Today we’d like to introduce you to Ece Yildirim.
Ece, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I came to acupuncture mainly through my own health issues. Most of my life, I had on and off digestive issues, and since puberty ongoing menstrual complaints. I wasn’t satisfied with what options western medicine had given me, so I kept searching. I finally discovered acupuncture around the same time I was discovering my own individuality as I completed my bachelor’s degree. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine were the first time I found a science that used non-linear thinking, and it opened up a whole new world to me.
I took a year off from school after completing my B.S. degree and traveled in Nepal, India, and China, immersing myself in the eastern cultures where this medicine had been born. Returning to the U.S., I quickly applied to several graduate schools for Chinese Medicine – my first choice being the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR, where I was accepted to their four-year program.
My time at NUNM was spent learning about a world I didn’t know existed, and one I am so thankful to have found early on in my life. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are my calling, and I deeply enjoy offering treatments and having patients feel better and more empowered with taking control of their own health.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I feel that I have been quite lucky in my path, but that isn’t to say it’s been without challenges. My first challenge was actually stepping out and making the commitment to study Chinese Medicine. As someone from a very traditional background, my family did not understand why I wouldn’t rather choose to be a nurse or a doctor, a much more established career path. I’m not sure that I myself understood either, I just knew that something inside me told me it was the right choice, and so I took a leap of faith.
My ongoing challenge has been one that any small business owner can understand, that establishing a business is no easy feat, and it often feels like the work is never over. I wish that being an acupuncturist simply meant showing up at my office, offering treatments, and going home – but there is so much more to having a business than that! Maintaining an office space, maintaining legal credentials for acupuncture, legal credentials as a business, legal protections such as malpractice, as well as the day to day of scheduling, maintaining records, ordering supplies, budgeting and bookkeeping. Finding balance between work life, personal life, and maintaining my sanity can be a challenge at times, though I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into New Moon Acupuncture story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in pregnancy, postpartum, menstrual and hormonal health treatments, though as all body systems are interconnected I’m able to incorporate or treat other health issues as well. Digestive complaints and joint issues in particular are connected into the same (Chinese) systems that will affect menstrual/hormonal health, my specialization originated from my own health history of chronic menstrual issues. From there my interests expanded to birth and postpartum as these are particularly pivotal times in a person’s life. The care you receive after birth can affect your health for the rest of your life, both in positive and negative ways. Postpartum is a time where the body is completely restructuring itself. On the positive side, there is the possibility of healing chronic illnesses. On the negative side, there is the possibility of initiating them.
I certainly like to think that my specialty and passion are part of what sets me apart. Aside from that, I’m able to offer a style of treatment quite unique to the other acupuncturists in the area as I was educated at a school other than NESA (the local area acupuncturist school). My education at NUNM focused quite a bit on the more ancient theories of diagnoses, treatment, and ancient techniques of fire cupping, moxibustion or other manual techniques. This isn’t better or worse than other treatment styles, but as I truly believe that ever person has a “best fit” acupuncturist out there for them, it’s something else to try on for size.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My first inspiration is my mother. Coming from a very conservative background, she was able to break the mold of tradition and be the first woman in her family to have higher education and a professional career. That alone is an amazing accomplishment, but from there she immigrated to the US, had a baby (my older brother), completed a foreign dental program in her second language (English) and opened a successful family dentistry office while bringing me into the world. She often put quality of care over profits, and created a warm and welcoming environment in a place where most folks don’t want to be! She accomplished all of that while being an amazing mother and wife.
I’ve also been lucky to have so many amazing teachers along the way. Dr. Margret Mitchell, MD was the first person to expose me to Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, making time to show me the potential of this medicine. Dr. Brenda Hood, LAc was my main mentor at my graduate school, teaching me how to pour my heart into my work (rather than just my brain) and think outside the box with diagnoses and treatment. Sabine Wilms, PhD showed me the nuances of the ancient Chinese texts, growing my passion for this amazing medicine. Tami Kent MSPT showed me the magic of feminine energy contained in the pelvic bowl, and how to help unlock it.
Contact Info:
- Address: New Moon Acupuncture PLLC
557 Mt Auburn St
Watertown, MA 02472 - Website: new-moon-acupuncture.com
- Phone: 716.796.3763
- Email: newmoonacu@gmail.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/newmoonacupuncture/
Image Credit:
Shirley Anne Photography
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