| Spa Wellness Articles :: Spa/Wellness Career Stories |
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| Easing the Tension at Acupuncture Schools |
| by Amanda Fornecker |
Do you have back pain or some sort of internal problem that you can't relieve? Do you lead an active lifestyle and just can't manage to find a good way to relax? Go to places like Acupuncture for Athletes, where you can seek the help of a licensed acupuncurist like Colleen Canyon, MS, L.Ac., who's had a career in acupuncture for six years. And, if you like dealing with people and have an interest in the human body, you can follow in Canyon's footsteps and research Acupuncture Schools near you.
A Personal Health Issue Leads Canyon to Acupuncture Schools
In 1990, Canyon earned her B.S. in Sociology from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). After graduation, she studied Massage therapy but soon realized that she was not interested in making her living that way. She needed something more. While living in Seattle in 1995, Canyon received acupuncture treatments for health problems and realized that she was extremely interested in all that was involved. "It seemed like I could do it and this would help treat more things," she says. She started to look into a degree from acupuncture schools.
When she moved to New York in 1997, Canyon's research of acupuncture schools resulted in her finding Tri-State College of Acupuncture (New York, NY), where she earned her master's in acupuncture degree in 2000. Acupuncture schools are where you will get the basics of your training. Here, she took seminars on Nutrition and various aspects of oriental medicine. She learned from some of the best international professors that acupuncture schools have to offer, since they blended their techniques with that of western medicine, says Canyon. She knew that the techniques learned at acupuncture schools were her calling and found the enthusiasm in her teachers that had been in the field for at least 25 years, contagious. "I recognized [the same excitement] in myself," she says.
Combine Techniques from Acupuncture Schools with Business Savvy
For three years, Canyon was "floundering," as she describes it. But in 2003, after thinking hard about what would give her a competitive edge, she decided to begin her own business and embark on her career in acupuncture. "I'm going to try," she thought, "and if it fails, I'll do something else." And so she thought about what she liked and which particular group of people she wanted to market her services to. That's when she realized came up with the idea for "acupuncture for athletes" and "people with active lifestyles."
Though she says the most challenging part of her career in acupuncture was and always has been the business aspects, she took the initiative to create the business from scratch without help - not even from a PR firm. "I figured, 'I'm smart, I can use my common sense.'" A key marketing tactic is using her detailed Web site to garner clients. "They don't ask questions - they just make an appointment," she says.
And it seems that acupuncture schools have taught Canyon well, and that's she's chosen the right market for her business. Professional athletes, such as TIKI BARBER and JEREMY SHOCKEY (both of the New York Giants), have both lauded acupuncture as a method to relieve the stresses and injuries of their football careers.
Canyon works solo three days a week at her Manhattan practice and one day at a local clinic, where she treats about 12-22 people in a day. "[Working at the clinic] helps me offset the pressure of my private practice because I have another source of income," she says. "Anyone going into the profession needs to consider this."
If you're even considering applying to acupuncture schools, Canyon's advice is simple: "Go where your excitement is internally," she says. "That'll be the key to your success."
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