Meet Rachel

Hey there! I'm Rachel.

A doctor of Chinese medicine, dog lover and aspiring musician.

I’m on a mission to help people create peace and comfort in their bodies. I came to Chinese medicine on my own physical and mental health journey and I am passionate about sharing the many ways that natural medicine helps keep people healthy and heal existing imbalances.

Integrative Chinese medicine often excels in exactly the same places that Western medicine offers limited options. Working part-time in an integrative primary care clinic and part-time in private practice, I’m able to watch integrative medicine in action. We are lucky to live in a time and a place where we have the best of both available to us.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER

JOURNEY

About My

Life is great now, but it wasn’t always this way. I went to a high-powered college and worked in publishing immediately after graduation, living a “successful” life from the outside, but I developed depression and an eating disorder as well as two autoimmune diseases. Thankfully, my primary care doctor referred me to acupuncture and as my treatments progressed, I could feel a “knot” of energy unraveling. Through a course of treatment of acupuncture and herbs, I was able to heal and also learn how to nourish myself.

At each appointment, I had more questions for my acupuncturist and I kept seeking out information about Chinese medicine until I finally enrolled in my first post-graduate degree program in 1994.

I got my masters degree and license in 1999 and then went back and got my doctorate degree in 2018. This is a dream career for a lifelong learner, but it is my work with patients over almost 30 years that has been my greatest teacher.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER

Fun Facts About Me

Five

What lights me up

01/ I live in Santa Cruz and I love it here because I can walk in the redwoods and go to the beach with my dog Panda every day.

02/ I’m usually spotted with a smudge of gluten-free flour on my face or shirt because I love to bake. My first cookie business was when I was 10 years old and sold 100 dozen cookies at our local covered bridge festival in Pennsylvania. In college I had a catering business called “Affairs with Rachel.”

03/ I’ve been practicing yoga since 1989 and received my teacher training certification in 2004. I teach all my patients gentle stretches that they can easily incorporate into their day. For me, yoga and stretching is like a massage from the inside out and I love to share the joy.

04/ I’ve been learning to play bass for 5 years. I aspire to be in a band some day.

05/ Helping people connect with body and breath is part of my activism and resistance. Oligarchies don’t profit off of people breathing fresh air, singing and dancing together, drinking water, eating local fruits and vegetables and taking walks in nature, but communities do.

CREDENTIALS

California Acupuncture Board and NCCAOM National License, 2000-present
Advanced Certificate in Facial and Cosmetic Acupuncture, 2025
Neolifting Sculptural Facial Massage Certification, Pro-Age Academy, 2025
DAOM Doctorate from Five Branches University, Santa Cruz CA 2018
Anusara Yoga Teacher Training 2004
Master of Science in TCM from American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, San Francisco CA 1999
San Francisco School of Massage 1992
Bachelor of Arts, Wellesley College, 1988