Sharon Crowell, L.Ac., M.Ac., R.N.

I was inspired to become an acupuncture practitioner as a result of the wonderful benefits I received as an acupuncture patient. I began my studies at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute, located in Laurel, Maryland, in 1997. At that time I was working both as a Registered Nurse (B.S.N. awarded from George Mason University in 1994) and as a Certified Massage Therapist (Potomac Massage Therapy Institute’s program completed in February 1993). My training and experience in massage therapy provided me with a solid foundation in musculo-skeletal anatomy and injuries, while my nursing education and practice taught me about a variety of chronic diseases and the medications used to treat their symptoms.

I discovered that acupuncture provided me with what had been missing in my earlier studies. As a massage therapist, I knew how to address lower back pain, a frozen shoulder, a stiff neck, or the after-effects of a sprained ankle. As a nurse, I understood how various medications worked to alleviate asthma, lower blood pressure, and manage diabetes. But I had a lot of questions: Why was this person prone to lower back pain while another suffered with migraine headaches? When faced with the same situation, why did one person’s blood pressure soar while another experienced severe gastrointestinal pain?

My acupuncture training and experience in the clinic, both as patient and practitioner, allowed me to look beyond these symptoms to discover their underlying cause. While acupuncture does treat physical symptoms, it is also effective at addressing the deeper disharmony or imbalance that gives rise to the physical problem. If this root of the problem is not addressed, it is likely that the symptom will continue to reappear. I have found this system of treating both cause and effect provides more substantial and longer lasting healing for my clients, which in turn makes my work as an acupuncturist personally rewarding.

"While acupuncture does treat physical symptoms, it is also effective at addressing the deeper disharmony or imbalance that gives rise to the physical problem."

I continue to study Chinese Medicine at various workshops and seminars nationwide. Recent studies have included a program in Vermont on health issues affecting men, as well as a weekend seminar focusing on acupuncture and spirituality. I have served as a past president and vice president of the Acupuncture Society of Virginia, and remain active in the acupuncture community by providing consulting services to the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.