Shelley Ochs-Cooley,
L.Ac., Ph.D
Shelley is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine with over 20 years of clinical experience in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, cupping, massage, nutritional counseling, and Qigong (energy) therapy. Her patients appreciate both the alleviation of symptoms and the sense of greater well-being that her treatments provide.
Holistic Healing Through Traditional Chinese Medicine
As a practitioner, my goal is to guide patients to use the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine to choose both professional and self-care methods that are effective and sustainable for them. Many chronic conditions require a multi-pronged approach that includes acupuncture and acupressure, cupping, nutritional therapy, and daily exercise or visualization. Patients receive specific instructions for self-care that are designed to meet their goals for physical and mental well-being.
From Patient to Practitioner:
My Path in Chinese Medicine
My own journey with Chinese medicine began in Taiwan in 1989, when I was a young woman suffering from chronic respiratory-tract infections (due to air pollution and my own asthma) and skin problems. A friend suggested I give his Chinese herbalist a try, and his treatments immediately broke the cycle of infections. That turned out to be the beginning of a journey that culminated in becoming a Licensed Acupuncturist in California in 2001. Along the way, I learned to read, write, and speak Mandarin, and returned to the US to complete degrees in Chinese Literature and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 2007, I decided to pursue advanced studies in China, leading me to follow dual paths of traditional apprenticeship and an academic degree.
I am grateful for the variety of study and practice opportunities that I have had over the last twenty years. I spent 15 years (2007-2022) in Beijing, where I completed a Ph.D. and apprenticed with master acupuncturist, Dr. Wang Juyi. I have treated patients in a large private hospital, private clinics, and non-profits, using acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments, from rare autoimmune diseases to common colds. I was officially designated an inheritor of Dr. Wang’s channel palpation medicine in 2013. In the same year, I became the first Westerner to graduate from the Ph.D. program of the Institute of the History of Chinese Medicine and Medical Literature, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
In addition to treating patients in the clinic, I am actively working to contribute to transmitting traditional wisdom and knowledge through teaching and translating classical and modern Chinese medical texts. I offer classes to the public in Qigong movement and meditation, dietary therapy, acupressure, and emotional well-being. I live in the Highlands with my husband and daughter, and our two cats, Lion and Grey.
My formal credentials include:
- B.A. with Honors in Chinese Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison
- M.S. in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Ph.D. in the History and Medical Literature of Chinese Medicine from the Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, China.
- Licensed Acupuncturist, Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure