ABOUT KATIE SMETHURST
I love my work and the people I work with. I find each person and their journey uniquely fascinating, challenging and rewarding.In my 20 year career I have seen people achieve goals they thought were impossible. I draw on an array of tools -acupuncture, Chinese herbal formula, hypnosis, coaching and adjunctive modalities - to help people successfully resolve issues with fertility, pain, digestive upset, emotional imbalance, stress and immune issues by treating whole body health as well as the acute issue.
I have been extraordinarily blessed from my earliest training to be part of busy practices lead by the best teachers and practitioners in the field. I started my training in 1996 with Dr. Jing Liu, MD (China), Ph.D., L.Ac., founder of Acupuncture and Herbs of Lexington in Waltham, MA. Dr. Liu is a renowned integrated TCM/Western practitioner specializing in the treatment of inflammatory disease and cancer, especially breast cancer. For 17 years, I was senior acupuncturist and herbalist at The Center for Natural Fertility and Women's Health in New York City under the direction of clinic founder Dr. Guoping Zheng, MD (China), Ph.D, L.Ac., one of the foremost TCM fertility specialists in the world. The clinic received referrals of many cases of last resort with success, for example, treating DOR patients with AMH of 0.01. I hold a Masters in Traditional Oriental Medicine from The Pacific College of Health and Science, an MBA from Northwestern University and am a certified hypnotist.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE
HERBAL MEDICINE
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been in continuous practice for 2,500 years because of the sophistication and adaptability of its theoretical basis. From the holistic perspective of TCM, the body is an integrated, functional structure. A main difference from Western medicine is that TCM treats according to pattern, not disease.
What is a pattern in TCM diagnosis? A pattern describes an internal imbalance in temperature, qi/energy flow, fluids and other elements. A pattern can manifest in any number of issues. For example, a damp heat pattern may manifest as a UTI, acne, or a viral upper respiratory infection among other things. A systemic view enables practitioners to treat a broad range of issues. A practitioner of TCM may develop a specialty based on experience with a specific issue, such as infertility, and by working alongside the Western diagnosis and treatment. By the time a disease or disorder is identified in Western medicine, it may be more advanced and harder to treat. TCM can often identify issues as they are beginning and before they can be seen in a laboratory. Western medicine and TCM have complementary strengths and work particularly well together. The practice of integrative medicine in China is highly developed and an integral part of my training and experience.
TCM treats both the symptom and the root cause because it treats according to the underlying pattern. For this reason there are generally no side effects of TCM treatment. The treatment supports optimal function of the synergistic whole. The goal of TCM is to create balance so the body can reach and maintain its own natural state of health.
APPROACH TO CARE
My practice is founded in the experience that the nature of the body is to heal. My goal, and I believe the goal of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is to activate the body's innate healing for optimal function. TCM developed with the understanding that working through the body is more powerful in the long run than bypassing or overriding elements of it.
People with the right support do better. The learning curve in navigating a health issue, particularly fertility-related issues, is too steep to do while moving through the process. I can draw the right resources to work with in treatment. I can also guide you efficiently to the appropriate outside resources. I can support you through the stresses and decisions of the process.
WHAT TO EXPECT
I start with a thorough health history and evaluation from an integrative medicine approach to determine a diagnosis and treatment plan. Herbs and acupuncture give a lot of flexibility in structuring treatment. Some issues are best addressed with acupuncture, some with herbs and some with acupuncture and herbs together. The length of treatment depends on your goal, history and response to treatment. Sometimes the results are achieved quickly. Sometimes time is required for the body to incorporate the effects of treatment. In most cases, a month of weekly treatment is enough to gauge whether progress is being made. For fertility, three months preparation is recommended for optimal effect due to the egg and sperm development cycle.
Please remember to eat well before acupuncture. It takes qi to move qi!