JEANNIE CHEN PALMER, L.Ac

Board-certified, Licensed acupuncturist & herbalist

Hello!

I’m so pleased to meet you. I truly believe our paths are crossing at this particular time and space for a reason. I hope you’ll stay a short while and get to know me and why Chinese Medicine matters.

My why: My clinical practice is informed by an ancient tradition of health-care and self-care that has been in existence for thousands of years in East Asia. It is a tradition that, when integrated with our Western, allopathic medical system, is both transformative and empowering. A tradition that treats each patient individually, exactly where they are at and where they hope to be, by educating and inspiring the power of knowing thyself. This has been the greatest gift Chinese Medicine has given me - tools to know myself and my body better. I can’t wait to share this wisdom with you.

My mission is that when you arrive in the treatment room, you experience a true haven for your mind, body and spirit to make space for rest, renewal and deep healing. You then leave feeling lighter, more able to take on all that life continues to throw at you.

My how: I am the child of immigrants from the East Asian island of Taiwan, who were raised by their parents who grew up in Japanese-colonized Taiwan. For much of my life, I didn’t think too much about how much this cultural lineage shaped my life as a first-generation Asian-American. How silly I was. Whispers of Chinese Medicine followed me everywhere, from the meals my mom prepared for our family when we were in sickness and in health, to the weekends spent driving around to various Chinese herb stores in the San Gabriel Valley, as well as Chinese Medicine doctors’ offices in strip malls, where purple-red cupping marks on my parents’ backs both intrigued and horrified me. (They are perfectly safe, as you may soon find out). Preventative Chinese Medicine was just woven into our daily existence and it didn’t occur to me that without it, illness and disease could be a regular struggle for many.

As an adult, it wasn’t until the trajectory of my life led me to burn out as a public school teacher, then a disenchanting yet valuable stint in corporate America (oh, and my first life-changing Vipassana 10-day silent meditation retreat - IYKYK) that pushed me to explore what truly made me feel alive and purposeful: mindful movement and holistic health. It seemed only natural to return to my cultural roots and explore the seeds that lay dormant. Up until that point, I had no experience with the acupuncture side of Chinese Medicine, but at the prompting of an acupuncturist who happened to be in my yoga training program, I recommended acupuncture to my husband, who suffers from debilitating migraines on a regular basis. The pain of his migraines are often untouched by pharmaceutical medications. To my surprise, acupuncture really helped and greatly reduced his dependence on medication! From there, my curiosity was piqued further. Several years of masters’ level and personal study, 2,093 didactic hours, and 990 clinical hours later, what began as seeds planted in childhood has blossomed into a gift I can share with you.

A little more about me: I’m a long-time resident of San Francisco. I love exploring (still!) our breathtakingly beautiful city with my husband, toddler-child and pup-child. I enjoy staying physically active - I’m an avid student of yoga asana and yogic philosophy (have been practicing for 2 decades! Whoa.) and an Orangetheory workout addict (I will sing the praises of strength-training for all bodies, always. Especially for all us middle-aged women!). I’m all about balance, so you can also find me doing my best impression of a couch potato with a good book, good tunes or podcast - I love sharing what’s currently molding my mind.

Let’s work together: To learn more about how we can best work together, book a complimentary 15-minute consultation. Ready to jump in? Book your first treatment now.

We can also stay in touch via the Haven Acu newsletter, where I share thoughts at the intersection of life and Chinese Medicine, with a side of seasonal wellness tips, clinic updates and treatment specials. A subscriber once described reading my newsletter as “therapy” 😇 and I was so honored by that!

Here’s to us,

Jeannie