Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Hills.
Hi Mary, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My background is actually in real estate, and I have maintained an active real estate license for the last almost 40 years. At some point, I wanted to do something different, so I applied for the nursing program at a local college. But due to overcrowding, it was impossible to get in. I love the northwestern Montana area and decided to apply for a nursing program in the Kalispell area. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, financial aid was denied in Montana. However, it was approved locally. A friend of mine, who is a holistic nurse, discouraged me from a nursing career, and encouraged me to look into a degree at a local holistic college – Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (now known as Pacific College of Health and Science). My initial reaction was, Wow! I had not even considered that as a possibility. The next day, I made an appointment with an enrollment counselor, and registered at the school, with a major in acupuncture and herbal medicine. It was the best thing I have ever done! I went through 4 years of classes and continued with a new, online doctorate program that the school had just opened up…an additional 6 months of training, graduating in 2016 with a doctorate in Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine.
From the start of my training, I knew I wanted to base my practice in Alpine, a mountain community 20 minutes east of San Diego. My practice had its start at an office in El Cajon (down the hill, as locals call it), where I built up a clientele of patients, many of whom had chronic pain issues. Additional training helped me develop a protocol that successfully treated this issue. This method involves connecting the acupuncture needles to alligator clips wired to a machine that uses gentle electrical stimulation, providing a higher degree of success in the relief of pain. I added a 2nd location in Alpine at a local chiropractor’s office on the east end of town, working there 2 days a week.
One day, driving down the boulevard in Alpine, on my way to my office, I saw a “For Rent” sign at a large, well maintained 2 story building….Honey, Stop the Car!! I made a U-turn and secured the phone number on the sign. After previewing the space, I knew this was where I needed to be, and with no hesitation, signed a 3 year lease, letting go of the other locations, and making this my permanent practice location. Since then, I have renewed the lease for 5 years, twice. My landlord actually became one of my patients. My office now has another successful acupuncturist, and 3 other thriving businesses that treat patients with chiropractic, massage, and muscular re-calibration. Because the space was large, I was able to divide the space into a main lobby, 3 treatment rooms, and space for the chiropractor. And because I have an artistic flair, I had fun decorating the office with a beach theme.
During my years as an acupuncturist, and as an animal lover, I became interested in treating animals as well. This required an additional 6 months of training, on and off-site, with hands on training based in Phoenix, AZ. There I acquired a specialty certification and am now certified to treat dogs, cats, horses and other furry critters. I was very blessed to have training provided by Gene Bruno, who originally brought animal acupuncture to the United States in 1972. He wrote the books I use for horses and dogs. Currently, I have clients who bring in their dogs, and I treat horses off-site in different areas of east county. Among my 4 legged patients was a goat named Gus. He was a character and I am in the process of writing a children’s book series about him.
How do I do it all? When you love what you do, it doesn’t seem like work. I see the 2 legged variety Wednesday-Saturday, and 1, maybe 2 days/week for the 4 legged critters. It keeps me busy, and I am constantly learning. I don’t think I will ever stop learning, and retirement isn’t even in my vocabulary. Well, c’est la vie!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been pretty smooth. My age is a factor, as I was 62 when I started this journey. But it really didn’t slow me down. I was fortunate to have financial aid available, which I could not have continued without.
As you know, we’re big fans of To the Point Acupuncture & Wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Refer to my previous post about my business. I treat a lot of people with back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, etc, and also successfully treat anxiety, PTSD and nerve issues. I am also proud to serve many former and current military personnel, who suffer from these issues resulting from their service to our country. Acupuncture provides a relaxing, therapeutic method that releases endorphins, providing a gentle way of treating pain and other issues. Many of my patients fall asleep during treatment. Why electricity?…pain and disease is caused by a lack of electrons in the body…electricity puts electrons back into the body.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I was very shy growing up, and I guess there is some residual of that, though most people don’t know that about me. I am also very religious, being a devout Catholic. People can be surprised about that, since many people in my field are more attracted to eastern religions, like Budhism. I have a statue of St. Michael the Archangel in my office that was given to me by one of my Catholic friends, who has since passed away. I tell people that he guards my place against evil. When I was considering this occupation, I consulted with a few priests, who actually were very encouraging.
Pricing:
- $95 initial visit
- $80 follow up visits
- I also take insurance which varies in payment
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tothepoint4wellness.com/
- Facebook: To The Point Acupuncture & Wellness
