Your Community Acupunks

250-590-3185 (office)
heartandhands.acu@gmail.com

Christina Chan, M.Sc., R.Ac.
is a Community Acupuncturist, educator and mover-shaker. In 2009, she completed her training as a Registered Acupuncturist at the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Victoria, BC. She has practiced acupuncture in a variety of settings including at the Vancouver Daytox, the Fernwood Community Centre, AIDS Vancouver Island and Project Connect. She is also a certified Cranial Sacral Therapist, completing her training through the Department of Holistic Health Studies at Langara College in Vancouver, BC.

Active in the community, she is passionate about using acupuncture as a tool for social change through providing outreach, increasing accessibility and bringing the practice back to its traditional roots. She continues to explore own personal experiences as a community organizer, a woman of colour and as a business owner of an unorthodox social enterprise in Victoria BC.

 

Melissa De Haan, R.Ac., TCM.P. graduated from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1995, and is a Registered Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Licensed Acupuncturist with the CTCMA. She has been in private practice for 16 years.

She has taught at various schools of TCM in Victoria during that time, and also worked under contract at the Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital practicing animal acupuncture, until a sufficient number of veterinarians completed their training and could serve the Greater Victoria community. She feels that that experience enhanced her sensitivity and skill in treating her human patients!

She is very excited to become involved with community acupuncture and with Heart & Hands especially, and looks forward to meeting you all!

 

Amber Rabby (Wood), R.Ac. has been in the field of
community work for 15 years facilitating grassroots organizing, advocacy and education.  She’s consulted on projects through Peernet BC, Youthco Aids Society and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Her work has always been in group situations which makes Community Acupuncture an a logical and ideal fit for her.

In 2004 Amber spent a year training under a Doctor of TCM in Nelson, BC. Following this, she earned her Diploma
of Acupuncture graduating with high honours from Pacific Rim College.
She is licensed Acupuncturist in the province of BC.

Now a mother she lives with her son and fiance who happens to also be an acupunk. She is excited to continue her path in community organizing while using Community Acupuncture as a tool for positive social change.

Madison Kolla, R.Ac., completed studies in human biology
and her love of working with people led her to acupuncture. She graduated from Pacific Rim College in June 2012 at the top of her class.

Madison is passionate about community acupuncture, about making treatment accessible to the masses, and the power of healing in groups. She adores that acupuncture not only plants patients firmly in their bodies, but also allows them to take responsibility for their own health. She has a strong interest in the use of acupuncture in treating addictions and mental health, and has been exploring this through her volunteer work at AIDS Vancouver Island.

When not poking people with needles, Madison likes practicing ashtanga yoga and playing outside.

Sub-’punk, Joel Hamm, B.A., R.Ac.

Joel graduated from the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and is currently licensed by the CTCMA to practice the ancient art of Acupuncture. He has also completed his Bachelor’s Degree at The University of Victoria in Asian studies where he focused on religion, language and the difficulties associated with healthcare across cultural boundaries. In addition, Joel has been a teaching tennis professional for the past 15 years. On the tennis court, working with people and being able to assess what a person needs in the moment is an important part of teaching any skill. The same skill in approaching disease is no different.

Joel has found his education very helpful in understanding the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as it is viewed through Taoist philosophy and the relationship between Yin, Yang, Qi and Blood. For example, we are of the universe, therefore we are subject to the same rules that govern it. Using sight, taste,touch and by listening carefully, your acupuncturist is trained to understand patterns that lead to an understanding of the root cause of disease.

Joel believes that community acupuncture is essential in bringing awareness of the self and the healing process to the public. The pathway to health is not just understanding the problem, but doing something about it! The community model is ideal in initiating this change in making it easier, and more affordable for those with chronic conditions requiring frequent treatments.