Renee the acupuncturist – surrounded by Chinese medicine.

My introduction to Chinese Medicine started at a young age. My paternal grandmother would prepare herbal soups for the family. Some of my earliest memories included having to drink strong-tasting herbal decoctions “good for my skin, hair, digestion” before dinner. My grandmother was not a trained herbalist but had been taught herbal medicine by her father, who worked in a herbal store in China. Friends and family valued my grandmother's knowledge and would visit when they needed a herbal concoction to heal their ailment.

My Aunties were also instrumental in teaching me natural therapies and mindfulness. One Aunty is a Reiki master and devoted to meditation. My other Aunty taught me about nourishing food and self-care rituals such as massage, acupressure, and Osteopathy. Growing up, an upset tummy was treated with tiny herbal pills, pain was resolved with strange liniments and we would never go to bed with wet hair!