About Dana

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If you had told me 15 years ago that one day I'd be a licensed acupuncturist, I would have said you were crazy. 

Back then, I was a successful journalist.  I'd begun my career in Pittsburgh and later relocated to Washington, D.C.  My work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Washingtonian Magazine and many other publications.   I wrote about health, fitness, medicine, sports, and local government. I authored columns and investigative pieces.  I even covered an Olympic Games. I loved my career and expected to be in it for life.

The universe had other plans. In my late 40's, I began to feel ill.  Walking a city block left me in need of a nap. Suddenly, I needed to rest between flights of stairs leading to my third-story apartment, instead of bounding up them. I experienced joint aches, severe anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, and brain fog so incapacitating it took me hours to write a single paragraph.  

Over 18 months, I visited specialists, enrolled in a research study, tried medications, all to no avail.  Eventually, I was diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions.  A rheumatologist said I would likely experience brief remissions; otherwise, I'd just have to "gut it out."  His words didn't sit right. I felt scared yet somehow convinced an effective treatment was out there somewhere.  I just had to find it.  I had to find it as someone who wasn't a fan of harsh medications that came with weight gain, potential organ damage, addiction, or other intrusive side effects. 

At my lowest, my primary care physician mentioned acupuncture, suggesting that a couple of her patients seemed to be benefiting. She handed me the business card of a local practitioner. I figured acupuncture was akin to drinking snake oil but I was at that point. 

During my intake, the acupuncturist lightly rested three fingertips on my radial pulse.  "So you have a lot of UTI's,"  he asked. I nodded. Now he had my attention. After that first treatment, I felt a pervasive calm, and I felt heard.  Fast forward through three months of twice-weekly treatments and some dietary tweaks.  I was feeling like myself again!  Energetic.  Clear-minded.  Pain-free. 

Thrilled, I enrolled in acupuncture school. I had always been fascinated by medicine, albeit the conventional type.   Chinese Medicine taught me that finding a means of reducing pain and anxiety without relying on multiple surgeries and heavy-duty medications is the key to finding true wellness!  It reminded me that our bodies are frequently capable of healing themselves with the help of gentle holistic therapies and healthy lifestyle practices.

I provide authentic listening and teach individuals how to get quiet enough to hear the messages their bodies send every day -- messages about pain, fatigue, digestion, and stress.  I believe our bodies are wise, that if we are able to tune into them, we can often prevent the onset of disease and heal from chronic conditions.  Studies suggest that making health a daily priority can add years to your life.  

I believe we are more powerful than we know, that the the critical ingredient to healing and remaining healthy lies in achieving balance. It can be tough to find balance in the busy-ness of this fast-paced world.  But I want you to know it is possible and so worth attaining! If you're craving balance, I'd love to help you.  This medicine helped me get my life back and I believe it can help you, too!

Come in. Let's talk.  Let's start you on a path to health and healing today!

Let's start your health journey today!