“When I first started coming to Yamin as a patient I thought I knew how to take care of myself through exercise and diet. Every year, my annual physical would result in page after page of numbers that confirmed my outlook. It reaffirmed my core goals: Keep doing what you’re doing, don’t change. But then my numbers (cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.) started trending upward. I was forced to evaluate my relationships to food, to exercise, to stress. I didn’t really want to do it and it took quite some time to get into that flow. Eventually, I was able to do that and make significant changes in my life. My most recent physical (February 2012) gave me a clean bill of health. My numbers are down where they need to be.
How did I get to that position? A lot of hard work on my part. But I could never have walked through that door without Yamin. First of all, she made me aware that there was a door. Then, when I wanted to ignore the door (although the room I was in was getting stuffy and very uncomfortable) she persuaded me that it did exist. Ultimately, Yamin was a huge factor in getting me to walk through it.
The results of my most recent physical do provide a basic assurance and endorsement of how I am trying to live. But I now realize that the numbers from my physical reflect only one aspect of “good health.” “Good health” is not a static state of being but is always changing and so demands ongoing change from each of us. Constant self-awareness and mindfulness with numbers, yes, but so much more. Our journey in life is primarily a spiritual one. Who are we? Where are we trying to go? The never-ending struggle to answer these questions involves not just physical health but spiritual, emotional, and mental health. Indeed, all aspects of health interpenetrate each other in a constant dance. None of this can simply be reduced to a formula, a list of daily dos and don’ts (although I do keep one). I have found that the most important thing is just accepting the challenge and facing the obstacles that are part of that. I am happy to be there. I thank Yamin for working with me to make it possible.–L.B.
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“I met Yamin Chehin at Yo San University, Los Angeles, in December, 2008. I was a patient suffering with recurring colds. After a few consultations with Yamin, we quickly came to the understanding that my colds were related to a suppressed desire. I wanted to have a child, and I had kept my desire bottled up for seven years. Ultimately, this suppression greatly weakened my immune system in relation to my general wellbeing. I was 40 years old at the time, and was also working with multiple fibroids. Some were 12cm in size. According to Western medicine, these should have been surgically removed. I was against having surgery. Yamin agreed that surgery was not necessarily the only option. She prescribed a mild colon cleansing, a diet plan, and acupuncture treatments. I decided to give myself a chance to become a potential mother.
After working with Yamin, my health greatly improved, and in July, 2009, my desire became real: I was pregnant. The pregnancy went smoothly. My son was born in February, 2010. The emotional and psychological conditions were very challenging. Yamin’s understanding and professional dedication were critical to my wellbeing; she understood my body and spirit. She always led me, and later my son, back into the center of our balance. Many things in my life were not perfect, but the course of my pregnancy and the birth of my son was miraculous, and without any demanding symptoms or complications. I owe this to Yamin Chehin. Specifically, to her gifted ability as an acupuncturist, her sensitivity to my psychological needs, and her diligent, intuitive work as a healthcare professional. Thank you, Yamin.” -Parichard
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“I have had the great pleasure of being a patient of Yamin Chehin for over a year now. While I have experienced many practitioners of TCM, as this has been my primary mode of health care for over a decade, she is by far the most gifted, intuitive practitioner I have come across.
We met after I signed up for a Qigong series she was teaching for Yo San University. What a beautiful teacher of the form! I had a torn meniscus in my right knee and having already had one meniscal surgery from dancing, I did not want another. Very shortly after meeting her, I became a patient and with her help, fully recovered my injured knee. She is brilliant with the acupuncture needles, coupled with her incredible knowledge and love of herbs, moxa and cupping.
Being in the mid stage of my life, I have had other, more challenging health issues and Yamin has been an incredible healing partner. I mean this in the truest sense. I feel partnered with her in my healthcare. In a session with her, I feel truly listened to and heard on all levels…mind, body and soul. To me, this is essential for deep, lasting transformative healing to take place and in her care, all this is possible. I value all the insights I have gained through our sessions and will carry them forward into a new paradigm of wellness.
It is without hesitation that I wholeheartedly recommend Yamin. She is a gift.
With gratitude. Kim.
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“I discovered “Chinese Medicine” about 8 or 9 years ago. Not feeling “whole”..feeling like I was off and having a number of annoying problems plus a true curiosity about this type of medicine caused me to seek and try something other than “western medicine” I’ve never been one to just take a pill. There has to be a better way. I’d heard about an acupuncture college that made it affordable to seek help. Right from the beginning I found relief for a number of problems. I was attracted also to the sincerity and “spiritual” side of this medicine. Every 3rd year practitioner that worked on me was helpful. I experienced “cupping”, herbal remedies, accupuncture and lots of good advice as to how to maintain the good effects of this medicine. At this school I was asked by a master accupuncturist to be apart of student classes and then be treated by the master. This was amazing. If 3rd year students are good, the master was just that-a master! What a difference in treatment. I have over the years become close to some practitioners as they graduated and moved on to private practice. But I have to say that for me, finding Yamin Chehin has been a Godsend. We connected immediately and her sincere and gentle and intelligent manner coupled with her expertise in her field of Chinese medicine has given me enormous relief from some problems and given me plenty of “food for thought” as to changing some bad habits and living a healthier more centered life. There is such an intelligence to this style of medicine and it truly resonates with me in my life. I am grateful to have found this alternative way to heal and live a “kinder, gentler” way to experience medical treatment.
Joy Smeltzer
Healing Cycles 