What inspired me to become an acupuncturist is the desire to help people return to nature as well as their own true nature. Our bodies are microcosms reflecting the world around us, each with its own internal seasons, weather systems and rhythms. Puberty is a season, new motherhood is a season, and so is menopause.…
Michelle is a Licensed Acupuncturist, NCCAOM Board Certified Herbalist, Reiki Master, DONA-Certifed Doula and owner of Division Chiropractic and Acupuncture in Chicago. 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. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine with a Masters in Oriental Medicine and a Bachelors in Nutrition, and is board certified in acupuncture 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 then adds the powerful element of touch to her sessions by doing energy work over the needles, while Cupping and Tui Na massage further address both chronic and acute pain. Michelle treats a wide array of health imbalances including digestive problems, anxiety, depression, allergies, menopause, and insomnia by teaching people how to use food as powerful medicine to combat and prevent disease. As a practitioner of yoga for 15 years, Michelle also offers yoga poses for self-care at home. She endorses yin-type exercises such as yoga, qi gong, and pilates along with yang-type exercises including cardio for a balanced exercise program. Happily, many of her patients have been able to avoid invasive surgery and reduce western medications. 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.
