My overarching goal for our work together is to
bring you home to your true self,
provide relief from your discomfort,
and enable you to move freely through your life.

Sadie hays L.Ac., msom

When I was 19 years old, I felt a warm, buzzing sensation in the palms of my hands.  At first, I didn't know what it was - it wasn't painful, it came and went - and I didn't know what to do with it.  Surrounded by healer-types, I learned that the peculiar feeling in my hands was 'qi,' the life force that runs through all of us.  It was my North Star as I searched for a meaningful purpose for my life on college exchange programs in Minneapolis and Puebla, Mexico.   My interests in Buddhism and holistic heath care, and a passion for social change and empowering women fueled my desire to channel that feeling in my hands into a constructive skill that I could use to help people in our world.  My experiences with acupuncture in those years brought about some of the most profound changes in my own personal health, and I wanted to share this gift.   Though it sounded crazy to some, it felt true in my heart.  I enrolled at Southwest Acupuncture College, and didn't look back.     

I use an eclectic blend that draws on my training in numerous styles of acupuncture to provide a treatment plan that is best suited to you and your condition.  Some of the styles I use include traditional Chinese acupuncture (as taught in most schools nationwide), Japanese acupuncture, Master Tung's points and Dr. Tan's style, Chinese and Japanese scalp and ear microsystems, and non-insertive techniques, such as Shonishin, which is especially for children.  They are all different dialects to converse with the language of your body’s energy, and I listen carefully to find an approach that resonates with you.  I observe your breath so that your body and mind can be calm during needle insertion, and this prepares you to sink into a relaxation that many patients describe as 'far away' or 'deep within'.   

I have twelve years of clinical experience in Eastern medicine, and my Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine is from Southwest Acupuncture College in my hometown of Albuquerque, NM.  I am a Licensed Acupuncturist in New York, and a certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).  My undergraduate work was in East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, where I concentrated on Chinese language and philosophy.  I speak Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, and have interned and performed acupuncture in hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam (2005), and Beijing, China (2007), where I first experienced the pervasive peace of acupuncture in a multi-bed setting.  

Recent advanced training

2018 Graduate Mentorship Program Weekend 1 with Sharon Weizenbaum, Amherst, MA

2018 Clinical Strategies to Manage Neuralgia Pain with Kiiko Matsumoto, Bloomfield, NJ

2017  Treatment Strategies: Power of Small Intestine 11 with Kiiko Matsumoto, Bloomfield, NJ
2017 Liver Imbalances and Treatment Strategies with Kiiko Matsumoto, Bloomfield, NJ
2017 Treatment of Scars using Kiiko Matsumoto Clinical Strategies with Kiiko Matsumoto, Bloomfield, NJ

2017 Gu Syndrome: Unique Strategies for the Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease, Parasites and Other Chronic Inflammatory Conditions with Heiner Fruehauf.

2016   Pediatric Essentials Online with Robin Green

2015  Treating Children with Oriental Medicine: Healing with Sho-Ni-Shin with Soma Glick, Oakland, CA

2013  Acupuncture in Pregnancy with Debra Betts (sponsored by White Pine Healing Arts Graduate Mentorship Program), Amherst, MA

2012  The Best of Master Tung's Magic Points with Susan Johnson, New York City, NY

2012  Acupuncture for the Cancer Patient I , with Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine Service