Following the Unplanned Path

After graduating from the Acupuncture Program at the Swedish Institute, and getting a New York State acupuncture license, Jon Egan felt a new-found sense of freedom. "School was finally over and my options were entirely open," said Egan. "I knew that soon I would have to start earning an income, but I didn't have any immediate commitments and felt, for the moment, stress free. What a great feeling."

Around the same time, Egan's partner had to relocate from New York to San Francisco. "While moving to California was not part of my original plan, I felt excited to explore what it might have to offer," Egan recalled. "The path turned out to be far more exciting than anything I could have devised."

When he arrived in San Francisco, Egan knew he needed to find an experienced acupuncturist with whom he could intern, in order to sit for the California acupuncture exam.(1) He began his search by contacting Carla Wilson, director of the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, a non-profit clinic near his home that specializes in treating people with hepatitis C and HIV. It turned out to be a fortuitous connection, for Wilson invited him to volunteer at the clinic, where he was soon assisting in a variety of ways.

Integrative Approach to HIV/AIDS

The Quan Yin Center offers acupuncture, therapeutic massage, herbal medicine, Qi Gong, meditation, yoga, and nutritional counseling. It was providing this comprehensive approach for treating HIV as early as 1984. While volunteering there, Egan met the Center's founder, Misha Cohen, O.M.D., L.Ac. Cohen is a highly regarded acupuncturist specializing in infectious disease. She has written three books and has also focused significant time on research projects with acupuncture and herbs.

Egan felt it was an amazing opportunity for him to learn from a master practitioner working with complex health issues. "Many of Misha's patients come from all over the country to seek an alternative treatment for hepatitis C," said Egan. "When Misha wanted to create seminars to educate other practitioners about using acupuncture and herbs to treat hepatitis C, she asked me to help her coordinate them. Through this on-going effort, I have met acupuncturists from all over the country. As a result of these experiences, I was asked to speak at the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance conference held in San Francisco last year.

"Looking back, I am amazed at the direction my life has taken. The value of doing community work was not something I had considered, but through volunteering I established a base of colleagues locally and nationally, became part of a therapeutic team, and feel closely linked to the acupuncture community in San Francisco.

"I urge all practitioners to consider volunteering," Egan continued. "It provides an opportunity to interact with people you might otherwise never meet, and creates a sense of satisfaction as you give freely to your community. It may enable you to develop additional skills and gives an organization a chance to see what you have to offer. This creates the potential for further opportunities. Most important for me, however, is the feeling of being more connected to the community around me. I have discovered that if I am to keep evolving, I can't be only a witness to what's going on, I have to be part of the process."

(1) Licensing requirements vary from state to state. The Swedish Institute program prepares students for the NCCAOM exam which meets licensing requirements in most states except California, which is unique because its acupuncturists are considered primary care practitioners.

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Find out about the services offered at the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center in San Francisco.

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