Dedicated Practitioner Has a Passion for Teaching and Learning
Posted on Aug. 20, 2009
Sarah Weaver, MOm, LAc, NCTMB, a practitioner in Northwestern's Bloomington Natural Care Center, is anything but typical. She is tiny in stature but she radiates passion as she talks about her work. Her eyes sparkle as she speaks quietly but intensely about practicing, teaching and learning.
Weaver has been with Northwestern Health Sciences University for 10 years, seeing patients every day. She is nationally-certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork, is a licensed acupuncturist, and is an assistant professor for the School of Massage Therapy at Northwestern.
She was on the initial faculty for the School of Massage Therapy when it opened in 2000. Over the years, she also taught classes in professional development, communications, study skills, ethics, and set up the student clinical experience curriculum. Currently, she is teaching a new class in evidence-informed practice.
Teaching students fueled her own thirst for learning new things. After practicing for more than 15 years as a massage therapist, she enrolled in the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MCAOM) at Northwestern. She graduated in December 2008 with advanced degrees in acupuncture and herbal medicine.
She didn’t take the typical route into health care. She started out in the arts, and holds two writing degrees: a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing, and a Master’s degree in fiction writing. As a writing major in college, her love of language led her to study anatomy.
“I realized I needed a practical skill to earn money,” Weaver recalls. “I’ve always been interested in the service and health care provider aspect of massage, and I knew that massage therapy could be done part-time. I thought, I’d really like to know how to do this.” She took a class, and was hooked.
In her practice, she has an interest in treating headaches, particularly migraines. “It’s part of what sparked my interest in attending MCAOM,” she says. “I wanted more skills. I learned that certain conditions like headaches are more systemic, and found that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has good ways of addressing such things. I like the TCM diagnostic system that examines patterns. How do all the factors in one’s life fit together? The holistic approach looks at how all those factors for one particular person create a headache pattern.”
Weaver’s philosophy is to try to fit treatment to the individual and their goals. “What I do is really listen,” she emphasizes, “and provide feedback from my observations.”
“I view myself as a health care provider. Massage therapy and acupuncture are parts of my job. I refer to other practitioners when appropriate and when I recognize that something is more skeletal in nature,” she notes. The idea of integrated health care appeals to her. “Ultimately I would like to see health care truly integrated, where a medical doctor sees a patient with a muscular condition, and refers them down the hall to the massage therapist or chiropractor in their office.”
For new patients considering massage therapy, Weaver wants patients to know that massage therapy can be beneficial for so many reasons. “It’s not just pampering,” she explains. “Massage can relieve ongoing stressors, and it’s a great opportunity to have quiet time to get out of your head and into your body.” Weaver sees both long-time patients that she treats regularly, and patients seeking treatment for an acute issue. She likes that balance. “I want to provide the best health care I am capable of,” she states. “I will use my hands and my head. If I can’t help the immediate concern, I will consider what other approaches might help.”
Starting in September of 2009, Weaver will add acupuncture and Chinese medicine to the services she offers in the Bloomington Natural Care Center. “I’m excited to integrate these new treatments into my practice, and to introduce massage clients to other options,” she says.
To learn more about Weaver’s treatment interests, please visit the Bloomington Natural Care Center’s web page at www.nwhealth.edu and click on Clinical Services – Natural Care Centers.