Meet Savannah Russell | Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Savannah Russell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Savannah, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea for my business started with the redwood tree. I grew up in the redwoods and have a very special place in my heart for them. They are such magnificent trees and they make a wonderful metaphor for health. Redwoods are able to withstand fires, floods, high winds, insects, and fungi. Our bodies are also incredibly resilient when given the correct tools. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are powerful healing modalities that work by treating the root cause, not just the symptoms. By strengthening our bodies from the inside out, we are able to withstand so much of what life throws at us. In addition, redwoods are communal trees. Their roots are interwoven to increase their stability in storms. I believe that strong communities make healthy, vibrant people.

My goal is to support my community by providing treatment options at varying price points to fit different budgets. I am also working on a community support program that I will be launching this summer. One of the ways that I am raising money for the program is by partnering with local artists. Their artwork will be on display in the community room for a month and at the end of the month, a portion of the proceeds from art sales will go toward the community program. I am hoping to bring in art in many forms, including jewelry, pottery, and other crafts. This is a fun way to support our community in ways beyond healthcare.

What should our readers know about your business?
Chinese medicine is a whole-body system that treats the mind and body simultaneously. It is also one of my favorite aspects of this medicine. This wasn’t something I really understood before starting school. I chose to go into the field based on watching someone perform acupressure on a woman having an asthma attack and her being able to breathe within seconds. Once I started school, I began receiving regular treatments following a traumatic event and that was when I truly realized how important it is to work on the mind-body connection.

I often hear people say that they don’t believe in acupuncture or they think that the whole mind-body connection thing is woo-woo. In all fairness, I think it’s okay to be skeptical about what we don’t know. However, I think a lack of education is the reason people don’t believe in acupuncture and the mind-body connection. This is why education is an important part of my practice. I will always meet a patient where they are in terms of their health insight. Some patients don’t want to know anything, while others want to take a deeper dive and keep asking why until we get to the root.

We all experience emotions, often more than one emotion in a day. What not everyone realizes is that those emotions can affect your physical health. For example, I work with a lot of patients who have digestive issues, such as constipation. Many people immediately go to their diet when it comes to constipation because they assume it is something they are eating and sometimes it is that simple. Other times it is more complex and could involve an emotional component, which is part of why I do a thorough intake. When discussing the health of the rest of the body and mind, I may learn that there is something that they are holding on to emotionally that they need to let go of. As soon as we get them to process that, they experience regular bowel movements again.

I love providing this sort of insight to patients because it empowers them to look at their health from more than one angle. I do a little happy dance every time a patient says that they thought about the connections we discussed and they learned something new about themself that was helpful in resolving a health issue.

How does this play into an acupuncture treatment? It’s simple. Having a bigger picture allows me to choose acupuncture points that will more effectively treat the condition. Additionally, when patients are more aware of the mind-body connection, they can use that insight to heal themselves. I like to tell my patients that they are doing all the work, I am just here to help guide them in the correct direction.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would tell them to come in the summer because it’s my favorite time of year. We would eat and drink well with trips to eat ice cream at Old Town Churn, tacos at Vatos Tacos, donuts at FoCo DoCo, and a chicken sando at Music City Hot Chicken, drink tea at Happy Lucky’s, a beer at Horse & Dragon, and a cocktail at Coppermuse Distillery. We would make a picnic and take it paddleboarding, go on a hike up the canyon, and ride bikes along the river.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom deserves a lot of credit for shaping me into the woman I am today. She taught me how to have a strong work ethic, to always be open and curious, to pursue my dreams, to be unapologetically me, to not take life so seriously, and so much more. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her. I also have to give a shoutout to my partner, Andy. He has stuck by my side through the ups and downs and has never wavered in his support of my dreams.

Website: https://redwoodacupunctureandherbs.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redwoodacuandherbs/

Image Credits
Craig Vollmer Photography