Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Wendt.
Hi Michelle, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I suffered from debilitating chronic migraines. They would start with a visual disturbance and progress to stabbing pain behind my eye that could last for 12+ hours. All I could do was lie in a dark, cool room waiting for the pain to subside. The migraines consumed my life, 2-3 days of every week. I lost workdays, I lost friends, my marriage decayed, and I fell out of touch. People got tired of hearing me say “Sorry, I have a headache.” It was both depressing and terrifying. I tried over-the-counter meds. I had brain scans revealing nothing. Neurologists prescribed an assortment of pharmaceuticals, but they either didn’t work or had terrible side effects. My neurologist warned me that I would need to take prescription medications for the rest of my life to prevent the migraines from coming back. I was only 28. The rest of my life sounded like a very long time. As a last-ditch effort, I gave acupuncture a try. The frequency and severity of my migraines diminished over the course of a few weekly treatments. After a few months, I was able to stop the prescription medications. It was a long journey to relief, but the experience caused me to stop and rebuild my life. The migraines were an amazing blessing in an awful package. These headaches called me to become a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to help others find relief from challenging conditions. I began graduate school and started my medical practice four years later.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to building a successful business was long with a lot of blind turns. As I embarked on a new career in medicine, committing to five years of full-time school was the first challenge. I worked my daytime corporate job and attended classes at night and on weekends. When I was not at my desk job, I was immersed in Mandarin, biomedicine, pharmacology, anatomy, and acupuncture to earn my graduate degree. While in school, I devoted extra effort to studying for the four required National Board exams, which I passed on the first attempt. I started building my business before I had my official license by developing plans for operations, staffing, inventory, and marketing. By the time I graduated, I was pregnant after a successful IVF journey. Juggling the needs of a newborn and building a business became another huge challenge. Throughout it all, I never gave up on my vision of helping others suffering through medical conditions that didn’t respond well to modern medicine. I knew that if I could help one person feel better, I could help a thousand. I knew that my patients didn’t need to suffer from the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. I knew that a 2,500 years old system of holistic medicine could empower them to take charge of their health and help them heal themselves.
As you know, we’re big fans of Indigo Healing Acupuncture. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I founded my clinic, Indigo Healing Acupuncture, to help people find long-term relief from chronic pain/illness, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, and infertility with treatment strategies that are clinically-proven and backed by over 2,000 years of knowledge. We provide an effective alternative to physical therapy, chiropractic care, pharmaceuticals, injections, and surgery. My chronic migraines called me into this role and I deeply empathize with anyone who is struggling with a condition that is missing an effective solution in modern medicine. I walked through the challenges of infertility and knew the fear, anxiety and hope that assisted fertility treatments like IUI and IVF bring. With this first-hand knowledge, I meet one-on-one with prospective patients to listen to their story and understand them as a whole person, not just a constellation of symptoms. Customized treatment strategies naturally encourage homeostasis in the endocrine system and nervous system to promote healing from the inside out. With convenient appointment times available in the morning, afternoon and evening, patients benefit from a comprehensive care strategy that relies on the healing synergy of treating the body, mind, and spirit.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m a strong believer in integrative holistic medicine, which is combining the best of modern allopathic medicine and alternative/traditional medicine. My clinic Indigo Healing Acupuncture is continually evolving with a blend of traditional medicine, science, and personal connection designed to nurture the body, mind, and spirit. I enjoy collaborating with other medical professionals (MDs, DOs) to take a fresh look into complex medical cases.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@indigohealingacupuncture.com
- Website: https://indigohealingacupuncture.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indigohealingacupuncture/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigohealingacupuncture
Image Credits:
Claire Mulkey at Rising Oak Images
