About Olivia
Olivia is a licensed acupuncturist and East Asian medicine practitioner in Washington state. She earned her Master’s from the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine and is an NCCAOM diplomat candidate. While in school she focused her research on acupuncture for labor induction, cervical ripening and male infertility. Olivia hopes to publish her findings early next year. She has experience in treating gynecological conditions, autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal upset, allergies, hormonal imbalances, acute febrile illness, sports injuries, chronic pain, sleep and emotional disturbance, Bell’s palsy and neurological conditions and much more. In addition to acupuncture, she uses moxibustion, gua sha, cupping, e-stim, tui na, shiatsu, qi gong, diet and lifestyle to support when needed in treatments.
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After graduating from the University of Oregon with dual Bachelors in Psychology and Philosophy, she studied both Western herbalism and Ayurvedic medicine. While interning at the Arogya Center in New Mexico, Olivia learned classical ayurvedic medicine, pancha karma and herbalism. The delight and inspiration she felt of elemental medicine rooted in tradition and classical texts, lead her to become a postpartum doula and pursue her masters in acupuncture and East Asian medicine.
Olivia has been serving families as a postpartum doula since 2019 and was a nanny for ten years prior. Her love of Ayurvedic and East Asian medicine coupled with birth and postpartum has brought her to offering holistic support steeping in ancient traditions for new families in King county. She has experience working with elder and end-of-life care as well and hopes to offer end-of-life doula services soon.
When she’s not in the clinic or supporting new families, you may find her immersed in a sewing project, dancing, kayaking, enjoying meals with friends or dreaming up her next sailing trip.
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Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine
Acupuncture is a treatment modality of East Asian medicine that uses small and sterile needles inserted below the skin to affect change in the body. The needles conduct flow of blood and energy, allowing the natural healing process to take place. Additional modalities like gua sha and cupping help to move blood to the surface as well, alleviating stagnation and pain.
Tui Na and Shiatsu, among other methods, are massage modalities originating from China and Japan. They support movement of blood flow, circulation and lymphatic drainage to reduce pain and tightness, increasing flexibility and alignment.
Qi Gong, diet and lifestyle guidance are all aspects offered in the clinic. Small but actualizable change in daily routine and diet goes a long way towards improving and maintaining health, in fact, it can often be the thing keeping us from optimal health or getting better when we’re sick.
Ayurvedic and East Asian Postpartum Care
Traditional cultures around the world recognize that the first forty days postpartum, often called the Fourth Trimester, requires rest in order to reset and recover well. To ensure that the postpartum person and baby get ample rest, nourishment and time to bond, other tasks must be taken on by family, community and doula. The practices of East Asian medicine and Ayurveda help to naturally move stagnation and pain, allowing for rejuvenation from a deep level, helping the individual to recover, nourish and restore from the inside out. These basic principles shine through acupuncture, oil massage, nourishing and well-cooked foods, herbal soaks, helping hands and empathic support. What is incredible about the process is that when done well, it sets the individual up for sustainable health for the next forty years.
Ayurveda means the science of life in Sanskrit and is an ancient Indian medicine still practiced around the world today. It observes natural groupings of qualities, or doshas, that both make up individual constitution and diseases causing disharmony in the body. I work with your present dosha(s) and offer simple and actualizable ways to help you build and recover at any stage.
Body work and acupuncture help to encourage natural flow and circulation in the body. Acupuncture can encourage fertility if you are trying to conceive, help maintain a healthy pregnancy and reduce symptoms such as morning sickness and edema, as well as encourage labor and reduce labor pain. Special foods, herbal remedies and spices support a healthy postpartum by moving and rebuilding blood, supporting lactation, preventing mastitis and reducing musculoskeletal pain.