About

I was introduced to massage at a young age but it wasn't until the age of 21 that I enrolled in a year long massage program. I graduated with over 1000hrs of massage training and with Honors from Maric College (now Kaplan) acquiring a Holistic Health Practitioners Degree. A few years later, after working in the massage field I knew there was more that I needed to learn. While researching possible schools to further my knowledge I came across Emperors College of Traditional Oriental Medicine. Being well versed in martial arts {Ninjutsu and Kung Fu} I was familiar with Chinese Medicine and already understood the balance one needs between the healing arts and the martial arts. I found my calling.

Three years into the four year program I became severely ill and anything that I ate would go right through me. I lost 30lbs in a month. A Colonoscopy and Small Intestine Barium Xray revealed major inflammation and ulceration of my Digestive tract. I was diagnosed with Crohns' Disease an Inflammatory Bowel Disease that can involve the entire digestive tract. The doctors prescibed serious medication that stopped the leak (pun intended) and told me to stay away from vegetables and fruits (basically anything healthy). This didn't sit well with me. I understood why those foods would and could make my situation worse at that time but to forgo the life giving nutrients within said foods would surely lead to worsening of this condition. Indebted to all my doctors and western medicine for saving my life; I knew there was a better way to manage and treat my condition in the long run.

My time at Emperors allowed me to work with some of the greatest doctors alive today. I was also able to work within the LA Community at the schools onsite community clinic and at UCLA Arthur Ashe Medical Center. My medical standpoint is to focus on bringing the individual back to the desired state of health. An analogy I like to use is how a plant needs a certain amount of sunlight and water. With the correct sunlight and water the plant will flourish and grow strong. However, if the same plant is supposed to be a full sun/outdoors plant that’s locked inside with minimal light, it will not grow strong even if you water it correctly and give it fertilizer. This is the same for people. Not everyone is the same and it is my job to figure out how you're different and what it is that you need in order to flourish and grow healthy as an individual. In other words, to find the “root” of the problem. Four incredible years later I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Emperors College in 2011 with my Masters in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

In 2016 I graduated with my Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM). One of only a handful in Southern CA hold this prestigious title.