Peony Acupuncture & Apothecary

Lise Takashina, L.Ac., C-DAOM, MTCM - Acupuncturist | Herbalist | Healing Facilitator

Lise was born and raised in Osaka, Japan to an American mother and Japanese father.  Family life in downtown Osaka was steeped in Japanese tradition and culture at street level, interspersed with summers in the Pacific Northwest, camping along the coast  and in the rainforests of  Washington and Oregon.

Lise has a B.A. from Boston University in International Relations with a concentration in East Asian Studies.   Her interest in Chinese Medicine began in 1994 when she was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine while she was studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing.  She continued to live in China until 2001, when she relocated to Canada to commence her studies of Chinese Medicine at The Academy of Classical and Oriental Sciences in Nelson, British Columbia.  

She holds a Masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine (MTCM) from Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, California.  She is currently a Doctoral degree candidate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) also at Five Branches University.  She is a certified Diplomate of Acupuncture by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), and licensed to practice acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in the states of Idaho and California.

In China, Lise completed clinical internships at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute (Beijing), and Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  There, she gained specialization knowledge and experience in: internal medicine, pediatrics, gastro-intestinal diseases, gynecology, neurology, classical herbology and classical acupuncture.  She utilizes her trilingual fluency to draw knowledge from master practitioners and medical and classical texts of English, Chinese, and Japanese language origins.

Lise's eclectic practice is informed and inspired not only by classical techniques of acupuncture and herbalism, but also by Japanese style acupuncture, that utilizes palpatory-based diagnosis which informs the course of acupuncture treatment.  This method makes use of hair thin Japanese needles, requiring subtle and nuanced interaction between the practitioner and the patient.  Lise continues to study and refine her technique by attending  seminars and returning to Japan and China to study with the masters whenever possible.

Lise's treatment philosophy stems from her belief in mind-body-soul-connection inherent in the practice of Chinese Medicine and health and longevity techniques and exercises.  Lise integrates this approach to encourage patients to awaken and balance the connections between the three treasures: Jing, Qi, and Shen on the path towards manifesting true health and vibrancy.