About Us
At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
–Lao Tzu
About Laura
Laura has felt like a bridge for most of her life, although when she was young she mostly thought of it fondly as “being weird.” She was unschooled and enjoyed educating people about it so much, she and her brother started this website, and she still answers the curious emails that periodically come through.
Laura was also politically and spiritually apart from most of her peers, which early on caused her to question, to doubt, to explore, to trust, and to explain her different perspective - sometimes exhaustively with her more argumentative friends!
So it was only natural that Laura became interested in alternative medicine and energy healing in college, where for her, “experimenting” meant driving several hours for a weekend course in Reiki or Akashic Record consulting. She didn’t discover acupuncture until after college, but of course, the timing couldn’t have been more right.
With a degree in human sciences, Laura has studied sociology, anthropology, religion, psychology - all the things that make us human. Spiritually drawn to alternative medicine and energy healing, she is helping forge paths toward a world of balance and equality.
Joys in Laura’s life include traveling, writing, craft Belgian beer, scotch, Indian food, training horses, and geekdom (all the way to cons and fan fiction).
Laura has always been a deeply empathetic person, and finds profound joy in working with animals.
Laura's cats, Magic and Mystique, are sisters who could not be more different. Magic loves to stay inside and cuddle while Mystique loves going for walks, climbing trees, and hunting.Laura’s first horse is named Montego, and he’s a Spanish Mustang from the wilds of Wyoming. He loves learning new skills, playing with his herd members, and spending quiet, reflective time with people he trusts.
While Des the Arabian actually belongs to a friend, he’s still part of the family, and enjoys grass, affection, and secretly loves being told what to do (but he’ll deny it if you ask).
Finally, Lady Rose joined the herd as a foster mare from a local rescue. Lady Rose is spicy on the surface, sweet underneath, and doesn’t let the guys forget that there’s a woman around, now.
Education, Certification, and Training
- B.A. in Human Development and Social Relations with honors and Phi Beta Kappa recognition - Earlham College, 2010
- M.S. in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine - Southwest Acupuncture College, 2015
- NCCAOM certified diplomat, 2015
- Licensed Practitioner of Oriental Medicine by the state of Pennsylvania, 2015
- Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture - Dr. Martha Lucas, 2017
- Reiki Master/Teacher, 2010
About Tyler
Tyler is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. He began his healthcare career as a nurse and quickly realized he wanted to be part of a more holistic and natural approach to wellness. A major spinal injury gave him the opportunity to experience acupuncture and its ability to help the body heal. In May of 2021, Tyler completed his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in acupuncture and Chinese medicine at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical arts in Asheville, NC. There, he spent over 4,000 clinical hours refining his classical acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, and herbal medicine skills.
With his background in Western medicine Tyler takes an integrative approach to his diagnosis and treatments by considering pharmaceuticals/supplements, bloodwork, lab results, and Classical Chinese medical diagnostic techniques to identify health patterns specific to the individual. Each treatment is custom-tailored to the individual, and through careful diagnosis.
He has a specialty for treating pain and orthopedic conditions but also treats a wide variety of problems including GI issues, stress/anxiety/depression, sleep disturbances, headaches, gynecological conditions, allergies, respiratory conditions, and chronic illness. Tyler develops treatment plans to not only relieve symptoms, but to help correct the root causes of the symptoms. It is his goal to help each client develop and understand their own personal definition of wellness.
Tyler Shimko, DACM, L.Ac.
About Emily
Along the way, she has noticed that SHE LOVES to learn! She allows her passions to guide her to new knowledge. Her passions include nature, holistic healing/medicine, hiking, camping, music, dancing, yoga, reiki/energy work and helping others.
Emily Sizer, front desk coordinator