I finished grad school over a year ago and have been in private practice for 14 months.  In dealing with all the minutia of finding a practice space, making business cards, setting up a web site, buying sheets and supplies, etc etc, I have found it very easy to forget why I chose to do all of this in the first place.This blog is partly to remind myself of why I'm doing what I'm doing, but mainly to share with others my inspirations and goals that I hope to see accomplished through my acupuncture practice.  It's almost the end of the year 2015, which means that a new year is about to start--and what better time to renew one's commitments, look ahead, and set new objectives?When I think about the kind of practice I want to have, in the most general terms I want to partner with patients who are interested and ready to become part of their own ongoing good health.  This means engaging in a dialogue with these people to help them and myself understand their bodies and minds better, so that ultimately these patients can take charge of their own health and feel comfortable making choices to keep moving forward in wellbeing.Chinese medicine--acupuncture and herbs--provides an amazing way to work with patients to accomplish these goals.  The basic tenet of the diagnostic systems of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is to find out why someone has the issues they are coming to me with.  My challenge is then to correct any imbalance, bad habits, or so on that are contributing to the pathology.You'll notice I mentioned "bad habits".  That's just an example, but you can see that the process of attaining better health necessitates a dialogue between the acupuncturist and the patient.  This to me is the most interesting and possibly the most important part of what I do.  That work is what sets TCM apart from the usual Western treatments most of us Americans grew up with.  I'll listen to you.  I want to join forces with you to help you feel better.  That's my "why".