Meet Abby Friend, DAc, MAc, LAc
DOCTOR OF ACUPUNCTURE & INTEGRATIVE HEALTH
Abby Friend Lic. Ac. holds a Doctorate and Masters in Acupuncture from The New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), one of the oldest, most rigorous and respected Traditional Chinese Medicine schools in the country, and is licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine to practice. She completed her doctoral degree from NESA at The Massachusetts School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Abby’s treatment approach fuses modern science with the wisdom of ancient medicine. She specializes in orthopedic conditions, pain management, and cosmetic facial acupuncture. In addition to acupuncture, Abby offers dry needling, cupping, threading and collagen induction therapy, or microneedling.
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Abby first discovered acupuncture while working at a vet hospital gaining experience before applying to vet school. At the hospital, she saw first-hand how powerfully the animals responded to acupuncture treatments and found the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) model of holistic health was instead more aligned with her medical views.
Abby also worked in other hospital settings including pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, family medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance and veteran services at Pathways to Wellness at the South End Community Health Center where she remained impressed with the impact of TCM. The TCM model focuses on each person as an individual and works to treat the root cause of a problem. Abby found the western model in chronic cases were often treating the symptom, and not addressing underlying disharmony.
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Abby is licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Medicine, a National Board Certified Acupuncturist (NCCAOM), certified in Clean Needle Technique (CCAOM), certified in Auriculotherapy, completed a certified birth doula course through DONA International and is facial rejuvenation certified.
Meet Heather Louks, Lic.Ac., DAOM
LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST AND DOCTORAL CANDIDATE
Heather Louks is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbologist, and Diplomat of Oriental Medicine. With over 6 years of experience with the Cancer Patient Community, she has a strong commitment to holistic well-being, utilizing a range of modalities such as acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, and sound therapy. A certified Yoga instructor, Reiki Master, and Sound Healer, she is recognized for her innovative approach to patient care and dedication to continuous learning and development in the field of women's fertility, mental health, orthopedic conditions, pain management, autoimmune conditions, and facial acupuncture.
Heather has had the privilege of working alongside pioneers in the field of reproductive acupuncture, Dr. Danica Thornberry and Dr. Cristine Chang. Her goal is to help women achieve hormonal balance, improve fertility, and support their overall well-being. Heather collaborates with her patients to integrate acupuncture with Western medical approaches, ensuring a personalized plan that maximizes their chances of success.
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Through her personal journey with thyroid and hormonal imbalances, she has developed a passion for helping others overcome similar challenges using acupuncture. Research has shown that acupuncture can regulate menstrual cycles and address hormonal disorders such as thyroid conditions, autoimmune diseases, PCOS, and endometriosis. Heather's expertise in this area can help you foster inner balance and promote your body's natural healing abilities.
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Heather received her Master’s in Traditional Oriental Medicine from Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, California and her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University. She is a current doctoral candidate at Pacific College of Health and Sciences.
The Modern Acupuncturist Approach
Our passion for Traditional Chinese Medicine is founded on helping patients through a holistic approach by offering alternative solutions. We treat patients from a root cause approach by using an integrative method of healing, looking at the body as a whole, including TCM, diet, lifestyle, and exercise as well as creating an individualized treatment strategy that will target the root cause of each unique system.
We strive to help people lead pain-free lives, focusing on distal meridian posts, and utilizing orthopedic needling triggering specific areas of pain to loosen local and distal muscles thus bringing blood flow to a previously constricted area. We have found that acupuncture is especially helpful in offering relief for disc herniation, plantar fasciitis, migraines, and loosening tight constricted muscles.
Specialty Focus Areas
ORTHOPEDICS
Abby is dedicated to helping people lead pain-free lives by utilizing orthopedic needling triggering specific areas of pain to loosen local and distal muscles thus bringing blood flow to a previously constricted area. This sub-specialty of acupuncture is referred to as Dry Needling, or Motor Point Needling as it fires the muscle’s motor point. Abby completed hundreds of hours in orthopedics to become an expert in this field and can treat complex myofascial conditions.
SKIN HEALTH
Abby also loves helping women feel confident in their skin—naturally. She stays abreast of the latest technology to help promote collagen and elastic production and uses exosomes, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), and medical-grade vitamins in her microneedling services to offer you the most effective treatment. She adamantly believes you must internally feel radiant to match how your skin will feel after a session. For that reason, a full acupuncture session is always included during the microneedling procedure.
Abby’s Story
Abby first discovered acupuncture while working at a vet hospital gaining experience before applying to vet school. At the hospital, she saw first-hand how powerfully the animals responded to acupuncture treatments and found the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) model of holistic health was more aligned with her medical values.
The TCM model focuses on each person as an individual and works to treat the root cause of a problem. Abby found that the Western model in chronic cases was often treating the symptom, not addressing underlying disharmony. Abby utilizes both Chinese and Japanese acupuncture styles and tailors the treatment to each individual patient’s needs and comfort.