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(Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine)
licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine to practice Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Therapy, and has been
certified to practice acupuncture by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine ( www.nccaom.org).
At NESA, students are required to study TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and either Japanese Style Acupuncture or Chinese Herbal
Medicine. She studied both as a dual major student (180 credits) and completed the program in 3 years.
In Oriental Medicine, both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, the correct diagnosis is very important. Therefore the Oriental
Medicine practitioner will tend to spend a greater amount of time with the patient than a Western Medical Doctor, especially upon the
patient's initial visit. Once the practitioner determines the diagnosis, a treatment strategy is developed consisting of point prescription
and/or herbal prescription. The CORRECT DIAGNOSIS is the key to the patient's rapid recovery. Tamie treats each patient with great
care using her unique diagnostic style explained below.
Tamie has combined the diagnostic techniques (both abdominal and neck/back palpation) that she learned from the New England
School of Acupuncture and various masters Tamie studied with. Tamie created "Tamie Style Acupuncture", which she has
found to be a very confirming method of diagnosis. One of the advantages of using this diagnostic method is that both Tamie and
her patient get immediate feedback before and after the treatment. Tamie can confirm where most problems (blockages) are located
through palpation. Areas of "blockage" are usually tender to palpation, but after the acupuncture treatment those areas that were
tender are usually gone or very minimal. Patients often say they feel something has "shifted" or "moved" just after the treatment.
Growing up in Japan, Tamie had a very different experience with medicine than is typical in the U.S. When Tamie was ill, Oriental
Medicine—including acupuncture and the use of Chinese herbs—was usually the first choice of treatment. Sotai and Shiatsu massage
were often used as part of the rehabilitative process to treat musculoskeletal problems. Though prescription medicine was available,
Tamie did not take it; she does not recall taking even vitamin pills when she was young. Asian culture focuses more on inner strength
and using one's own energy, strength, and immunity to fight against pathogens.
Tamie’s interest in practicing Oriental Medicine grew from within her own positive experiences with Oriental Medicine. Twenty years
ago, Tamie moved to the U.S. by herself. After three months of dealing with the stress of adjusting to an entirely new culture, Tamie
woke in the middle of one night with the terrible burning pain of a stomach ulcer. She saw many doctors and took many Western
medications to treat the ulcer. Though the medications ultimately brought relief from the ulcer, they also created severe skin irritation on
all of Tamie’s fingertips. She again sought treatment from Western doctors, who prescribed a variety of steroid creams, but none cured
the skin irritation. Tamie was living in southern New Jersey at the time, and her access to Oriental Medicine was limited, but she
dreamed of finding a practitioner of Oriental Medicine who could help her. The skin irritation continued for nearly eight years, while
Tamie wore bandages on her fingertips and began to think that nothing could heal her skin.
After ten years in the U.S., Tamie moved to Boston. Again, the stress of the move had a detrimental effect on her health: this time, she
developed a hard sore (the size of a quarter) at the center of her tongue. Knowing that the sore was a result of stress and having more
access to practitioners of Oriental Medicine in the Boston area, Tamie sought out an acupuncturist/herbalist for help. The
acupuncturist/herbalist gave Tamie one treatment and seven day’s worth of an herbal medication. Within five days, all of Tamie’s
symptoms (the skin irritation that had plagued her for eight years and the sore on her tongue) had disappeared. Tamie felt as if the
healing was miraculous: this doctor had addressed not just the surface problems (finger tips and tongue), but also the core problem
that was creating the visible symptoms. Tamie began to think about the number of people who suffer needlessly from pain (as she
had) every day. As a result of her own successful experiences with Oriental Medicine, Tamie feels very strongly that it is her mission to
educate the general public about the benefits of alternative medicine, including acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
Before starting her studies in acupuncture, Tamie worked as a network systems engineer at various Telecommunications companies
in MA, including Shiva Corporation, Intel Corporation, Ascend Communications, Lucent Technology, and Sycamore Networks. Strong in
analytical and logical thinking, Tamie now applies the troubleshooting skills she developed in the Engineering field to her Oriental
Medicine practice, helping people in the greater Boston area. Tamie’s goal is to provide the highest level of care to her patients and to
educate the public on the methods of Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine. She hopes one day to open a clinic with her
husband John—a physical therapist—to provide a combination of Western and Eastern medicine that can offer assistance to patients
seeking a broad spectrum of treatment options.
