Who: Rachel Hemphill, DACM, L.Ac., FABORM
Practice: City Pulse Acupuncture
Specialty: Fertility, Women's Health, and Cosmetic Acupuncture
Location: Oakland, California
Instagram: @citypulseacupuncture
TCM in Modern Wellness
How did you get acquainted with TCM?
I grew up hearing stories about my great aunt in China who practiced acupuncture. My mother visited her and came home with books and charts that I was fascinated by as a child. My grandmother made seasonal soups for our family with specific ingredients chosen for what the body needed at that time of year. By the time I formally studied TCM it felt less like learning something new and more like finally having the language for something I had always known.
How has TCM impacted your life?
TCM taught me to pay attention. To food, to seasons, to the signals my body sends before they become symptoms. I eat with the seasons and think about what I put in my body as medicine first. Living inside this medicine for fifteen years changes how you move through the world. I am a better practitioner because I try to live what I teach.
What's your favorite way to de-stress?
Movement has always been my reset. Right now that means lifting weights, working on mobility, and being intentional about recovery. In TCM balance matters as much as intensity. When movement is not enough, comedy is. Laughter is genuinely therapeutic and deeply underrated as a clinical tool.
What's one advice you would share with your patients?
Be kind to your body, especially when it is not doing what you need it to do. Fertility journeys are long and the internal narrative matters as much as the protocol. In TCM the mind and body are inseparable. Chronic self-criticism creates qi stagnation as surely as poor diet or stress does. Your body is not failing you. It is asking for something. Listen to it with kindness.
Acupressure At Home
What is one health issue that’s common in your practice?
Fertility challenges. I have spent fifteen years working with patients navigating IVF, recurrent pregnancy loss, endometriosis, PMOS, and unexplained infertility. It is the most common and the most meaningful work I do.
What is one acupressure point that is helpful for this issue?
Spleen 6, or SP6, located three finger widths above the inner ankle bone on the back of the shin. It is one of the most powerful points in the entire materia medica for women's health. It nourishes Blood, supports the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney simultaneously, regulates the menstrual cycle, and calms the Shen. I use it in almost every treatment. To stimulate it at home, apply firm pressure with your thumb for one to two minutes on each side. Do not use it during pregnancy.
Food As Medicine
What is your favorite TCM herb?
Dang Gui, Chinese Angelica Root. It is the most important herb in TCM for women's health. It nourishes and moves Blood, regulates the menstrual cycle, and supports reproductive health in a way that nothing else in the materia medica quite replicates. I have been prescribing it for fifteen years and I am still in awe of what it does.
Favorite food and why?
Black sesame seeds. In TCM black foods nourish the Kidney system, which governs reproduction, aging, and constitutional vitality. Black sesame specifically nourishes Kidney jing and Liver Blood, supports hair health, and is rich in zinc, iron, and lignans that support hormonal balance. I add them to everything. They are one of the most underrated foods in any kitchen.
Favorite YINA product and why:
YINA Lumidrops. I take these every day and my hair and nails grow like crazy. The formula is built around two of my favorite herbs in the entire materia medica. He Shou Wu nourishes Kidney essence and Liver Blood and is one of the oldest herbs used for preventing premature graying. Dang Gui, my personal favorite, nourishes Blood and supports the hormonal systems that determine the health of your hair from the inside out. The fact that Yina put them both in a collagen gummy I actually look forward to taking every day is reason enough.
