Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Sloan.
Hi Heather, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Sure! First of all, in childhood, I had never experienced acupuncture or any alternative medicine systems as a patient; rather, I was drawn to understand what systems existed and what theories lie behind each system. I was 15 years old when I started exploring homeopathy, Barbara Brennan’s healing work, Louise Hay’s work, acupuncture, herbal medicine, etc. I read everything I could find. Looking back now, 30 years later, I believe it was just my destiny or my path. I think part of this exploration was my young self-searching for meaning to my clairvoyant experiences from a very young age. I’ve had very profound premonitions my whole life, but as a child, they were terrifying. So, alternative medicine didn’t necessarily explain this phenomenon, but I grew to accept it.
The path to my master’s degree in Science and Oriental Medicine started while I was attending University of Michigan as an undergrad student in Biology. My plan was to complete an undergraduate degree in biology and then go to medical school, then study alternative medicine. I worked as a student medical researcher, and one of my jobs was handling animals. I know that we need animal research to advance human medicine, but this was not for me. This launched me to start studying acupuncture much sooner than I had originally planned and forgo medical school altogether.
I studied acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in New Mexico at Southwest Acupuncture College and then interned at a few hospitals in Beijing to learn some more advanced techniques in e-stim acupuncture for anesthesia and other specialties. I started my private practice in 2001.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been so interesting to see how the acupuncture profession has grown and become more mainstream over the decades. When I started acupuncture school in 1997, I had very well-meaning people ask me if learning acupuncture meant that I was a witch. People asked me if there was any validity to the practice or if it was all placebo. I fielded all kinds of questions. Since then, the acupuncture profession has entered most major hospital systems and has been studied clinically at major universities. So, I’ve grown along with the profession. I’m constantly learning new applications for acupuncture and new protocols that come out of clinical research. Learning keeps me engaged and happy to do this for my career. The practice itself has been a smooth road, but my challenges are on the business side of things. I am not naturally well suited to tackle reception, balancing books, and running everything myself, which I’ve had to do since the pandemic. It’s a learning curve.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Heather Sloan LLC?
I practice Chinese Medicine. This means that I use healing modalities such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, gua sha, and cupping and teach some breathing and meditation techniques to treat patients. My business is a general practice where I see patients for a variety of health concerns. Some people come for physical body problems like back pain or hormone issues. Some people come for mental health, emotional or spiritual concerns. All are welcome. In my practice, I set my intentions to only attract those patients whom I will be able to help. I am not in the business of wasting anyone’s time or resources. If we are a good match, practitioner to patient, I intend to meet you. This feels energetically clean to me and, consequently, gives great outcomes. I am so grateful to my patients for their willingness to trust me and trust the process. It’s true that healing takes time and repetition. I’m delighted to walk with so many people on their path to better health.
Although my business is a general practice, there are a few specific conditions in which I’ve had great success in treating. Some of them are neuropathy, migraines, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and peri-menopause and menopause symptoms.
In 2021 and the beginning of 2022, I took several courses in micro-needling and PRP (platelet-rich plasma). I’m now certified to perform micro needling and make PRP preparations from a patient’s blood. This treatment is both a cosmetic treatment for improving skin texture and also a profoundly effective treatment for scars. Scar treatment is important from a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) perspective. Scars do not form a normal organized cellular matrix and can interfere with meridian Qi flow and healthy cellular communication. Microneedling encourages the body to lay down new collagen and elastin and improve the cellular matrix. Adding PRP to the treatment improves the skin even more than the microneedling alone. What sets me apart from others offering micro-needling with PRP is that I am utilizing auricular acupuncture points during the procedure to minimize pain. The procedure it usually done with numbing cream, but some have been able to forgo the numbing cream and just use the acupuncture points. In China, I learned how to use acupuncture as anesthesia during caesarian surgeries, so in comparison, managing the pain from the microneedling is a walk in the park!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think my success comes from being a good listener and my interest in my patient’s perspectives. It’s their body, mind, and spirit who is coming to me for healing but the truth is, only they know what it’s like to be in that body. I glean the information I need to give them a good treatment through our conversations, what’s said and what’s not said, and their description of events and symptoms. Also very important to me is their pulse diagnosis. For most, but not all patients, I rely heavily on my pulse reading skills. I can know a lot about a person’s health and history and in some cases, trauma through their pulses. This definitely guides me in their course of treatment. It is also a measure of their improvement.
Pricing:
- Initial office visit with a treatment is $180
- Follow-up acupuncture visits are $93
Contact Info:
- Website: www.heather-sloan.com
- Instagram: heathersloanacupuncture
- Facebook: Heather Sloan LLC
Image Credits
Kaitlyn Kempf
