the Anywhere Clinic
No one turned away for lack of funds.
Who I am and how I got here
I practice Chinese medicine everywhere. I've treated people at Burningman, in home hospice and at hospital births, on the sidewalk in Hayward, on a cafe patio in Topanga Canyon, and at various airports while waiting for delayed flights. That's why I call my practice the Anywhere Clinic. During this strange time of global pandemic, I am also offering housecalls, remote consultations, and site-specific pop-up events. So my practice is anywhere more than ever.
Maybe it began when acupuncture and herbal soaks helped me avert surgery for a dislocated elbow at age 11. Or maybe it all started way before then, when my grandmother decided to teach us Chinese first, empowering us with the fluency to read classical texts like the one I chose for my doctoral capstone project decades later. (That project turned into a reference book, A Field Guide to the Huángdì Nèijīng Sùwèn, which was published by Singing Dragon Press in 2021. If you want a copy of my book you may purchase one here.)
I try to live in alignment with the seasons and be present in the contemporary now. You are more likely to find me out in nature and not on social media. As a native Californian, I believe in living as if life could go on forever, and also as if it could end at any moment with the next big earthquake. Seize the day, and cultivate wellness, both.
I gave birth on June 14, 2022. My nights and days postpartum have been acutely involved with the bodily functions of a tiny being created out of my body by a rubric that came from somewhere beyond the limits of my imagination. I have waited years to become a parent, and am planning to carry my baby with me as I carry on with my career. My patients are being very patient, sharing their appointments with the needs of my child, like people used to do.
I look forward to meeting my future with the openness that is my Chinese family namesake.
Shanyin Amy Chang, DAOM, LAc, CKTP
November 2022
