Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Hsu Friedman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Two events happened that made me pursue natural solutions to skin issues.
First, I was greatly influenced by my paternal grandmother. PoPo, as I called her, lived to be 100 years old, never looked a day over 50 and had youthful energy entire life. She practiced acupuncture and herbal medicine, taught me everything she knew about Chinese medical philosophy whenever I visited and made me realize that natural medicine held many answers to health and longevity.
The second event was having a serious skin condition throughout most of my younger life. I saw all kinds of specialists, tried all kinds of cremes, ointments and western medicines but to no avail. It wasn’t until I was treated by a Chinese Medicine Herbalist when my skin returned to normal and I never had to use anything again to maintain it.
Those two events made me realize that: 1) skin can regenerate; 2) acupuncture and herbal medicine could make this happen and 3) I would really like to learn how to help others get their normal skin back, too.
I then decided to pursue a Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine, spend another two years in post-graduate studies obtaining a Traditional Chinese Medicine Dermatology Diploma and another two years working on a Constitutional Facial Acupuncture certificate and Cosmetic Acupuncture & Rejuvenation certificate.
Has it been a smooth road?
Owning your own business means wearing a lot of hats, all the time. Even though I work in skin, most of my day can be spent making sure that all the physical space, technology, legal, accounting, software, support staff, supplies and what not are working so that my patients receive the best possible care and service.
Some days can be a real challenge when everything goes haywire. But for the most part, I really enjoy all the roles I get to play as a business owner, all the people I get to work with as a result and all the unusual tidbits of knowledge I need to know to keep everything going! I’ve been incredibly lucky to meet many people at the right time to learn what I need to at the right time, both professionally and personally. It is very true that you are only a good as the people who surround and help you!
One of the struggles of being a healthcare provider is managing one’s own health. Healthcare is no doubt a giving profession, so to help others achieve their best health, you absolutely have to be your best self. Like everyone else, it’s easy to excuse yourself from exercise or healthy eating and sleeping habits when you have a long day of patients or a long commute to and from work. But, I learned very fast, that I can’t help anyone if I’m not healthy physically, mentally, psychologically and even, spiritually.
I’m certainly not going to claim that I have a perfect lifestyle, but I will say, I try as hard as I can to do the things that cultivate health and try to minimize the things that don’t so that I can support my patients, appropriately.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Amethyst Holistic Skin Solutions story. Tell us more about the business.
Amethyst Holistic Skin Solutions uses acupuncture and herbal medicine to solve dermatological and cosmetic skin issues. We don’t just manage symptoms, we treat the root cause so you can get your skin and in some cases, your life back.
We treat acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and many more skin conditions with herbal medicine. We also treat cosmetic issues like wrinkles, bags and sags with Constitutional Facial Acupuncture (CFA). For those unfamiliar, CFA is a combination of an acupuncture treatment with the relaxing sensations of a high-end facial using poultices, masks and cremes made of herbal medicines and essential oils…
Most people come to us because they have tried conventional methods and haven’t seen results. What people like the most about Amethyst is that our treatments are 100% natural, work by stimulating your own body’s healing system, treat the entire body as one system and help you look like yourself, but better!
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
In dermatology, herbal medicine will grow exponentially in the next 5-10 years as patients see results that they could not achieve from traditional pharmaceuticals. As a nation, we are seeing more and more dermatological issues due to substantial changes in our environment, diet and emotional/psychological responses to our lifestyles. People will turn to the solutions that work, that deal with the root cause and not just provide temporary relief.
On the cosmetic side, people are recognizing that the face is a mirror of everything going on in the whole body and to achieve a youthful glow, you have to address the whole system which acupuncture and herbal medicine does well. People are also becoming more wary about the effects of injecting toxins into their bodies, the potential of losing the facial characteristics that make them who they are and are recognizing the huge toll that invasive measures take on your system.
As an overall field, acupuncture and herbal medicine will continue to see huge growth as there is a bigger emphasis on treating the whole body, treating underlying issues not just suppressing symptoms and employing methods that don’t come with negative side effects. As such, holistic medicine and lifestyles will continue to become more and more important to those people who seek real health and well-being.
Contact Info:
- Address: 980 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1434
Chicago, IL 60611 - Website: www.amethystacu.com
- Phone: 3122146337
- Email: info@amethystacu.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmethystAcu/
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