Who we are

Julia Carpenter, L. Ac. • Michelle Lemieux, L. Ac. • Mary Stewart, L. Ac.

Julia Carpenter, L. Ac.

I feel like I've lived several lives in the almost 50 years I've been here. My friends laugh when they make me list my careers: waitress, caterer, secretary, biotech facilities coordinator, seamstress, editor, executive assistant, antique dealer and even fashion model! I finally finished my BA in my late 30s and then started my PhD at Stanford while I was pregnant with my 3rd child. Without finishing that degree, I embarked on my path toward becoming an acupuncturist by earning my Masters in Chinese medicine. And while I was doing that, I was co-founding a non-profit, sustainable grocery cooperative. There's a theme here: juggling.

When I was little, I always told people I was going to be a doctor. But by the time I finally made it to college, I knew that medical school would be an act of hitting my head against a brick wall. I was already far too outside the mainstream to practice what I thought western medicine was all about. I fell in love with Chinese medicine while I was studying philosophy in Santa Cruz. I was allergic to the redwood trees there and nothing seemed to help. A friend recommended acupuncture, which I had previously thought was only for pain, and I committed to 2 treatments a week for 6 weeks. I've never taken an allergy pill, herbal or otherwise, since! I also began to notice that my digestive issues were better, my periods were less painful, and my overall capacity to deal with stress had also improved. I am passionate about how acupuncture can help bring balance to people and how that alone can help so many things.

While in acupuncture school, I did an internship at a methadone clinic in East Oakland. That changed my life's path. I tried to figure out a way I could offer acupuncture to all kinds of people so they could really afford it without relying on systems like Medicare or grant money or insurance companies. I had some good ideas, but when I read about Working Class Acupuncture and how they had already figured it out, I couldn't wait to follow suit. Having Mary and Michelle as partners in this endeavor is like a dream come true for me.

I can't remember having any spare time (except for that year traveling in Southeast Asia a long time ago), but if I did, I would be gardening or hiking in the hills or reading a book in our tree house. Or cooking for friends, sharing a bottle of wine while we figured out how to change the world.

Michelle Lemieux, L. Ac.

I grew up and went to college in Connecticut. I have a BA from the University of Connecticut in Literature with a Concentration in Creative Writing. I started rock climbing and snow boarding my senior year, and these loves and the lack of a “real” job led me to Seattle. I lived there for three years, waiting tables and trying to aid climb and surf. After some traveling in Costa Rica, and later Thailand, I decided I needed more sunshine in my life. I moved to California.

After staying home with my daughter for two years, I started making pastries at an Italian restaurant. Working at dopo was fun, but my own experiences with acupuncture led me to pursue a career in it.

I graduated from the four year Master's program in Traditional Chinese Medicine at AIMC. I worked in a local methadone clinic one day a week for a year. I did private and group treatments, employing the NADA protocol for detoxification regularly on all of my patients. I have also worked in a low-cost Ear Acupuncture Clinic, treating conditions as varied at knee pain, allergies, and digestive complaints using nothing but ear points. This increased my experience of working quickly and efficiently in group settings. I have also studied Japanese Meridian Therapy, a very gentle, nurturing style of acupuncture. In order to further my studies, I attended the Meridian Therapy Seminar in Tokyo, Japan, August 2008, studying with Shudo sensei, Okada sensei, and Ikeda sensei. I am very passionate about acupuncture and felt concerned that most of my friends would not be able to afford private treatments. I am so happy that Julia, Mary, and I can make this lovely medicine available to more people more often.

Mary Stewart, L.Ac.

I grew up in Massachusetts but Berkeley is my home. As a young woman, I went off to study Tibetan language, culture, and Buddhism in Nepal and India. I returned to the states and moved to Berkeley twenty-one years ago.

I have always been drawn to bring my love of healing to wherever it is needed. I worked with people with AIDS in Washington, DC in the 80s, then moved to Berkeley and volunteered at the Berkeley Free Clinic for several years. After getting my license in acupuncture, I worked at the Fruitvale Wellness Center for pregnant women who were trying quit recreational drugs and for people with dual diagnoses of drug addiction and mental illness.

My love of acupuncture started when I was a young woman who had never had comfortable or regular periods. Finally they stopped coming at all. My doctor had no help for me but “the pill”, which I did not want to take. I turned to acupuncture and experienced so many positive effects, including a regular cycle for the rest of my life! I am continually inspired by the magic of this health system and what deep transformation it allows.

I have taught acupuncture and Chinese medicine to students and doctors for the past ten years. I deeply love teaching and have a knack for it. I would love to share this with anyone interested in knowing more about Chinese medicine.

I began making biodiesel about seven years ago and switched to vegetable oil as my primary fuel a couple of years ago. I used to do demonstrations of biodiesel-making. I believe we each have the capability to create local, vital resources in every area of our lives from fuel to food. We needn’t be dependent on corporations or government to solve our problems. This is what inspires me in community acupuncture. As acupuncturists, we take our healthcare and find a way that it works locally and sustainably for everyone. I have been revitalized by the community acupuncture movement because it speaks directly to all my core values of social justice, equality, sustainability, people and community before profit, practicality, simplicity, ease, and affordability. This is how I believe health care should be! I am glad to be part of a movement that makes health and healing affordable.

I love walking everywhere. You’ve probably seen me! I also love reading poetry, teaching Chinese medicine, being fun and goofy with my two year old, camping, laughing, and appreciating the flowers, trees and critters that remind me of who I am.