Practitioners shaped by deep study, mentorship, and a genuine love of this medicine.
Melinda Iglesias Wheeler DAcCHM L.Ac.
“I trust in the body’s innate healing power. My work, all of it is to ally with that power and help people find their way to living their lives more fully.” — MelindaHi, I’m Melinda, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist practicing classical acupuncture in Portland, Oregon. I founded Malachite Medicine to carry forward everything I have come to know and understand about Chinese Medicine and bring it to life through meaningful clinical practice. Malachite Medicine exists to provide the kind of care that allows real transformation to take root. I bring my entire self to this work and I do so with reverence not only for the medicine, but for the beauty and the wonder that is the human body and spirit. It is my privilege to do this work every day and be present for the incredible healing that takes place when we are supported and encouraged to open up to it.
PHILOSOPHY
The body has an astounding capacity to heal. Symptoms are never problems to be suppressed, but rather messages to be acknowledged and understood. East Asian medicine is not a collection of techniques.
It is a complete system, a medicine-philosophy, a way to engage with life — with the body, with its relationship to the natural world, and with all of the conditions under which health and illness arise. It has been studied, refined, and transmitted for more millennia, and it continues to surprise the practitioners who give their lives to it.
My work — through classical acupuncture, herbalism, and bodywork — is to provide the body (and the person) the opportunity to change. My work is never to override the body’s intelligence, but instead to ally with it. I listen carefully to its patterning, honor the aspects of physiology and pathology that are present, and support the person in moving through disease — and likewise toward a life in which they feel genuinely at home.
Classical medicine has always understood that the body, the nervous system, and consciousness are not separate. Tending to one means tending to them all. This integrated view is what makes the medicine so effective for complex, chronic, or multifaceted conditions — and it is the lens through which I hold every patient with whom I have the good fortune of working.
TRAINING & MENTORSHIP
I graduated with a Doctor of Science in Oriental Medicine (DSOM) and a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) from the National College of Natural Medicine (now NUNM). I am nationally board certified through the NCBAHM, and licensed in the state of Oregon. I am a Certified Instructor of Shen-Hammer Pulse Diagnosis, one of the most clinically precise pulse diagnosis traditions in East Asian medicine. My post-graduate training is focused on classical acupuncture through the use of the Complement Channels. I am constantly learning from, deeply fascinated by, and committed to this medicine in my own daily study and mentorship. I find it universally true that a practitioner who keeps learning brings something new into every treatment.
My formation as a practitioner was shaped not only by rigorous academic training, but also by years of continued dedicated study and practical training through mentorship. I am an active, ardent student of classical acupuncture as taught by Ann Cecil-Sterman. The learning opportunities afforded to me through mentorship have increased and calibrated my ability to listen deeply: to whomever is in front of me, to their pulse, to their body’s patterning, to the ways they seek contact (to stay intact), and last but not least, to what each person brings into the treatment room beyond what they can put into words.
IN THE TREATMENT ROOM
Malachite Medicine is founded on the principle that healing happens best when we show up exactly as we are. I show up as I am each day, with each patient, ready to embark on the healing journey alongside my patients without judgement or expectation.
Patients often feel seen as they are, saying things like, “You make me feel genuinely heard,” or, “You always ask about things I forgot to mention.”
One comment in particular embodies the goal and intention of my work each day:
“Melinda brings deep intuition to her diagnostic work and an unhurried quality to her presence. I come in feeling like a collection of problems and leave feeling like a whole person.”
CREDENTIALS
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.), State of Oregon
Doctor of Science in Oriental Medicine (DSOM)
Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM)
Board Certified — NCBAHM
Certified Instructor, Shen-Hammer Contemporary Oriental Medicine Pulse Diagnosis
2023 Graduate of The Mentorship Program by Ann Cecil-Sterman
Kelsie Hammit, MSOM, L.Ac, LMT
“I believe the body is always communicating — through sensation, symptoms, emotion, and rhythm. My work is to listen carefully, help patients reconnect to those deeper conversations, and support the body in returning to a state of greater ease, vitality, and coherence.” — Kelsie
Hi, I’m Kelsie, a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and professional astrologer practicing in Portland, Oregon. My work is rooted in Classical Chinese Medicine and guided by a deep reverence for the body’s innate intelligence and capacity for healing. I am deeply honored to support patients in the process of unwinding and reconnecting with themselves, and to witness the transformation that becomes possible when the body is genuinely listened to and supported.
PHILOSOPHY
I have always been deeply fascinated by the body and the way our life experiences live within it. Over and over, I find myself in awe of the body’s ability to communicate through symptoms, sensation, emotion, and patterning, each carrying its own story, timing, and intelligence. In moments of impasse, when we find ourselves searching for clarity, a way forward, or relief from the tremendous impact life can have on the mind, body, and spirit, Classical Chinese Medicine and Western Astrology have so much to offer. Together, they provide a language and navigation system for understanding our experiences more deeply, allowing us to move through life with greater reverence, awareness, and presence.
TRAINING & MENTORSHIP
I graduated with a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) from the National University of Natural Medicine and am nationally board certified through the NCCAOM and licensed in the state of Oregon. My journey with medicine has been shaped through mentorship and study across many healing traditions, including Western Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Classical Chinese Medicine, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Western Astrology, Medical Astrology, Homeopathy, and the ancient practice of Qi Gong. Each of these rich lineages of wisdom have woven together to form my frame of reference, ultimately benefiting each patient that I have the honor to witness and support. Through this integrated approach, I am able to draw upon a wide range of tools to support those navigating complex trauma, chronic illness, and nervous system dysregulation, helping patients find relief and unwind into a state that brings greater ease and integration of self and body.
A profound influence on both my life and work was my late teacher and mentor Bill Frazier, L.Ac., whose decades of practice in Chinese Medicine, Astrology, and Qi Gong deeply shaped my understanding of healing, embodiment, and the art of listening. His mentorship continues to fundamentally inform the presence I have in the treatment room, reminding me that the most important thing is presence and intention.
IN THE TREATMENT ROOM
In the treatment room, my role is to listen deeply and help patients hear the conversations their bodies are already trying to have with them through symptoms, sensation, emotion, and patterning. I often think of myself as a translator for the body’s messages, helping patients arrive at the “of course” moments that can emerge when their experiences are finally given language, context, and care. It is my deep honor to witness my patients and their experiences, to be both a cosmic cheerleader and an earthly doula as they navigate the twists and turns of the journey of life.
CREDENTIALS
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.), State of Oregon
Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), State of Oregon
Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM)
Board Certified — NCBAHM
Emma Mezher, L.Ac. Japanese Acupuncture & Moxibustion Manual Therapy
“I believe our bodies are infinitely wise, able to heal and re-calibrate, and sometimes just need a little reminder of how to do that.” — EmmaHi, I’m Emma, a licensed acupuncturist whose work is deeply informed by Japanese acupuncture styles, bodywork, and the 5-element theory of East Asian medicine. My path toward acupuncture began during my years practicing massage therapy, when I first encountered the profound correspondences between organs, seasons, emotions, and aspects of spirit within East Asian medicine. In 2010, I graduated from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco after finding acupuncture to be personally transformational and feeling called to pursue it more deeply.
PHILOSOPHY
Perhaps in part because of my background in massage therapy, I have always resonated with acupuncture styles that utilize touch as the basis for treatment. I enjoy thinking with my hands through practices like abdominal diagnosis, palpation of the meridians, and bodywork approaches that help the nervous system settle and integrate. In this fast-paced world, I believe we need places where we can drop into our senses, reconnect with ourselves, and remember what it means to simply be a body.
For me, much of the beauty of this medicine resides in the overlap between structural, energetic, and emotional perspectives, and in the understanding that any of these can become entry points for healing. I strive to meet people where they are while providing a space that feels caring, collaborative, and inclusive, where we can work together to understand what facilitates meaningful change and brings lasting results.
TRAINING & MENTORSHIP
I graduated from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco in 2010. Since 2018, I have dedicated my studies to Japanese acumoxa styles with Koei Kuwahara, Maya Suzuki of Shinkyu University, and her teacher Yasuda Sensei in Japan. I also study Sotai, a gentle form of bodywork focused on neuromuscular re-education and postural alignment.
My clinical work is informed by continued studies in shiatsu, craniosacral therapy, Visceral Manipulation, and Engaging Vitality, a system that combines East Asian medicine with osteopathic skills and ways of listening to the body to inform treatment. I also spent four years in White Pine Institute’s Graduate Mentorship Program studying classical herbal formulas in depth. I consider myself an eternal student of this medicine and remain deeply committed to continued learning and study.
IN THE TREATMENT ROOM
In the treatment room, I strive to create a space where people can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and feel genuinely supported in their healing process. I often incorporate bodywork techniques such as shiatsu, Sotai, Visceral Manipulation, and Craniosacral therapy alongside acupuncture to help patients settle into their bodies and nervous systems more fully. I regularly work with people navigating chronic pain, chronic fatigue, Long Covid, digestive concerns, menstrual and fertility-related conditions, headaches and migraines, as well as anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, and symptoms that may feel difficult to explain or fully address within conventional medical models.
CREDENTIALS
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.)
Graduate, American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Advanced Study in Japanese Acumoxa
Graduate, White Pine Institute Mentorship Program