Elena LaCasse is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Registered with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO). After graduating from The New Earth College in Scarborough, Elena has worked extensively with motor vehicle accident patients, professional athletes and people suffering from chronic pain. Passionate about her work, Elena combines different modalities of Acupuncture such as Gua-cha, Cupping, Electro-acupuncture, Auricular acupuncture, etc. to achieve the best possible results. Through her continuing education, Elena is always looking for new and different approaches to better heal her patient’s health problems. She strongly believes that the human body is a complete unit, a self-regulating and self-healing mechanism. She has an eclectic practice where she treats patients of all ages with diverse health problems, but her special interests are women's health, depression disorders, addiction problems, trauma and chronic pain. Also, she is proud to propose to her patient Cosmetic Acupuncture treatment, where she has outstanding results. For more information please visit her web-site www.acupuncture4you.org.

“I feel so privileged to be in the position, for the rest of my life, to help others. The best part of my job is being able to help people truly heal. Most people, to some degree, are in some level of pain, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional. My goal as a provider is not only to treat symptoms, but more importantly to treat the root causes of those symptoms to help people truly be well and live vibrantly. That’s what wellness is, and that’s what I love to help others achieve.”

When Melinda is not treating patients, you will most likely find her in the ocean with her family on the Seacoast of NH. Melinda is an avid surfer (yes, even during the New England winters!), certified yoga teacher, and lifelong athlete. She possesses an innate appreciation of the importance of developing and maintaining a strong and healthy body and mind.

As a licensed Acupuncturist, Melinda blends the best of both eastern and western medicine. In addition to her education and clinical experience, Melinda spent over a decade training doctors in medical devices and robotic surgical technology. As a result, she has an excellent foundation and appreciation for western medicine, while recognizing the importance of comprehensive, integrative care for patients. Compelled by helping others, she made the decision to leave her career and become a healthcare provider herself. Melinda chose the field of Acupuncture because it gives her the unique opportunity to provide personalized, holistic, patient-centered care.

Melinda Ferreira is a nationally board-certified Diplomate of Acupuncture, and is licensed to practice in the state of NH. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Masters Degree in Acupuncture from the New England School of Acupuncture at MCPHS University. During her 3 years of training, she completed clinical internships at Massachusetts General Hospital, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Cambridge Health Alliance, MCPHS University, and Element Care Senior Clinic. She is currently completing her Doctorate in Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine.

Deborah Hutchinson, PhD, LAc is an NCCAOM® certified acupuncturist practicing in downtown Lexington, KY.

She completed a 3-year Masters-level acupuncture program at the former Maryland Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Bethesda, MD), which included a year of Chinese herbal medicine training as well as study in China at a summer acupuncture course at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in 2002. She has a doctorate in Anthropology from the University at Buffalo where she studied the transnational flow of Chinese Medicine and conducted ethnographic fieldwork at the European Institute of Oriental Medicine in Munich, Germany. She completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship in patient safety at the VA Medical Center in Lexington, KY. She currently is a part-time instructor for the Department of Medical Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky, where she is a behavioral science preceptor for first-year medical students.

At Santa Cruz CORE, we have a passion for what we do. We make an effort to spend significant time and energy with each patient to ensure their needs are met. For us, it’s more than just acupuncture; our acupuncturists work with multiple healing modalities during an acupuncture session to get you feeling better. Working to create positive change in the body, we use a combination of needling, moxa, gua sha, cupping, ear seeds, massage, and Tai Chi and Qi Gung. Each individual is treated as such, an individual with an unique body and we use our various tools to create the most healing we can in each session.

Acupuncture and Naturopathy