Cory Shaw, L.Ac.Master of Oriental Medicine
Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbologist
I attended the Texas College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where I received my Master of Oriental Medicine degree. I am licensed through the state of Texas as an acupuncturist and nationally certified to practice Chinese herbology. I practice these specialties at the Center for Complementary Medicine, where I have been seeing patients since 2004.
Overall, I believe that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) harmonizes and complements conventional western medicine. Often, TCM excels in the areas where western medicine does not. The patient is best served when the two medicine forms work together synergistically.
I am passionate about my practice because the nature of TCM allows me to make a personal connection with each individual in my care. I take time with everyone who comes to me, to make sure they are able to fully tell their story and never feel rushed. The reason is simple: I believe that you, as a patient, should be treated as an individual and receive care that is tailored to meet your specific situation and needs.
As a child with two working parents, I spent a good bit of my time in the day care at the hospital where my mother worked as a nurse. I think being surrounded by doctors and nurses at such a young age left an impression on me, because I always had an interest in medicine. After beginning studies at University of Texas at Austin, I realized that the conventional western medical system was not a good fit for me. I felt that the dependence of doctors on insurance restricted them too greatly and prevented them from being able to spend the time with their patients that was truly needed.
This caused me to turn my back on the entire medical profession, for at the time I did not understand there were more options than MD or nurse. I pursued my degree in public relations, but I later learned that was not the right profession for me either.
Following a foot injury, someone recommended that acupuncture might help my pain. I was skeptical but made an appointment with an acupuncturist. During this appointment, the acupuncturist asked me not only about my foot, but also my sleep, my stress level, my appetite, and many other things that I thought were completed unrelated to my foot pain. He spent over an hour talking to me before we even discussed what to do about my foot injury and then, we discussed far more than my foot. He helped my find some lifestyle changes and possible medication interactions that may improve my overall wellness.
I was amazed. Here was a health care practitioner who took ample time, got to know me in total, and seemed to genuinely want to help me overall in health, not just address my immediate complaint. I was hooked. I knew this was the medicine for me.
Luckily I was still living in Austin and there were two TCM graduate schools in town. After touring both schools, I enrolled at the Texas College of TCM the very next semester.
Today, in my private practice, I continue to try and hold true to that spirit that first made me fall in love with TCM. I take the time to listen to my patients and provide guidance in any way I can to improve their health. I feel I have the best job in the world. I get to talk to people all day, listening to their stories, and I get to make them feel better. Is their anything more fulfilling than that?
For more information about Cory or TCM, visit her website at:
www.shawacupuncture.com