About

Dr. West is not your usual acupuncture provider. With her experience in both Critical Care and Eastern Medicine, she has made a name for herself as a fierce advocate for her patient’s health. She is an uplifting motivator, and a passionate educator to her patients, unraveling the “mysteries” of their bodies.

Rob organizes the daily operations for the clinic and our patients’ favorite person to be greeted by when they arrive. Our patients love his caring nature, attention to detail, and responsiveness. His love for his wife brought him to a new country and a new career, and working side-by-side with her has given him the opportunity to connect and appreciate every patient that comes through the door.

You can find him and our two adorable Boston Terriers, Mia Hambone and Wally Wiggles, any time the clinic is open. The pups will be in the back-office acting as the Office Managers…or as they are referred to around here, Office Manipulators.

It all started after a severe car accident which forced Dr. Erin West to pause her work in the ER and her pre-med University semester. The pain, difficulty sleeping, or even thinking, eventually led to her spiraling emotionally. She was left feeling totally useless and hopeless. She did what everyone in her position does, sought help from her Western medicine doctors, took multiple prescriptions, even tried physical therapy. Nothing seemed to help the pain even a little and she still couldn’t function, leading to depression as she felt like her life goals were slipping away.

It was one of those life-changing moments when Dr. West’s physical therapist recommended trying acupuncture.  What? Needles!?  Years of medical training, yet she had never considered this in her life. Desperate, she was willing to try anything, even “voodoo” if it would help.  She searched for the most English-speaking Doctor of Chinese medicine able to read her MRIs and understand what her concerns were. Initially fearful, the hope for a chance at getting her life back strengthened her resolve.

It was always Dr. West’s dream to become an empathetic, effective doctor. The massive improvements in her recovery after only a handful of sessions made it crystal-clear she needed to reevaluate how she planned on helping her patients over her career. Her experience in both types of medicine had revealed the need for a smooth integration of both systems to best help everyone. She wanted more than medication and surgery in her tool belt. She craved the ability to help more patients, even those with terminal illness, find a better quality of life.

Dr. West has always been passionate about medicine, healing, caretaking, and working with her hands. During the decade of her educational years she worked as an emergency Veterinary Technician which has refined her skills and intuition, whether her patients are humans or animals, to facilitate the best care to those she treats. With an emphasis on internal medicine, fertility, and pain management, Dr. West strives to bring her knowledge, compassion, and experience to an expanding healthcare field where she can help her patients start living the life they always wanted.

When Dr. West is not working, she is spending time with her family, doing yoga, swimming, learning to better care for her patients, and helping with animal causes. She met her husband during graduate school in Canada and he has since left the Royal Canadian Air Force to move back to the US with her where he is now working with Mend Acupuncture as the Office Manager. They have two high energy Boston Terriers employed as Office Manipulators, Mia Hambone and Wally Wiggles.