring out the best in us to be of service to others.

So would I choose this same profession of Eastern medicine again given a second chance? Absolutely, without a doubt. Because it is unmistakable how suitable it is for me. I’ve always been interested in biology and medicine but most other modalities just didn’t fully click with me. What had been needed was that instinctual jolt, the kind where an inner voice shouts out with ironclad certainty. That’s exactly how I felt when I discovered this medicine. Even going through all of the grueling years of schooling, study, and practice, which continues to this day- it is hard work that simply feels like fulfillment to me.

Acquiring knowledge of Eastern medicine triggers bubbling excitement in me, there is elation when contemplating its material, and it is a thrill to be further illuminated by a teacher or colleague. The very first time I treated a patient during my internship, it burst something wide open in my mind and heart. The connection is undeniable and irreplaceable.

This medicine is so sophisticated, so dynamic. Its ancient principles are concrete yet expansive and adaptable to both the evolution of time and people. That’s because it not only understands the nature of human biology but the mutability of human health within its changing environments. How we eat, behave, think, feel, move, live- it can all be considered diagnostic and medicinal. Eastern medicine is science, it is philosophy, it is true medicine, and to me, it is also an art. It is about transformation and yet is also about living within our truest natures. I find such beauty in its wisdom and efficacy, and I aim to create that same beauty in my work every single day by helping others heal. For me, this is the most fruitful life lived.

So all of that passion, the fervor, the love for this medical practice, courses through to my patients and their care. I share this medicine and my love for it with every patient. That’s what meaningful work should be.

Like the herbs I use, I have found my reason for being, my place of belonging in community and function. This is where I thrive, where my purpose thrives, and I would do it over and over again.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The absolute best marketing any business could hope to get are genuine reviews from patients/clients. Word of mouth marketing is the most honest referral from those who have received my services. It is sincere marketing because it emerges from experience and a sense of satisfaction. It doesn’t get much better than that, because it is human driven. It is a form of marketing that is truly organic that also forms a bonding and bridging of community. That is the most fulfilling and satisfying way to grow a business’s reputation, and this is what my practice has relied upon.

It’s all about offering value when people need it the most. When a person is not feeling well or dealing with illness, it can be a scary and frustrating time of their life. At my clinic, I make certain that patients feel safe and supported. I take into account their concerns, their health history and attributing life factors. It is important for patients to feel seen and heard; that is a necessary component in a relationship with your health practitioner. And of course, most importantly, people find they are able to heal through natural means fortifying their own resources.

Also, since I’ve started my practice, I’ve gotten to know many other entrepreneurs. There is a mutual empathy in understanding the hard work, the dedication, the grit it takes to be business owners. Those values are the same across any industry or profession. It all takes courage and vision to realize the fruition of business. We all have something different to offer, a unique slice of ourselves through our businesses. What I have enjoyed the most out of these relationships is getting to know the personal stories- the heart behind the machine- which is essentially the very idea of publications such as Canvas Rebel. Through these interactions, we build trust and a referral index. Like my patients, I am all too happy to connect people to the right services. My professional relationships are another way that my practice image gets defined.

And of course, I am grateful for the spotlights from publications like Canvas Rebel and Voyage have offered me through the years. I am very appreciative to be able to share my voice, my vision, my services.

The crucial key to every action, intention, and effort you put into your work and your work relationships is: give it your best. It sounds overly simple but it makes all the difference in the world. Anything built from your best efforts ultimately creates a solid and positive foundation that becomes a value people are happy to share.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anewdayacu.com
• Instagram: @anewdayacu
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