Jeff Schmied
LAc, DAcCHM
Classical Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture is the most common method of Chinese medicine practiced in the US. But the art and science of Chinese medicine employs multiple methods, including the use of herbs, movement, and body work, to obtain similar effects. The foundations of Chinese medicine date back thousands of years before modern science developed synthetic pharmaceuticals to address symptoms. Like most civilizations around the world, early physicians in China used what nature provided to help their ailing people. Ancient practitioners of Chinese medicine believed that all the resources needed to heal the body were already present in and around the body. Today's Chinese medicine practitioners believe the same.
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When we feel ill or experience pain, it is the body alerting us to a disorder or imbalance of the body’s resources. While conventional medicine focuses on reducing those alerts (or symptoms), Chinese medicine emphasizes understanding and treating the root cause of imbalance. Over thousands of years, Chinese medicine practitioners have recorded associations of alerts, signs, and symptoms with their root causes. It is in the treatment of the root cause of disorder that we can return the magnificent body to its natural balanced state, and alerts are silenced, naturally.
Common Conditions Treated
My Approach
Our initial consultation includes a comprehensive patient interview designed to understand your unique health patterns, areas of concerns, and desired outcomes. Whether you’re experiencing chronic pain or temporary discomfort, your treatment plan will be tailored to meet your needs.
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I practice a variety of treatment methods, including acupuncture, electroacupuncture, herbal medicine, non-insertive therapy, shiatsu and tuina-based bodywork, cupping, and gua sha. Chinese medicine recognizes that each individual presents with unique symptoms and reacts differently to treatment. Once we’ve agreed on a treatment plan tailored to meet your individual needs, we’ll leverage the wisdom and healing power of the incredible system that is your body to address the root causes of imbalance.
Acupuncture
Restore your natural balance
Herbal Medicine
Formulations unique to individuals
Bodywork
Shiatsu, Tuina, Cupping,
Gua sha
In Chinese medicine, the basic unit of life is called Qi. When the Yin and Yang duality of Qi is appropriately balanced, the body and its processes experience harmony. Imbalance, however, is common. Most styles of acupuncture leverage specific points along the fascial pathways of the body, referred to as channels, that can affect the flow of Qi and blood. When applied, insertive and non-insertive acupuncture help the body to return to its balanced state.
Chinese herbal medicine is thought to have originated almost 3000 years BCE. The “Divine Farmer” Shen Nong is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs to understand their medicinal properties. The flavors, temperatures, and gestures of herbs have the effect of directing herbs to areas of need and providing the body's systems with cues to reset or rebalance disorders. Many herbs used today are food quality and are available in granule and capsule form.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine are highly effective modalities to address pain and injury. In my experience, adding bodywork to treatment sessions reduces recovery time and speeds healing. Shiatsu and tuina, which are based on the same channel and points systems as acupuncture, help to relieve muscle tightness and spasms, reduce inflammation and pain, and realign musculoskeletal structures.
I am grateful to my teachers who provided me training in Chinese medicine principles and practice according to the ancient classics that have been translated and handed down by masters of their craft, in a lineage-based approach.