Well, I could say that my Italian descent brings a compassionate, helping, yet tough love approach! I want my patients to feel listened to. I want to educate them on how TCM works and how it will work best for them; so education is an important component in my first interview, and because of my Ph.D. in Holistic Nutrition, I am concerned with changing poor nutritional habits. Nutrition, diet, and lifestyle (stress, overwork, medications, drug use,) are critical components of TCM and you will feel much better sooner if these are addressed and improved.
In addition, I pride myself on taking a "hands on" approach. While a western doctor might simply advise: "you need more rest," or "you need to exercise a little," or "you need to reduce stress," I work closely with my patients to whatever level of commitment or improvement they desire and can handle. For example, with a patient who comes in for infertility because she/ he has not had success and has perhaps undergone one or two IVF (in vitro fertilization), I will thoroughly and wholly assess their lifestyle. Many times she/he is still drinking soft drinks, coffee, a little wine here and there, and very little water. Hello?! Good nutrition is what makes a good blood system which makes good eggs, happy sperm, good implantation, a healthy uterus and balanced endocrine system.
I like to say, the largest room in the world is the room for improvement! When a patient is already working so hard to achieve their goal, some additional changes can help us achieve even greater results. I conduct a vitamin and mineral deficiency test and other analyses to identify problems not addressed by western medicine. I can also formulate and dispense a unique, specific Chinese herbal formula, which treats the root cause and improves progress and results.
Are Chinese herbs safe?
YES, and much more so than Western medications in many, many cases. The side effects may be slight diarrhea if the formula is taken in too large a dose or is not adapted to the patient's individual sensitivities. This is easily corrected and a good herbalist makes a proper formula. Western drugs have severe effects on the liver and kidneys, and Western protocols keep many patients on drugs forever; often they need not be if we can correct the root disorder.
