My name is Mina Wasson and I am a Western medical doctor. I finished medical school in 2009 and thought I knew everything about everything. When patients told me about garlic drops or exclusion diets, I scoffed silently. I enrolled at the Pacific College of Health and Science expecting to take a term and drop after proving to myself that it was all bologna. But when my husband asked, "How are your classes?" I found myself talking on and on about how interesting it was. A few terms in, I met another doctor locally who was a medical acupuncturist. "It will change your life," he said. At that time, I thought Chinese medicine was interesting, but did not feel that it would be life changing. I will be 4 years into school this May (part time student so still a long ways to go!) and am so happy to have already appreciated this change. I connect better with my patients, I am more trusting of their history, and I offer more solutions to their concerns than ever before. When I learned that Chinese medicine was able to answer questions that I had been taught had no answer, I felt so cheated. Now I relish in every opportunity to inform my patients of their options and triage to acupuncture when I know Western medicine will fail them. Even without being able to place a needle, just knowing TCM theory has helped me be a better doctor.
Once I graduate, my plan is to create an integrative health system within my current organization. Recently, many hospitals have added an Integrative Medicine department, but it is rare outside of the hospital setting. My group serves families via 29 pediatric offices throughout Southern California and would help spread the word on how acupuncture and herbs heal. The thought of this is what keeps me going despite working full time and parenting 3 needy but cute children. Because I know when I am done, I can tell my mentor, "Yes, it has changed my life." And hopefully the lives of others as well.
