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.

Our emphasis is always on helping our patients achieve their best possible health. Using a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary recommendations, and lifestyle changes, we can often not only help with persistent conditions, but also improve a patient's general well being and happiness. We not only treat the current condition; we also focus on and address the underlying causes that prevent a patient from experiencing their full health and well being.

Specialization:

Leslie has a particular interest and passion for using her talent and knowledge in addressing womens health. She feels that many of the common problems faced by women today can be beneficially addressed by the time-honored methods of Oriental Medicine that she has spent so much time studying and practicing. From the issues involved in the changes a womans body undergoes during the processes of childbirth, to those experienced by older women in their golden years, and in all of the years between, Leslie feels that she has the empathy, knowledge, and understanding to help her clients live the happiest and most fulfilled life possible.

South Baylo University (SBU) clinics are dedicated on providing the highest quality of clinical education to the interns. SBU interns are trained to conduct standardized procedures, identify medical emergency situations, and develop treatment protocols for patients. Interns are educated to explain major concepts and theories of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM). Interns will perform, along with the guidance of a supervisor, AOM diagnostic methods, formulate, implement, monitor, and adapt acupuncture treatment plans.

SBU's goal is to train primary care practitioners in the field of AOM who will demonstrate competencies in patient care and comply with ethical, legal, safety guidelines, and communicate effectively in diverse and multicultural settings.

Using ancient medicine with modern wisdom, I strive to help my patients achieve their health goals. My ultimate goal is to prevent diseases and illness from arising. Through detailed discussion about ones health history, I gain a clearer understanding into how an individuals body works and create a treatment plan specifically for them.

Conditions I treat: Pain, headaches, gynecological health, sleep disorders, eye diseases, digestive disorders, common cold, flu, MVA recovery, cardiovascular disease, just to name a few.

Many Disciplines. One Patient.

In the spirit of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a primary goal of Essential Health Acupuncture is to provide our patients with a broader understanding of health and more lasting sense of well-being. Instead of a disease-centered focus, Traditional Chinese Medicine applies a patient-centered approach that addresses the whole person rather than simply his/her symptoms.

Essential Health Acupuncture combines the disciplines of modern science with the wisdom of ancient healing and takes advantage of the knowledge of several disciplines including, acupunture, tui na (Chinese body work), cupping therapy, diet/nutrition education, physical, mental and emotional health, and Chinese herbology. Other medical modalities that are being utilized are also taken into account to provide the utmost care for the individual. This allows patient and provider to work together to develop an integrated diagnostic and therapeutic plan that will best address the whole patient.