In my practice I draw from a variety of  approaches, blurring the lines between Western and East Asian approaches to investigation, diagnosis and treatment. Both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine look at the whole person when trying to understand and make sense of underlying pathology/illness or imbalances. In both systems we hold to a chinese medicine tenet which says:

“same disease, different treatments: different diseases, same treatments”

That means that there is not one way to treat something like depression, and that there are many possible causes for it happening. Combining both medicines means that I want to rule out possible biochemical imbalances (deficiencies of B12, Vitamin D, thyroid hormone, use of The Pill or other medications), and TCM imbalances (liver qi stagnation, Heart Shen imbalance, Spleen Qi deficiency, etc..). Having different ways to approach the same issue gives us more tools and treatments to draw from. Nutritionally we want to make sure that you are eating nutrient-dense food that works for you, and just as importantly that you are digesting and assimilating the food and being nourished by it. I want you to enjoy the food you eat.

This approach, combining Traditional Chinese Medicine, Western Functional Medicine, Nutritional Therapy and Eating Psychology means that we have lots of tools to choose from during treatments - Acupuncture, Moxabustion, Gua she, cupping, Chinese and Western herbology, supplements, Nutritional recommendations, lifestyle modification/suggestions.  Which of those we use will depend on your needs and preferences.