Finding stable relief
from chronic pain
can happen without
drugs or
surgery
I know, because acupuncture helped me recover
from an illness that left me with ongoing digestive dysfunction, crippling joint pain, panic attacks, and devastating fatigue.
I fell ill in 2007 after a 3-month study trip to Asia. At age 35, I was left feeling like a shell of my former self. I had been very active & healthy, traveling widely, and studying full time, commuting to work by bicycle in Chicago regardless of the weather or season.
Over the course of two years, I saw multiple physicians, had countless tests and scans and was told that there was no reason for me to feel the way I did. According to biomedicine, I was in perfect health, but I felt like I was rapidly declining. My body wasn’t recovering, and I found myself struggling with anxiety and depression.
A combination of acupuncture and dietary changes helped me regain my health and inspired me to become an acupuncturist to share this gentle but powerful medicine with others. Because of my illness, I have a deeply lived understanding of the connection between the body and the mind, and how this subtle, physical medicine can positively affect every aspect of wellbeing.
education
BA in Visual & Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2006
MSTOM, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (now Pacific College of Health and Science), 2015
credentials
professional memberships & Trainings
American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA)
Why “Chinaberry”?
I call my practice "Chinaberry Acupuncture" after a Chinese herb I learned of while in school studying acupuncture; the Pinyin name is “Jin Ling Zi”, which translates to “little golden bells”—a reference to the color and shape of the ripe fruit. The Latin is Melia Toosendan, which shares the same pronunciation as my given name, and one of the common names is Chinaberry. It's in the category of herbs which regulate Qi, the subtle life force, and is a powerful plant medicine for pain relief, parasite elimination, and support for the healthy function of the stomach, liver, small intestine, and urinary bladder organs & channels.