Schedule Appointment With StefanieI started out as a kid really wanting to be a vet. I followed my vet all over the place and decided horses were the only thing worth working on. I went to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and graduated with a BS in Anatomy and Physiology. Along the way I had discovered that I was going to have study pigs, sheep, cows and other animals and decided that maybe medicine for people was a much better idea. I then studied physical therapy but discovered very quickly that I am a sympathetic vomiter(which is really no fun at all) and am extremely sensitive to smells. I also was discovering that the medical system I was familiar with was really not a health system, but more of a sick care system and I did not like it much.
My husband ended up getting a job in Austin, TX in 1992 and we moved. I decided at that point to switch careers and got into financial planning and life insurance. I spent 22 years in that industry and loved it. I loved the challenge and the amount of information I was learning each day. We also had adopted a labrador about that time who was epileptic. This in fact, was why she was available for adoption. She had 5-6 seizures EVERY single day and drugs barely tempered them. She also had chronic diarrhea. When she was about 5 years old, we had an experience with her that transformed my thinking on disease, wellness and what it means to be healthy.
I had been researching feeding the dogs a raw diet(that is right-raw meat) and ran across a website written by a vet in CA who happened to also be a celiac patient. He was treating all of his ideopathic epilepsy dogs by prescribing a raw diet. Well, this was novel! The best part though-he had an 85% success rate! So I dove right in with our lab. We had nothing to lose-she was still having seizures despite enough drugs to fell a horse! We went cold turkey. I still remember her eyes the first day I handed her raw chicken! She pranced around the yard, so excited and proud. Well, she had 2 more seizures that month and never had another one that we are aware of. She lived to be 15 years old.
That experience changed my life! I really started to dive into wellness and preventative care. I read everything I could. I became a Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a Certified Personal Trainer through ACSM. I also started looking around because I knew I wanted to get back into medicine-just the holistic/alternative side this time. It took a bit, but I eventually found the AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine where I studied Traditional Chinese Medicine. I graduated with a Master's degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM) and then pursued a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAcOM) as well.
While in school I took a course in Environmental Toxicity and was shocked when I realized that the prototypical patient looked just like my mother. My mom had been super healthy when she was younger, then started developing a bunch of auto-immune diseases and ultimately cancer. Her history was almost EXACTLY a perfect match for a typical environmental toxicity case. Boy was I hooked! Wow! All of a sudden, I could see ways to help patients with auto-immune diseases. It was AWESOME!
I have additional training in Tuina(asian bodywork), MeiZen facial rejuvenation protocol, cupping therapy and acupuncture sports medicine. While I treat a wide range of medical conditions, I gravitate to pain management and sports medicine, auto-immune issues, neuropathies, facial rejuvenation, and other neurological conditions.
When I am not in the clinic, I can be found with my family, my critters, riding my horse, scuba diving or practicing karate.
TX Acu license# AC01736