Since Oct. 16, the newest addition to the staff at the McLeod Tyler Wellness Center at the College of William and Mary, Dr. Haunani Chong Drake, the university’s first and only licensed acupuncturist, has quickly made a name for herself at the facility.
The College’s Acupuncture Lounge offers groups holistic treatments that involve needles in the ears to soothe the body and mind, while Drake also offers private sessions tailored to patients’ specific health needs with detailed intake and treatment plans. Students can sign up for both types of appointments through the College’s Wellness app or website.
But Drake wants to treat everyone who comes through his classroom, regardless of the type of session booked or what students are there for.
“I’m all about helping anyone who’s interested in finding a holistic way to relate to themselves,” Drake said. “I see that as my job. So whether you come to me looking for mental and emotional balance or you come to me looking for something physical, to me you will always be whole and complete. What we need to do is figure out why we’re getting in the way of ourselves.”
She also stressed the importance of college students taking advantage of health resources such as acupuncture during the peak of their adolescence.
“What I would expect is that I’m not really worried about mental health, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, but also general aches and pains that may be ongoing for a year, two years, three years,” Drake told The Flat Hat. “You’re young, you’re healthy, and your body heals really quickly.”
Before attending college, Drake traces her roots back to Hawaii, where she was born and later moved to Washington state, where she grew up heavily involved with the local Native Hawaiian community. She learned the hula dance at an early age and absorbed values from the culture that she credits with influencing her spirituality today.
“We talk a lot about our connection to the earth,” Drake says, “and that’s really the most important connection to understanding who we are as humans. I grew up surrounded by the earth, but I don’t think I actually knew what I was hearing, because when you grow up surrounded by the earth, you don’t know what you don’t know. I think everyone is hearing the same message.”
Ultimately, Drake earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology on a pre-med track from Whitman College, which she recalls was a lifelong goal. But after deciding not to go to med school, when she reevaluated her post-graduation plans, Drake remembers struggling to find direction. Instead of following the path she had planned, she ended up working in the food service industry while battling chronic pain.
“I’ve always had a strong interest in non-allopathic medicine but never formally pursued it,” Drake says, “I didn’t even know it was possible. But sometimes when life gets really dark, you start to question yourself. There’s no other way to put it, it’s like the universe just starts putting things in front of me.”
Around this time, Drake began studying Ayurveda, a traditional South Asian system of medicine that includes herbal remedies, diet, and yoga. This study and a daily yoga practice helped Drake consciously connect with spirituality and find his true path. Eventually, Drake experienced a revelation about his future while meditating at Green Lake in Seattle, Washington.
“I just said, ‘I’m not going to move until I know for sure,’ and all of a sudden, for a second, my mind stopped racing. And then I heard the words ‘herbal medicine,’ and something lit up inside me,” Drake said.
Drake went on to earn a Master’s in Traditional Oriental Medicine and a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from Pacific University of Health Sciences. The field of Chinese medicine is much more than acupuncture; it incorporates many traditional healing practices, including herbal medicine, massage, and exercise. Chinese medicine emphasizes a holistic approach to maintaining balance and energy flow in the body and mind.
“It comes from the recognition that, first of all, we are nature, we are not separate from nature, and because we are nature, just as trees are part of nature, just as rivers are part of nature, we are part of nature, and our physiology, our makeup, operates on the same principles, the same patterns that are found throughout the natural world,” Drake said.
Drake currently lives with her husband, two children, and two English bulldogs. After learning that her family would be relocating to Williamsburg because her husband was serving as a Marine Corps officer, she was browsing the university’s website when she came across a job ad for an integrative wellness specialist. It was a lucky opportunity for her. Drake spoke of her long-standing love for small college towns like Williamsburg and the abundance of nature that Williamsburg has to offer.
“I just moved from Massachusetts, so I realized how amazing it is to walk around and see all the different mushrooms growing,” Drake said, “and Virginia is one of those places that just amazes me. You just go out in your yard and there are like 30 different kinds of mushrooms growing, and they’re all really beautiful.”
For those interested in becoming an acupuncturist, Drake recommends researching East Asian medicine and observing professionals at work to gauge your interest, and he also stresses the importance of being assertive in your chosen profession.
“You have to be an active advocate not just for yourself, but for your medicine and for your patients. I didn’t know that when I first graduated,” Drake says. “It really takes a lot of advocacy to keep patients safe and get the services they really want, because there are a lot of forces trying to push us away.”
Although this ongoing advocacy work is challenging, Drake is adamant that her profession is more than rewarding. Her passion for spirituality, service, and holistic health has her saying she plans to stay on in college.
“I plan on doing this forever,” Drake said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever retire from this. It’s what I enjoy, and that’s why I love this. I breathe it, I drink it. It’s everywhere. You start to see the world with different eyes. It all just fits together.”
Correction (11/09): A previous version of this story misspelled Dr. Haunani Drake’s name in the headline. The story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling.
Correction (11/09): An earlier article stated that the information in the article was obtained from a talk given on October 4. The article has been updated to reflect that the information was obtained in the standard manner through interviews.
