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Today we’d like to introduce you to Paula Bruno, Ph.d., L.ac.
Hi Paula, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I am a practitioner of Chinese medicine, a health coach, and a published author. The road from there (career number one) to here (holistic health care expert) is definitely long, winding, and full of adventures.
My formative years were spent either in graduate school or in academia. I also have a lifelong interest in fitness/wellness. In my first career I was a Spanish professor and my area focus was national trauma (civil war, dictatorship, genocide, and torture) and how collective suffering filters through literature and art. But before all that, I was a beach girl and gym rat who loved to study and read. Growing up in Santa Barbara, California meant that I spent my life at either the library, the beach, or in the weight room. I eventually moved to Spain and ended up spending much of my twenties living in Spain and Italy. Later, while pursuing my doctorate in Hispanic literature at Indiana University in Bloomington, I worked in the student gym and even was an elected representative on the student health/wellness advisory committee. During school breaks, I could go with a friend to her family’s home in nearby Chicago. When visiting, I was absolutely mesmerized by the library of my bestie’s dad (he was a retired orthopedic surgeon) and I used to always say, “If I had two lives to live, I’d be an orthopedic surgeon”
I started my career in humanities and now I treat actual humans, what else can I tell you? It’s been a marvelous journey and I look to the road ahead with great enthusiasm and much curiosity.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh, not smooth at all! I expected to become a Spanish professor and remain in a library for the rest of my natural life. Becoming a practitioner of Chinese medicine was not on my bingo card at all but I fell in love with the medicine. When the time came to make some career decisions, I chose the road less traveled and it brought me to where I am today.
Culture shock at leaving the multilingual, multicultural corner of academia that I inhabited was a huge hurdle. One seemingly minor example, one that actually is a big deal for me, is my first name. My name is correctly pronounced with a Spanish emphasis on the “u” (or I will take the Italian pronunciation, Paola, which is equally fine) but I am not Pah-lah, the English pronunciation. This was not an issue when most of my colleagues were either native speakers of Italian or Spanish or another romance language but it became one when I changed careers. From my cultural background as a woman of Mediterranean heritage to the cultures of academia vs. non-academia (in other words, “civilian life”) there was a lot to learn when I made the change.
It’s also extremely challenging to launch a business when you know absolutely nothing about entrepreneurship. There is ALWAYS something to learn when you have your own business and some of the lessons are tougher than others. Some aspects are a lot of fun though. It took a lot of practice but I learned to make really nice graphics with Canva, for example. And though it may sound funny, I do take great pride in my artistry when I create quirky memes.
What I appreciate about some of the struggles is that they have made me a better person. As a professor, I didn’t assign readings that I didn’t peruse once again before class and I carefully read the students’ work. My philosophy was that if I asked them to read, then I read too; when I asked them to spend time writing, I would spend time assessing their work. I can’t ask a classroom to expend energy and effort if I’m not willing to match it, right? Same goes for patients. I can’t ask them to be compassionate and dedicated to themselves if I’m not willing to do the same. I can’t expect them to change their health habits if I’m not willing to change mine. I’ve learned a lot about human nature, my own included, by practicing Chinese medicine.
Creating a healing space for people who want to become their healthy best and who are willing to engage meaningfully with their wellbeing has opened whole new vistas for thought, study, and learning (all activities that I love dearly). The human body is an absolute miracle, even when it’s problematic, and each person’s story is their own. I will never get tired of practicing Chinese medicine and I will never get tired of hearing patients’ and clients’ stories.
As you know, we’re big fans of Two Hearts Wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Please tell us more about your business or organization.
What should we know?
By the tail end of my second graduate program (this was for Chinese medicine) I had already chosen my business name: Two Hearts Wellness. I have one heart for being a Spanish professor and a new one for my new career, so this fit. As time went by, one of my area specialties became so important to the whole that I added a second web site and a dedicated space to my practice: Holistic Health & hEDS.
Ehlers Danlos syndromes (it is plural, as there are more than one types) are a heritable disorder of connective tissue. The most common version is the hypermobile one, and with this flavor, people can be lucky and go get a job as a contortionist at Cirque de Soleil… or they can be like most folks and have joints that slip out of place, chronic pain, and any number of accompanying conditions. The most common of these are MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome), which is a very complicated disorder of the immune system and POTS (postural orthopedic tachycardia syndrome, often related to dysautonomia).
With MCAS, a person’s mast cells (the worker bees of the immune system) react incorrectly and the person can be somewhat disabled by this (hives, flushing, gut problems) or they can be stuck at home and unable to eat more than two or three items unless they want to go into anaphylactic shock. With POTS, you stand up and your heart rate goes all over the place so maybe you faint. Or if you have dysautonomia, you could have intestines that don’t move your food along the digestive tract or you are unable to properly regulate your own body temperature (just to start…these are complicated conditions that present in an endless variety of ways).
These are considered to be rare conditions but they are not. Famous people who live with EDS include actors Selma Blair, Jameela Jamil, and Cherylee Houston. Drag star Yvie Oddly is another public figure with hEDS. Singers Halsey, Sia, and Billie Eilish are of the community. Simone Biles, the Olympic athlete, is hypermobile. Authors Rebecca Yarros and yours truly are hypermobile. This is not a rare condition by any means. Holistic Health & hEDS is a resource for people with EDS and common comorbidities and it is a treasured and valuable branch of the Two Hearts Wellness tree.
What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for?
I am probably most known for working with complex, chronic illness. I am the author of the first book of its kind, Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide (Singing Dragon, 2023) and I treat EDS, of course, plus a range of conditions that are commonly associated with hEDS, particularly MCAS and other extreme sensitivities.
My areas of practice include: pain relief (chronic or acute, including broken bone repair and scar revision); gut health; cosmetic acupuncture; men’s health; and preventive care for all persons. That sounds like a broad range but really, it’s all connected. I am expert in soft tissue, bone, and gut health so if that means someone comes in with scars then I draw on my knowledge in support of the surface tissue. Another person comes for facial rejuvenation and you can bet that we’ll address gut health as we resolve problems like acne or rashes or wrinkles or sagging jowls. All health begins with gut health in my estimation. It really is all connected.
What sets you apart from others?
Some of what makes me unique to the profession is what I brought to the table when I came to it. Other aspects involve how I studied and what I’ve become very good at doing.
That I was a Spanish professor in my first career colors everything that I do. I still have that Spanish professor vibe even today. Think back on your favorite professor and imagine that professor becoming a practitioner of Chinese medicine. That’s me. Yes, I do suggest books and other reading to patients and I highly support critical thinking and meaningful engagement with one’s health. Depending on the situation, I might make a handout for the patient or client. I want people to become empowered and knowledgeable consumers of their health care and I want them to develop confidence and trust in their own relationship with their body and their wellbeing. I’m still Professor Bruno even today, in essence.
What I learned in my second graduate program and how I developed as a practitioner also sets me apart.
Tui na is a hidden jewel and there are not very many dedicated practitioners here in Austin. This is Chinese manual therapy and it’s pronounced “twee nah,” meaning push (tui) and grasp (na). It’s sort of like massage combined with acupressure, and a tui na expert in China is an orthopedic specialist. I studied this modality under the direction of a noted traumatic injury specialist from Beijing and it is a staple of my practice. I love tui na because I have very intuitive, sensitive hands and I’m an excellent listener and healer with them.
Tui na is great for people with EDS and it’s amazing for any health consideration you might list, from gut health problems to facial rejuvenation treatments to stress relief. One of my patient populations that gets a lot out of tui na are the professional musicians–mainly string instrument players–whose hands I keep healthy and supple with this modality. Two-time Grammy award nominated violist, John Largess, wrote the introduction to my book for a reason: tui na (and Chinese medicine across the board) is great for hand health and for musician wellbeing.
Besides scar work, also an outcome of studying Chinese manual therapy, I have an unusual niche specialty: people who have broken a bone. Their orthopedic surgeon has put them in a boot or a sling and given them a short window to see how they’re healing before they get surgery (or are cleared for physical therapy). People will come to me after their visit to the surgeon, I work on them, and then they don’t need surgery after all. Their surgeons all marvel at how beautifully their bones healed, too. I love working on bones! Scars and broken bones require sensitive listening hands and mine are that, no doubt about it.
I truly adore the human skeleton so don’t let me get rolling on this topic. I can go on and on about it and you’ll end up with a novel, not an interview, if I share all my thoughts on bones.
What are you most proud brand wise?
I built my business myself from the ground up, which is a huge accomplishment, I think. I continue to actively study and research so that I can always provide the best, most up-to-date approaches for the case at hand. Seeing patients succeed and become their unique version of their healthy best is always a joy. Watching someone have an ah-ha moment about their health and their ability to nurture their own wellbeing happens in my office quite a bit and I’m certainly proud of that, and very, very proud of my patients and health coaching clients.
What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc?
I am a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in the state of Texas. My credential for the tui na is AOBTA-CP, which is a fancy acronym for American Organization of Bodywork Therapists certified practitioner. I no longer offer personal training but I do maintain my personal trainer certification and, depending on the context, will create fitness programs for patients or clients. I am a certified yoga instructor, though I no longer teach group classes, and a Reiki master (I do offer Reiki as a service even now). Finally, I am a certified health coach and I work with clients in Texas and out of state. My health coaching clients range from college students whose parents contacted me after reading my blog to EDS clients to people with everything ranging from complex conditions to relatively straightforward weight loss goals.
As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, I offer: acupuncture, herbal medicine, tui na, cupping, and gua sha (a modality popularized lately by social media influencers who share tips on facial rejuvenation). I also offer consultations. Most recently, one of my more interesting distance consultations was with a practitioner in Iceland who had a patient with extreme scarring over a large area of their body. Before that, I got so many queries from Europe, Canada, and the United States about EDS that I finally wrote my book on the topic.
In my dissertation, I investigated trauma and how it appears in fantasy, fantastic, and magical realism in Spanish, Italian, Latin American, and US Latinx short fiction. During my first career, my subsequent record of peer-reviewed publications in Spanish and comparative literature reflected my continued attachment to these genres. Even today, I am quite partial to fairy tales, myth, fantasy, and the fantastic. I make great use of my academic background and its affinity to the approaches of a medical historian in my current practice. Most important of all is that I still believe wholeheartedly in the power of story to effect change and to create healing on cultural and on individual levels.
We all have our stories, some collective and some individual, and our stories are paths to learning, to knowing, and to healing. This I believe, both as a scholar and as a practitioner.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
It’s simple to set up an appointment online with my online scheduler, so anyone who is interested in becoming a patient or health coaching client can do that easily. I’m always grateful to have readers, and my book is available through my publisher, Singing Dragon, and other online sources. I curate my social media with sincerity and dedication, posting meaningful content that I have vetted before sharing and making my own material either on Canva or on my blog. There is so much junk floating around the internet at this point, and I do my part to combat this. A knowledgeable patient or client is an empowered one, and everything I post is done so with this philosophy in mind. Take a look, follow, share, and engage!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://twoheartswellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two.hearts.wellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoHeartsWellness
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-bruno-phd-lac-6b5462113
- Other: https://holistichealthandheds.com
Image Credits
Note: I’m sending you a few of my Canva creations and you can use as many or as few as you deem useful. “The art of wellness” is probably a good one to use b/c it lists my offerings, but whatever works best for you!