Justin Heesakker

L.Ac.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a 2,000 year old practice which looks at the patient as a whole being. The practitioner creates a holistic picture, through a rich and sophisticated diagnostic system, which synthesizes all of the different problems a patient may have into a logical whole. In this model, diseases and symptoms are thought of as imbalances in the normal state of the body and treatment is applied with acupuncture and Chinese herbs with the goal of bringing the patient back to their normal harmonious state of balance. I honor the unique story of each individual and the collaboration between patient and practitioner that it requires. The Chinese medical model can help envision how to optimize health, anticipate recurrent challenges and shape a lifestyle that allows one to respond flexibly and successfully to stress. In Chinese medicine this is called yang sheng, nourishing life principles, which represent ones awareness of an adaptive capacity to know how one is