Michelle’s beliefs in natural medicine stem from childhood, when she and her mother gathered wild foods and herbs in the local forest preserve. They collected slippery elm for cough, dandelion leaves for detoxification, willow for headaches, and St. John’s wort for depression. This path led her to the natural healing system of Traditional Chinese medicine which views the body as a whole being, inherently part of nature, ebbing and flowing with the sun cycles, moon cycles, seasons, and weather.
Michelle graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine with a Masters in Oriental Medicine and a Bachelors in Nutrition. She is board certified in acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine through the NCCAOM. She combines these credentials and book smarts with intuition to give each person what their body needs on that particular day, as each treatment encompasses a personalized fusion of acupuncture, herbal remedies, Chinese dietary therapy, and lifestyle counseling.
Michelle uses tongue and pulse diagnosis, a thorough intake, and assessment of the patient’s color, sound, odor, and emotion to find the best herbal formula for each patient. She treats a wide array of health imbalances including digestive problems, anxiety, depression, allergies, menopause, and insomnia. Michelle has helped many of her patients wean off or reduce their reliance on western medications by incorporating herbal medicine and Chinese dietary therapy.
Women’s health is of special interest to Michelle, as she helps women conceive both naturally and in conjunction with reproductive technology. Fascinated with the process of childbirth, Michelle has been a doula since February 2012, and offers various forms of labor support, including acupuncture for pain relief, stalled labors, turning breech babies, and reducing pregnancy hypertension.
Outside of her practice, Michelle enjoys being tackled by her three rambunctious boys, communing with nature, cooking colorful food and practicing yoga.