Hi, I’m Robin

I am a licensed acupuncturist in California and Washington State and a Fellow of The Acupuncture and TCM Board of Reproductive Medicine – specializing in fertility, pregnancy, and reproductive health. I bring a diverse range of interests and experience to my practice, with a background in anthropology, body kinetics, and biomedicine, all which inform my practice.

My Philosophy

“Women's Health” is a catch-all phrase that typically does not reflect the phases and transitions a woman will experience in a lifetime. The result is undifferentiated medical treatment that does not allow the space for a woman to live up to her full potential. Who suffers? 

The world suffers. I believe the health and well-being of societies and the planet is contingent on ensuring that women are heard, women are believed, and women are healed, so they can lend themselves to the greater good. This means the conversation around what health means for women healthy must become more nuanced, particularly during the phases that conventional medicine has historically minimized or dismissed.

My Story

Like many other women, I grew up as a product of my environment. During my formative years I was disconnected from my cyclical body and its rhythms, taught to ignore its subtle physiological cueing, and offered ineffectual medical care that didn’t correlate to the specific needs of a female body. I was also encouraged to starve my body, punish it through overexercise, and neglect rest and nutrition in favor of overworking to prove my worth. This cultural overlay has wreaked havoc on most women and their health.

Adopting the lens of Chinese medicine helped me heal not only my body but my belief system. I am honored to share it.

I am also a mother who experienced what would be considered a “normal” birth with some of the usual challenges. In reality, I suffered birth trauma and medical neglect that were avoidable but considered standard of care. This created in me a deep desire to make peri-natal care a primary focus of my practice. It is my mission to address this poorly understood time in a woman’s life, even for those women who consider themselves years past their own pregnancies and births.

Finally, I've been fortunate to have found avenues within TCM to combine with my deep interests in ethnobotany, community health, and social justice. If you are interested in learning more about that part of my vocation, please visit thecommongroundcollective.org to learn about the global projects in Puerto Rico and Oaxaca, Mexico, that work to support women and traditional medicine.