LAUREL HOLLOWAY, Ph.D., LAc.
Acupuncture
The path to complementary medicine is often not a direct one. I began my studies after completing many years in the arts as a musician and as a scholar in the humanities and social science where I completed my doctorate. Exhausted from both my studies and from dealing with my own chronic illness, I began studying massage and tai chi. I sought out acupuncture and was thrilled to discover a medicine that reflected the complexity of my experience; a medicine that was comprehensive, consistent and coherent. For the first time in my life the pieces of my experience fit together in a way that made sense. What's more, the principles, based in the natural world, weren't confined to diagnosis and treatment:one could use them to create a life where the focus could be wellness rather than disease prevention.
Before making the decision to move to San Diego to study oriental medicine, I continued my studies in nutrition, aromatherapy, meditation, pranic healing, Bach Flower Remedies and massage. I consulted in higher education and served on the Board of Directors for Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. After graduating from PCOM, I continued in an advisory role to the college and began a decade long affiliation with the organization that accredits schools of acupuncture and oriental medicine for the Department of Education participating in over 50 site visits.
I began my acupuncture practice in 1997 and have brought to it my experience as a generalist and my belief in holism. This is to say that I have worked with patients in a variety of settings—hospitals, homes, clinics, hospice, rehab—facing varied challenges: stress, cancer, dental problems, fertility, menopause, asthma, musculoskeletal problems, depression, HIV/AIDS, addictions, migraines, sleep complaints, menstrual disorders and digestive problems. I work with patients who use oriental medicine as an adjunct to western care and with those who choose to use western medicine as an adjunct to oriental medicine. Whatever a patient chooses to do, it is my intention to provide interventions that will address their current health challenges, support them in becoming skillful in handling stress and encourage them to create lives that are joyful and nourishing.
Toward that end I continue to work on expanding my skills and exploring what brings me joy. This includes my work as a docent at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park, my membership in the Asian Arts Council at the San Diego Museum of Art and my role as a volunteer at the Natural History Museum. In addition to continuing education studies in acupuncture and herbal medicine, I have complete the second level of Reiki which I incorporate into my acupuncture treatments.
I invite you to join me in a conversation at the Tibetan Healing Center about the ways in which oriental medicine can contribute to your life.