Long before I knew what naturopathic medicine was, many of its principles were already part of my life.

I grew up in an Italian American family with parents I affectionately describe as old hippies. My mother, now a retired registered nurse, brought conventional medical knowledge into our home alongside an interest in food, plants, and natural approaches to health. My father was an electrician. Both taught me to ask questions, look for connections, and consider what was causing a problem before deciding how to address it.

That way of thinking has stayed with me.

The Little Gardens That Nourished My Family

My last name, Giardenelli, carries the meaning of “little gardens.” My paternal grandfather had his own little garden, along with chickens. That garden helped sustain him as he built a life in a new country.

My parents still have a garden today, and I remain amazed by how much food a small plot can produce. Vegetables were simply part of our Southern Italian way of eating. So was the understanding that tending something consistently could yield something nourishing.

Growing up in upstate New York, my mother introduced me to plants such as chicory and dandelion and sparked my curiosity about the ways people have traditionally used botanicals. Those early experiences eventually led to years of formal study in herbal medicine.

Acupuncture entered my life through another important teacher: my grandmother Jean.

My Grandmother’s Acupuncture Story

In the 1970s, my grandmother traveled from New York to Massachusetts to receive acupuncture for chronic arthritis pain. She would stay for a week and receive daily treatments.

She described the improvement as life-changing, and our family remembers how much acupuncture helped her manage her pain. I grew up hearing that story and was fascinated that it could make such a difference in her life.

What I did not know until after she passed away was that she had also advocated for access to acupuncture in New York. Among her belongings were newspaper clippings of letters she had written supporting acupuncturist licensure.

There were also handwritten replies from people who had read her words and wanted to learn more about her experience.

Finding those replies moved me deeply. She had shared something that mattered to her, and people had taken the time to write back and ask questions. I could see how one person’s willingness to speak up had opened a conversation for others.

Today, her newspaper clippings and the letters she received are displayed in my office beside my old New York State acupuncture license. Seeing them together feels especially meaningful: my grandmother advocating for access to a profession I would eventually enter.

In a time when so much communication happens through social media, I find something remarkable about those newspaper columns and handwritten replies. They remind me that we may never know the full reach of a small act of advocacy.

Finding My Path Into Naturopathic and East Asian Medicine

By my teenage years, I knew I wanted to work in the healing arts. During my final year of high school, I participated in a program at St. Peter’s Hospital that gave students an unusually close look at medicine. I observed open-heart surgery, visited the pathology laboratory, and saw how much skill and knowledge went into caring for people with serious illness.

I came away with respect for that work. I also wanted to understand what we could do earlier: how we might support health before someone reached the point of needing those interventions.

In 1998, during an “alternative medicine” unit in that program, I learned about naturopathic medicine. Something clicked. Here was a profession that made room for my questions about nutrition, prevention, underlying contributors to illness, and individualized care.

My fascination with acupuncture had never left, so I looked for a school where I could study both.

That search brought me to the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon (now the National University of Natural Medicine).

I arrived interested in Eastern medicine but with very little understanding of its depth. Studying it opened my eyes to another way of observing health: looking closely at patterns, constitution, and the relationships among a person’s symptoms and daily experience. Constitution, in this context, refers to a person’s broader tendencies and characteristics within a traditional medical framework.

This education challenged me to think differently and to become a more attentive observer. I remain deeply grateful for the teachers who helped me develop these skills and for the opportunity to study both systems of medicine.

What Blending These Approaches Means in My Practice

Today, after more than 16 years in practice, I draw on both my naturopathic training and my training in acupuncture and East Asian medicine. Chinese and other herbal traditions also inform my work.

If you ask whether I primarily identify as a naturopathic doctor or an acupuncturist, my answer is that I am a naturopathic doctor who loves herbs, acupuncture, and Eastern medicine. Both ways of thinking are present when I sit with a patient.

The practical question is always: What would best help this particular person?

Sometimes that means acupuncture. Sometimes it means reviewing nutrition, sleep, medications, or laboratory findings. Sometimes it means considering an individualized herbal approach. And sometimes the most useful next step is a referral or a conversation with another member of the patient’s care team.

Having several approaches available also means deciding which ones are actually needed.

Traditional use informs my questions, while current research, safety considerations, clinical experience, and each patient’s circumstances help guide my recommendations. I also consider where the evidence is limited and what remains uncertain.

I bring that same curiosity to naturopathic and functional medicine assessments. A large laboratory panel can provide useful information, but it still needs to be interpreted in the context of the person. The number of tests does not tell us whether we have asked the right questions.

I want to understand the symptoms, history, nutrition, and circumstances that make particular testing relevant—and how the results might change the plan.

Individualized Herbal Care and Collaboration

Herbal medicine calls for similar attention. Patients sometimes expect one herb to be the answer for everyone with the same complaint. My training encourages me to consider the individual, including their medications, health history, and the broader pattern of what they are experiencing.

Combining herbs with prescription treatment requires careful review. Sometimes an herb is appropriate; sometimes it is best avoided. Natural does not automatically mean suitable for every person.

I value medication when it is needed. I also value having additional ways to support people, including those who have had limited relief or difficulty tolerating a treatment. Collaboration and appropriate referrals are part of that work.

Clinical experience has taught me a great deal, and it has also taught me to keep questioning my assumptions. I want to remain curious about what is helping, what is not, and what we may have overlooked.

What I hope patients experience is the time and attention to have their concerns considered thoughtfully, with a plan that reflects their needs.

The Parts of Health That Extend Beyond the Office

Outside the office, herbs remain what I affectionately call my “buddies.” Food, sleep, movement, and time with people I love are also part of how I care for myself.

My maternal grandmother Rose taught me something equally lasting. Her life was not easy, but she showed me the importance of faith, prayer, and a loving community. Those remain deeply personal sources of strength and joy for me.

When I think about my approach to health, all these influences are there: my grandfather’s garden, my mother’s nursing and knowledge of plants, my father’s habit of looking for the cause, Grandma Jean’s experience with acupuncture, and Nanna Rose’s emphasis on connection.

My education gave me ways to explore and build upon those early lessons. My patients continue to teach me.

Why I Celebrate Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Day

There is a great deal of health advice competing for our attention. I want people to have an opportunity to learn about these traditions, ask questions, and experience care that takes their individual circumstances seriously.

Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Day offers an opportunity to share that work and acknowledge the traditions and teachers behind it.

At Collective Health Center in Leesburg, Virginia, my hope is to keep these approaches accessible and understandable while bringing thoughtful clinical judgment to their use.

When I look at my grandmother’s letters hanging in my office, I feel connected to the work she began: helping others discover an approach that had mattered so much in her own life.

I am grateful to carry that forward.

About the Author

Sarah Giardenelli, ND, MSOM, L.Ac., is a naturopathic doctor, licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and owner of Collective Health Center in Leesburg, Virginia. She brings more than 16 years of clinical experience to an individualized approach that draws on naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, herbal traditions, nutrition, and lifestyle care.