Top Acupuncturist in Winter Haven, FL Acupuncturist of the Month Dr. Kathy Teisinger, DAOM

Dr. Katherine Teisinger, Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, has been treating patients since 1997. She graduated from the Florida College of Integrated Medicine in Orlando with a Master’s degree, and received her Doctorate from the Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine. During her time in school, she interned at a hospital in China. As a way to give back to her profession, Dr. Kathy served as Chairman and member of the Board of Acupuncture for the state of Florida for twelve years. She is the author of Balance Me the Body Edition, Let Your Body Tell You What To Eat, which was created to help her patients understand the importance of making good food choices. Dr. Kathy’s book utilizes Chinese Dietary Therapy mixed with Muscle Testing to help people with their food choices. In her clinic, Dr. Kathy uses Acupuncture, Auricular Therapy using the Point-O-Select, Bio Well, Acugraph, Chinese Herbs, Chinese Dietary Therapy, Gua Sha, Stretching, and Cupping to treat her patients. Her office is located in Winter Haven, FL.

Welcome, Dr. Kathy Teisinger, DAOM! Thank you for joining us for Acupuncturist of the Month!

So, how long have you been practicing acupuncture for, and what are your specialties?

I started school in 1996 at the Florida College of Oriental Medicine in Orlando Florida. This was the first school on the East coast to become accredited. I received my licensed in 2000. Pain relief became my specialty due to where I live. In Florida we have a large population of retired people.

What inspired you to become an acupuncturist? 

I wanted to have a holistic license to practice medicine in the State of Florida and this was my best option.

You also wrote a book, that’s amazing! What was the motivation behind creating “Balance Me; The Body Edition”? 

Most people are not aware of muscle testing, and the importance of the food we eat. Your food can be your best friend or your worst enemy. How do you know what’s right for you? Muscle testing can help you decide.

What were you hoping to convey to readers with your book, both acupuncturists and patients?

Every person is different. What’s right for you might not be right for your best friend. Convincing and letting people know this was why I wrote that book.

On your journey to become an acupuncturist, what obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?

Being dyslexic means I don’t always read the words that other people see. By accepting and overcoming the way my brain works was a great lesson for me. I figured out I needed to learn in a way that worked for me. By learning it was okay not to learn the way that everyone else did. 

Share a recent success story you had with a patient. What acupuncture points, herbs, or other interventions (meditation, yoga, nutrition, etc) did you use to help them achieve results?

One of my favorite stories is about a man who had a headache every day for six years. He lived his life on the couch. He was in too much pain to do much else. He did not come to see me for his headaches. He came to see me because his back hurt. On his third treatment, he mentioned his headaches. So I used auricular therapy with the Point-O-Select on him. After two treatments, he never had another headache again. 

Explain some of the benefits of using Acugraph and Bio-well in your practice. How have these services aided in your experiences and treatment with patients?

When I was in the Doctorate Program, one of my mentors had two doctorate degrees. He told me he used the Acugraph system to help treat patients. I couldn’t figure out why he needed a computer to tell him what to do when he had two doctorates. His answer was “my patients love reports.” This is a way that a computer can tell them how our treatments make a difference in their health. 

The Bio Well system measures the electrons coming off of the energy points from their fingers. It gives them a broader view of what’s going on in their body. I usually use one system or the other. Not both. I don’t have time. 

Tell us more about your service ‘Braintap’. What differences have you noticed in using the Braintap for various patient concerns?

Braintap is a technology that shows people how meditation can help their body. For the people that do not like to wear a headset I use frequency music to help them relaxed.

What makes you feel inspired about acupuncture?

It is so much fun to put a couple of needles in someone’s hand, teach them a stretching routine, do a little Gua Sha or cupping, and have their pain either reduced or totally disappear in a matter of an hour. 

Looking back, what advice would you have given to the younger version of yourself, who was just getting started in this profession?

Never stop learning. Know that what we bring to the health care profession is greatly needed. Someone needs to teach people how to better take care of their body.

What keeps an acupuncture practice going?

Being positive. Being loving, Being kind, and compassionate. Getting out in your community and teaching people what we can bring to their lives. Now thanks to social media. This can even be easier.

What are specific roadblocks to watch out for as a new acupuncturist?

Over spending. Keep your overhead low. Rent office space from established businesses like chiropractors, or other healthcare groups. After 15 years I finally could afford a four room treatment office of my own.

We have all occasionally had a patient come into our practice who is upset, frustrated, and a little angry. Maybe it’s from work, being stuck in traffic, or life in general – we have all been there! What advice would you give to fellow acupuncture students and/or colleagues on how to deal with situations like these?

Most of the time these people just need someone to listen to them. Then I use the Point-O- Select on their ears and relaxing acupuncture needles if they’re comfortable with them. 

What are your favorite acupuncture points, and why?

Master Tung Points.  Most of the time I start with these points just to get immediate results. It helps the patient to understand how well Acupuncture works.

Tell us about some herbal formulas and foods you find yourself consistently recommending to your patients, friends, and colleagues.  What makes these herbs/foods so helpful?

I have a large herbal pharmacy because I muscle test every single herbal formula that goes out of my clinic. One size does not fit all. Most people have food sensitivities. The worst are dairy products, wheat products, sugar and deep fat fried foods. Again I muscle test to determine what is good for them and what is not. When the human body test positive for a herbal formula or food, then it is going to do the body good. 

Sometimes, the best resource for improving our skills is by learning from the other acupuncturists we meet along our professional journey.  What is one thing you learned from a fellow acupuncturist or holistic practitioner that has helped you in your professional growth, or in your care for patients?

I have been so fortunate in my continuing education. I have picked up information from so many different people. I am grateful to my patients, as well as the instructors I have worked with over the years. Books, videos, lectures, there are so many different ways of learning. Never stop learning. 

You developed a skincare line – so cool! What made you want to develop your own skincare?

I have extremely sensitive skin. I am allergic to laurel sulfate which means that I cannot use soap. This is what inspired me to start developing my own skin care.

How did you come up with the formulas for the skincare line?

I started playing around with grape seed, coconut oil, and Epson salts for my body. Then I turned 55, and my skin began to show it. So I took a course on the Internet from England on how to formulate natural skin care. My skin care is still very different from most because anytime you use water in your skin care, you must use a preservative.

What advice or lessons-learned would you like to pass along to other acupuncturists who also want to develop their own line of products?

It takes years to develop your own product line. Product testing on yourself  and your own patients. If your patients don’t get good results from your products, then they will not be successful.

The COVID-19 pandemic has without a doubt had a significant impact on the acupuncture practice community and small businesses alike. How have you been handling the COVID-19 situation as an acupuncture practice owner and individual?  What advice or wisdom would you like to share with other acupuncturists who are also navigating through these precarious times?

I guess because I handle my business differently, I actually did more business during the Covid pandemic than I have ever done before. I used the herbal formula published in Acupuncture Today. None of the herbal suppliers would sell it already made. So I turned one of the rooms in my home into a lab. I bought the individual herbs and would make up the formula and put it in capsules for my patients. This gave me a confidence in myself, and my ability to treat my patients. That confidence turned out to be true when none of my patients who got Covid had to even go to the hospital.  

I also used an ozone machine in my clinic every night to sterilize it, and I use a UV sterilizer for my face cradles. Along with Thieves hand sanitizer for each and every individual. Your patients are going to pick up on your confidence; be confident and your patients will trust you.

Do you have any daily habits or rituals that keep you at your “best-self”, both as an acupuncture practitioner and person?

I meditate every single day. I also take time to take care of myself. If I do not take care of myself, how can I expect my patients to take care of themselves?

The kindest thing a patient said to you recently:

Thank you for saving my life.

The funniest thing a patient said to you recently: 

They told me while they were at the pool somebody wanted to know what those marks were on their back. They said they had been abducted by aliens, and that’s why they had cupping marks on their back.

As an acupuncturist, what are you most proud of thus far in your professional journey?

Giving back to my profession by serving 12 years on the Board of Acupuncture for the state of Florida. Also, going to Washington and participating in the education of legislatures that allowed the approval of Medicare.

If you could have a billboard with anything on it, what would it be and why? 

Want to be healthy and feel good? Learn how. Contact Acupuncture Therapy Center. In my office, I do more than fix a patient; I teach them how to fix themselves.

What is your definition of success?

When I was able to afford a washer and dryer in my office. Now it’s when my latest product the Ply-U-Flex Massage Stick will be a common product in people’s homes. 

If you could have one superpower what would it be and why? 

To spread love, kindness, and compassion to everyone I meet. Because with these three things, it would make this planet a better place to live.

*Rapid fire questions! *:

–Morning or night? Night
–Tea or coffee? Coffee
–Sun or moon? Sun
–Cupping or Tui na? Cupping
–Yin or Yang? Yin
–Meditation or exercise? Meditation
–Top 3 Favorite Books? You Can Heal Your Life, The 4 Agreements, Insights of a Senior Acupuncturist
–Instagram or Facebook? Facebook

Where can other licensed acupuncturists, students, and patients go to learn more about your work?

Webiste: drkathytei.com

YouTube: Dr. Katherine Teisinger DAOM

Facebook: Dr. Kathy’s Beauty

Book: Balance Me The Body Edition

Soon to come: www.plyuflex.com