Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexiss Larowe.
Hi Alexiss, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I get asked a lot by my patients how I came to do acupuncture. I always tell them the road to where I’ve ended up now has been long and winding.
When I was young, I was in love with culture, history, philosophy, and languages. I grew up in a pretty diverse area, and that probably fed my curiosity about people and the world. When I entered university, I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, but I ended up pursuing and completing a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies at UCSB, spending my senior year in South Korea.
At the time, I was often criticized for that choice. People laughed and told me I wouldn’t be able to do anything with that degree. Humanities degrees haven’t always been respected. But I always felt that if I was going to spend my time and money doing something, it should at least be something I enjoyed and not something just to make someone else happy.
After college, my plan was to go to law school and work in international refugee law. I’ve always felt a deep pull toward serving humanity in some way. The stories I’d heard from refugees over the years really stuck with me, and that field always felt like a calling.
But I ended up putting that dream aside to become a stay-at-home mom for several years. During that time, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. That changed everything. It turned my world upside down and reshaped my life in so many ways. It’s also what led me to shift gears toward healthcare. I realized how many people struggle silently with chronic illness.
This change made me live differently. When we’re young, we feel invincible, like nothing can stop us. Suddenly, I was face-to-face every day with mortality and from a disease that I was told would never go away. Since then, I’ve tried to live more consciously and make choices that honor the idea that every minute counts.
While researching possible careers in healthcare, I started taking pre-med classes with the goal of applying to a PA program. One day in class, I noticed an advertisement on the wall for a Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. After some reflection, I realized becoming a PA didn’t align with my values or beliefs about health. So I changed course quickly.
A lot of people mocked that choice, too. But, like with my bachelor’s degree, I knew it was me who had to get up every day and do the work. The idea of waking up every day to do work I didn’t enjoy has always been one of the most unappealing things I can imagine. Sure, money makes the world go round, but to me, a real flex is being able to say that you actually like what you do and look forward to doing it every day.
My bachelor’s degree ended up helping me in my acupuncture program more than I expected. Because I already understood Eastern philosophy, it made learning Western medicine and integrative approaches much easier. After graduating, I moved down to San Diego.
I worked in different clinics before seeing patients of my own. I started with just one patient who saw me weekly and supported me. She still sees me to this day. I’m so grateful for her and her belief in me!
In the beginning, I rented space once a week in a hair salon that had a back room once used by a massage therapist. I’m still thankful to Salon Sagrado for giving me that first opportunity! From there, I grew slowly and organically, with no marketing, just word of mouth and a few insurance patients. Eventually, I was able to rent a small 500 sq ft office nearby with a front desk and one treatment room. During that time, I worked multiple other jobs to cover my expenses. I didn’t have any financial help or investors. It was all about faith and persistence.
Before my one-year lease was up, I took a big leap and rented a larger available space. I went from 500 sq ft to 1,440, with four treatment rooms. I’ve been in that office for two years now, and when I look back, I feel proud. Our wellness center was built from the ground up, with no shortcuts, and it’s experienced a lot of growth in a relatively short time.
I’m so glad I didn’t let the jokes about my bachelor’s degree or my decision to become a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine steer me off course.
Today, our holistic wellness center continues to grow and blossom into the vision I always imagined. It’s a space where multiple person-centered therapies coexist. I may not be working with refugees or in humanitarian law, but I’ve found great purpose in serving the community around me and helping facilitate solutions for their health goals. So many people are suffering, whether from pain, emotional struggles, or conditions that mainstream medicine often overlooks or doesn’t always have an answer for.
I feel deeply fulfilled being a bridge in people’s healing. It gives me satisfaction to help them reconnect, find peace in the stress of daily life, and feel supported in their personal journeys.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Dimensions Acupuncture and Holistic Wellness?
We consider ourselves more of a boutique wellness center. I say we, because last year, I married the love of my life, and we now run the center together. We both share a deep love for serving humanity and helping people meet their health and wellness goals. There are multiple entrepreneurs working under one roof. We currently have a trauma psychologist, massage therapist, multiple acupuncturists, homeopathist and life coach. We don’t have traditional office hours or a front desk receptionist answering phones and scheduling. We intentionally operate this way so we can stay small, personal, and centered on real provider-patient relationships.
Our mission is to serve, to care, and to offer conservative and alternative options for health and wellness. We are really driven to see people feel better not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually too.
In my practice I offer acupuncture, cupping, and other traditional Chinese medicine therapies, as well as functional medicine consultations for people who are ready to truly transform their health. As a practitioner, I have a specialty track in reproductive medicine, but I also focus on detoxification and longevity protocols. Lately, I’ve been hoping to see more pediatric and adolescent patients. I believe there are so many ways acupuncture can be incredibly therapeutic for children and teens.
Our center is very family-oriented, and we offer non-traditional hours to accommodate people with busy lives or families.
We emphasize integrative and functional medicine and blend traditional wisdom with modern understanding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Dimensionsacu.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dimensionswellness
