Getting to Know You….
In the next several newsletters, we'll be presenting a new type of article: an interview! We've come up with 6 questions for each of our acupuncturists to answer about themselves. Questions we thought patients might like to ask their practitioner themselves. Our first one is with Tory Wegner. Tory is one of our practitioners who specializes in the treatment of pain, and particularly headaches. She also is extremely gifted at helping people through cancer treatment, bringing physical relief from uncomfortable symptoms and emotional relief from cancer's intense journey. Here's what Tory has to say about how she came to acupuncture and what she loves about life, work and everything!
What made you want to become an acupuncturist?
I became an acupuncturist by accident…I hadn’t even heard of it until college! I was studying biology and chemistry and knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a doctor and then I met an acupuncturist and worked in her clinic for a summer and discovered that there was another way to look at the body and help people. After college I decided to move to California and start the master’s degree program for Oriental Medicine, and in my head was thinking I’ll just give it a try and if I don’t like it, I’ll do something else. Well, the rest is obviously history…I finished the program and am now a professional in a field I love!
What do you do to stay healthy?
I like to get lots of fresh air and exercise so I walk the dog every day. I really believe our diet has a huge impact on our health (short and long-term) so I try to eat balanced meals and get all the food groups in each day. Even though I love sweets, I do try to keep them as a treat, not the main attraction. I don’t take a lot of supplements but am diligent about taking a multi-vitamin, calcium, and fish oil. I also swear by the product “Power Mushrooms.” It’s an immune and energy enhancer that I’ve been taking for three years and haven’t been sick or missed a day of work yet!
Who or what is your inspiration?
This is a hard question and I can’t pick one person because I have so many wonderful people in my life and have been blessed with a wonderful family! However, during my training I did two rotations at hospice and it was really an eye opening and life changing experience for me. An important lesson I learned was to take the saying “live each day to it’s fullest” literally, because any day could be my last. That really changed the way I viewed my world and I try to find inspiration and things to be grateful for everyday. I don’t wait around for the “big things” to happen. Instead of getting bogged down by the frustrations of daily life I try to look for the positives…hey, I made it to work on time, I have healthy food to eat, I’m so glad that friend called, isn’t my dog cute…. I still have the same stress as everyone else, I just try not to let it overwhelm me and purposely look for more good in my day then bad.
What do you do for fun?
For my indoor fun I am an avid reader and have a nightstand full of books. Rainy weekend are my favorite, when I can curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and read for hours. I also love playing the piano (although I don’t own one right now.) For my outdoor fun I like to mountain bike, kayak, walk, and do pretty much anything outside. I also love animals!
What do you love best about being an acupuncturist?
I am very lucky to do something that I really love and enjoy. My favorite things are having time with each patient to really listen to their stories and give them the space they need for healing. I also enjoy being an investigator and problem solver. In Chinese Medicine seemingly “random” symptoms are all related and it’s about figuring out the root cause of illness. I like having a deeper understanding of how a person’s mental, emotional, and physical health are all inter-related. It’s also great that I have a variety of techniques, tools, and herbs to use so if one method isn’t working I have the flexibility to try something else.
Read any good books lately?
Of course! I recently read the book “Women, Food, and God,” by Geneen Roth. It is a wonderful book that is about the emotional reasons for eating and why so many people have trouble loosing weight and keeping it off. It’s well written, easy to read, and has a lot of stories from retreats she’s lead. I really enjoyed it because nowhere in the book does it tell you what or how much to eat. Geneen’s philosophy is that if your emotions are aligned and you feel GOOD when you eat, then you won’t binge or starve yourself and it doesn’t matter what you eat. When this happens you learn to love yourself and will reach YOUR healthy weight…not the unrealistic size of a movie star. I do a lot of fun fiction reading too and just re-read “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in preparation for the new movie coming out!