After experiencing a painful and sometimes traumatic medical event, one Johnson County resident made it his life’s mission to alleviate the pain of others.
Susan West has been dedicated to relieving pain through traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture for over 30 years.
“I love acupuncture. I see the difference in people’s quality of life without pain,” she said.
She speaks from her personal experience. “If it wasn’t for acupuncture and herbs, I don’t know where I would be right now.”
Susan grew up with medical parents, her father a doctor and her mother a nurse, so she is used to caring for others. So it’s no surprise that she became interested in health.
But life’s experiences set her on a path of discovery beyond Western medicine.
In telling her story, Susan describes a harrowing time in her youth when an illness affected her vision and the medical community could not give her answers.
Susan spent years seeking help after being diagnosed with a rare and serious disease that robs her of her sight.
“I went to many doctors, including the University of California, Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins University. No one could help me,” she said.
In the late ’80s, she finally found a doctor who could not only explain why she had lost her eyesight, but also restore her sight.
The painful surgery required to restore her vision left her with chronic pain.
“My eyes were so sensitive that I couldn’t stand being in the sun wearing two pairs of sunglasses and a big hat,” she said.
Susan tried acupuncture to relieve her symptoms, and the results were life-changing.
She explained how acupuncture helped herself, emphasizing, “Within a few days, I noticed a significant reduction in pain.”
The personal relief she felt motivated her to attend school to study acupuncture.
Although treatment greatly reduced her pain, Susan still suffered from eye problems related to her illness. She was attending acupuncture school and one of the teachers who specialized in herbal medicine helped her.
“I told Dr. Zhao, and he started me on herbal tinctures,” she said.
While some people may be resistant to this idea, Susan says, “Traditional Chinese medicine is just Chinese medicine, and it tries to find and treat the root cause rather than just putting a Band-Aid on the problem.” I will explain.
Susan graduated with a degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine and has continued her education for the past 30 years to provide the best for her patients.
After completing rigorous additional training, Susan offers a variety of services.
“Acupuncture can treat most things that Western medicine can treat, and is often much less invasive,” she says.
The areas Susan treats vary depending on the patient’s age.
“Sports injuries are just one of my areas of expertise. I offer cupping and electroacupuncture. Acupuncture can be used to treat temporomandibular joint disorders, muscle spasms, high blood pressure, joint pain, menopause, and carpal tunnel. It helps with things like that,” she said.
Although older people sometimes come to Susan for chronic pain relief, “we have some older patients who don’t really want to take painkillers,” she says, many younger people also find acupuncture beneficial. There is.
While practicing in Maryland, Susan reports that she has been able to help many people with infertility issues.
“I was known in Maryland for my infertility treatment. There are a lot of babies running around getting acupuncture,” Susan said.
After “semi-retiring,” Susan had more time to pursue other passions. Working dogs, especially his 3 German shepherds.
Working dogs were a bucket list item for what she wanted to do when she retired.
She explains that part of the reason she moved to Mountain City was because of the dogs.
“My Working Dogs of America trainer lives in Abingdon,” she said, adding, “I was going to go back and forth, but my trainer said one of my dogs I said he was very talented,” he added.
“I want to work with German Shepherds on bite, obedience and protection,” she said.
Her best friend also lives in the area, so the choice to move was easy.
“I love Mountain City. I think God put it all together,” she said.
She recently converted her basement into an acupuncture room.
Business is steadily growing as word spreads and people are relieved of their troubles.
“My goal is to help everyone I can,” she said.
Visits cost $60 and typically last one hour.
Insurance is not accepted.
For reservations or questions, please call 540-421-7309.
