Dr Dia Vickery DACM, LAc, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)

I straddled two worlds for much of my early life. My parents were both very scientific, and both also believed there was 'more out there'. They encouraged me to investigate the 'more' whilst also guiding me towards traditional professions (Dad wanted me to be an engineer, Mom thought lawyering would look good on me – I went with computers even though 'girls' didn't go into computers in those days).

I was happily managing mini-mainframe computers when I had an opportunity to study massage. I thought I would be taking a bit of a vacation from work and then be returning to my position, but the company President, and the Universe, had other plans for me.

Leaving the comfort of IT to study massage was the first step on the path that eventually lead me to Traditional East Asian Medicine (TrEAMed)
After studying massage at a school founded and run by a practitioner of TrEAMed, I accompanied a friend to an introductory lecture at a local school. By the end of the evening, I had enrolled in the Masters program there.

I completed the didactic coursework just as the 1994 earthquake hit, which shook me up in more ways than one. Rather than move into my Clinical studies, I hit pause on my progress and turned to another field. I received a PhD and worked in that field for several years before returning to TrEAMed in 2000.

Taking time away from the profession meant a couple of things, including additional courses since the profession's standards had changed in the intervening half-decade. It also meant I had the advantage of graduating with the theories of the medicine well-integrated (I might not have been in TrEAMed school but I was still reading about the medicine and integrating the theories into my daily life), allowing me to hit the ground running as I ventured into private practice.

I've never looked back.

I still enjoying tearing apart and building computers (yes, I'm that person) but I thrive when I'm working with patients, helping them untangle their health concerns and discover or re-discover their bodies and body-minds.

Thorough.

We set all initial visits at 2-hours. Sometimes they go longer.

The time allows me to get to know the person who’s just come into my office.

We cover the reason you’ve come in, as well as your health history and what my colleagues – Complementary and Western – have diagnosed you with, done for your health and/or left on the table and not attended to.

We will talk about your goals, your expectations and your timeline.

And then you get to relax on the table for your first acupuncture treatment with me.

Acupuncture:

Yes, it really is painless. Those little needles (I like to call them pins) are nothing like the needles your doctor uses to give you a shot. They’re solid, the thickness of a human hair and they just sneak into the acupoints with no pain.

There are different styles of acupuncture. I prefer the Japanese style, which is gentler. My patients still receive the benefits of the acupuncture treatment but with thinner needles and no ‘moving’ the needle once it’s in the body.

Face Yoga:

You’re going to have fun!

Be prepared to move the muscles of your face in new and different ways. And to laugh. And to discover that by moving your face you’re affecting the entire body.