Meet Heidi Beucher of Kwai Fah Acupuncture in Edgewater

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Beucher.

Heidi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been the collector or stories, secrets, wishes, and hopes as well as fears, worries, losses, and inner turmoil for as long as I can remember. I thought I would become a therapist because of how often my advice on difficult situations was sought. I ended up using my gifts after college to do office management and retail work before finding my way to a physical therapists office to be the receptionist. I had never heard of the energy component of our bodies before but, as I am when intrigued,

I began seeking a way to understand what all the practitioners were talking about. I booked sessions with massage therapists that did reiki and chakra clearings, I received medical qi gong and sat in on numerous presentations that included muscle testing. Wanting to work with this knowledge, I received my Reiki certification in 2004, an accomplishment that jump-started my new adventure.

In the class after receiving the attunement, we shared Reiki with one another. We were told the sensations and impressions would be different for each of us. I had my hands on a woman’s shoulder blade and out of nowhere I asked her “When did you have surgery where they cut you from left to right a few inches below your belly button?” She replied about five years previously and I continued to assure her this is why she had shoulder pain. I still can’t tell you how I knew, but I continued to work with individuals and finish my reiki master training, having more of these types of interactions as the years went on.

I didn’t want the reputation of being the person who could tell you something about yourself by putting my hands on you, so I went looking for a way to wrap this gift into a degree. I thought massage therapy but, at an acupuncture school open house, I found my vocation and calling all in one. I told myself I would try it for a semester in January 2006. I stayed on, earning my Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine in 2010 and have loved every minute of it, including the numerous continuing-education courses I have had to take since graduating.

I have been in private practice since 2010 and established my permanent location in Edgewater in the fall of 2015. It is amazing to have a healing home that I share with other practitioners to help individuals on their healing paths in numerous ways.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have discovered that we learn as much about ourselves along the road as a medical practitioner as our clients do. It has not been an easy journey. They say the first five years of a business is the hardest. They are not kidding. A lot of time, dedication, sacrifice, investment, and, at times, doubt have played a large role. I had six other ideas of what I was building over the course of eight years, from house calls, working at other clinics, covering for acupuncturists out on sick leave or vacations, and having five other places where I practiced before I found my home in Edgewater. All of that movement happened over a five-year time frame. I would say that faith, effort, and being true to the medicine as well as the clients are what helped me make it so far. Each person I have treated, I have also walked with during important parts of their lives. I believe that this particular medicine is best administered when we realize we are building relationships with each other and they take time, trust, and honesty.

At times, I thought that this may not be what I should be doing. But then, I would have a client tell me just how much my care had affected their lives for the better and felt validated for my path and charged through that difficult moment. Often times, we don’t know where we are headed, but, by putting one foot in front of the other, we continue until we find our sign posts along the way letting us know where the next leg of the journey is taking us.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kwai Fah Acupuncture – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I use Traditional Chinese Medicine as my foundation in how to help you on your health journey, employing acupuncture, cupping, guasha, moxa, reiki, aroma acupressure therapy, esoteric acupuncture, and mei zen acupuncture into my treatments. But it is so much more.

I find that what sets me a part is that I listen to my clients and do not discredit any of their concerns. Our society does not have many places where we can show up, tell our truths, and have someone fully focused on our concerns. We are not heard and are forced to advocate for ourselves during our lowest times. With my care, you are not a symptom but a person suffering from a symptom. I want to know how long you’ve been hurting, how has it progressed, what have you done, and where you want to go and what you hope the outcome of our time together will look like. The story of you is just as important as your sleep patterns and pain expressions.

I enjoy working with individuals who want to take an active role in their lives, individuals who know there is more to this life than just the daily grind and want to partake in the exploration of the world around them. I tend to put the odd pieces of puzzles together to help bring people back to balance so they can propel themselves further on their journeys then they could alone. I laugh a lot with my clients as humor is essential to this journey!

We can’t make up the situations we find ourselves in at times and I often get asked: “is there a needle for that?” YES, there is! I am glad you asked.

A lot of my patients have come in for a variety of conditions, especially autoimmune disorders, fertility assistance, digestive conditions, and many others.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Kwai Fah houses six practitioners all using a three-room clinic space. We are in the process of dreaming up a larger space to serve more people. We would like to incorporate more classes and presentations as well as offer new modalities, such as chiropractic care, qigong, cranial-sacral, and more. To do that we need to expand our space. We are hopeful that by year’s end we will know what that looks like and how long it will be until we can continue on our journey of helping as many in the area as possible.

Pricing:

• Students, Seniors, Military, and First Responders all receive a discount
• Pay What You Can Clinic Wednesday evenings from 6-9pm $20 suggested donation. One-on-one sessions. First come first served

Contact Info:

• Address: 1208 W Granville Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
• Website: www.kwaifah.com
• Phone: 872-216-3455
• Email: info@kwaifahacupuncture.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/Kwaifah
• Yelp: yelp.com/biz/kwai-fah-acupuncture-clinic-chicago

Image Credit:
Profile pictures Rose Yuen Photography, Jenna Grooms

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