Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Deems.
Leslie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When faced with my healing crisis in 1995, I turned to Chinese Medicine and other integrative therapies to aid in my own recovery process. It was long and grueling, most of my 20’s were spent in bed, but I gradually gained more strength and was able to return to school to pursue my education in the field of Chinese Medicine.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would not say that it has been a smooth road. The challenges that came up were many. I was looking for help and support, “outside the box,” so to speak. I grew up in a family that was very involved in western medicine, both professionally and emotionally. The philosophy and ideology presented with Chinese Medicine were counter to much that I had been exposed to growing up. There was much skepticism from my family in my quest for health along untraditional pathways. I knew that the therapies presented to me from family doctors and specialists were not helping me, and in many ways were contributing to my illness. I essentially searched elsewhere in order to save my own life. This was not the only struggle. When young women fall ill to mysterious illnesses there are many labels available from both the medical community and lay people, the most popular one being depression. I had to fight, always fight, to prove that I had something wrong with my physical body, that I needed help to figure out why my body was deceiving me and shutting down. Depression was just a by product of the process of losing my health, it wasn’t the root cause. It was a constant battle back to health. Nothing came easily.
Please tell us about your business.
My business name is Awaken Balance. The focus of Awaken Balance is to support people in just that, creating balance in their lives: emotionally, mentally, and physically. The body is always striving for homeostasis but sometimes needs support in maintaining equilibrium. In this fast past world, we all need tools for creating balance in our lives. Awaken Balance’s intention is to support people in that process so that they can be living their best lives.
First let me say that I work with all age groups, from infant to elderly, and treat many different conditions, everything from auto-immune disease to low back pain, from weight loss to overuse injuries. I am known for treating those patients that fall between the cracks in our health care system, those with a diagnosis like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, PTSD, allergies, insomnia, restless leg, lupus, chronic pain, and more. I spend time with my patients, finding the right pieces to their puzzle, in order to assist the body back into dynamic health.
What sets me apart from others is that I have walked the path of extreme illness. I have been where you are, fighting for health. I know what it’s like to feel chronic pain every day, and I am familiar with many different tools that help move people away from despair and pain and back to living vibrant healthy lives.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I wouldn’t have moved as often. Stopping and starting practice in different locations is difficult.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.awakenbalance.com
- Phone: 510.846.8451
- Email: leslie@awakenbalance.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awakenbalance/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/awaken-balance-carlsbad?osq=awaken+balance
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