Meet Melissa Monroe | Acupuncturist, Writer, Pilates & Yoga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Monroe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
This is a tough question! I’m not sure I know anyone who thinks they found a perfect balance, and then just coast along forever at that balance. I know I’m not the only mom who find herself struggling to balance work and family. But, after my youngest daughter Alice died in her sleep of unknown causes (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood — SUDC), I realized balancing work/family was not enough to keep mentally healthy, so I started to make a point of creating work/family/personal care balance. I try to do an hour a day of something that is both enjoyable and healthy for me — a hike, yoga, therapy, writing, a massage, etc. Even before Alice died, whenever financially possible, I prioritized family time and worked around that. I know I have limited time with my kids before they go out on their own. But after she died, I doubled down on this approach because I learned our time can be more limited than I ever imagined. This is not to say I do not prioritize work; I do. But as much as possible, I work around my elder daughter’s schedule, knowing that I only have two more years before she goes off to college. I figure I can battle empty-nest-syndrome with working more.

What should our readers know about your business?
My physical practice is located in the Los Feliz area, though I also do telehealth consultations and home visits a couple of days a week. Although the term “acupuncturist” is broadly used, Asian medicine involves so much more than needles. We also utilize herbal medicine, cupping, moxa, light therapy, myofascial release and massage techniques, as well as individualized meditation and exercise instruction.

I have a background in Western medical research as well as dance, Pilates, and yoga instruction, which gives me a well-rounded understanding of the body and a unique approach to healing what ails us. My goal is to teach patients how to best care for themselves so they require less medical intervention throughout their lives. This means that a good deal of the session is spent giving lifestyle, ergonomic, and exercise recommendations designed to prevent illness and injury.

Although Asian medicine can treat a number of conditions, it was originally meant to be a preventative medicine. I have a number of patients who come regularly because they noticed how much better they feel with regular visits. Other patients come for a series of treatments for a specific issue — pain, injury recovery, peak athletic performance, neuro-muscular syndromes, anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches, fertility, PMS, peri/menopausal symptoms, nausea (including chemo or pregnancy-related nausea), turning breech babies, labor induction, stroke recovery, shingles, and more. Let’s just say, I’m never bored! I am constantly learning and I absolutely love helping people feel and perform their best!

I’m also very happy with the results we are getting with my micro-needling treatments for patients with scarring, hair loss, acne, hyper-pigmentation, and aging skin. In a micro-needling session with me, patients also receive individual serum application, aloe mask, body acupuncture, light therapy, and sound therapy. My peri/menopausal women with hair loss are especially happy with their results and a patient with facial scarring after a dog-bite is thrilled with her results.

While I have always treated some of the physical and emotional stress of grief and trauma, my own experience deepened my understanding of these states. In an ongoing effort to alchemize my pain into service, I’ve developed my own treatments to address grief and trauma symptoms in my patients and teach these methods to other acupuncturists in CEU classes. I also wrote a book entitled “Mom’s Search for Meaning: Grief and Growth After Child Loss” which won an Honorable Mention from Writer’s Digest.

Lastly, I am proud to be a volunteer for Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB) who do incredible community acupuncture work at disaster sites around the world. They have been working tirelessly in Los Angeles after the fires. It’s been a privilege to serve my community, the firefighters, National Guard members, and evacuees through AWB.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, there’s definitely going to to be a Korean spa day. If I could make a living going to Korean spas, sign me up. Most out-of-towners are unfamiliar with the heaven that is a Korean spa, and I have yet to take a friend who wasn’t in awe. My favorite spas also have incredible restaurants inside where you can enjoy a Korean meal between treatments. I always leave the Korean spa transformed for the way, way better.

I love taking guests on the Fern Dell hike up to Griffith Park Observatory, with a stop at Trails Cafe before or after. This outing has it all: good exercise, good food and coffee, incredible views of the city and Hollywood sign, and a free visit to a world-class observatory. Occasionally, I have a guest question my love for them on the hike up, but by the end they’ve all been profoundly grateful for the experience. If a guest has mobility issues, there is parking at the trailhead near the Cafe and parking at the top with easy access to the observatory.

Most guests want a day at the beach. If they are open to going to a less-crowded beach, I love Abalone Cove in Palos Verdes or heading to Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey for some SUP or kayaking.

Although I work in Los Feliz, I live in the West Adams/Jefferson Park area. There are so many new restaurants opening in the area, which is exciting. One of my favorites is Johnny’s on Adams. The pastrami on marble rye is transcendent, but I also love the Goddess Salad, the matzo ball soup, and the fries are some of the best in the city. Their new outside area and bar are both gorgeous and great place to meet up with the neighbors. They often have great musicians or DJ’s playing. I feel lucky to have this joint within walking distance. West Adams is also home to USC and the California Science Center which is inspiring. Entrance is free, but special exhibitions or one of the captivating IMAX movies will cost extra. The stellar Natural History Museum is next door and also worth a visit. And don’t sleep on the Independence Day fireworks there. Throw a blanket down on the lawn in front of the Natural History Museum and be dazzled by the best fireworks show in the city, IMHO. You can take the Expo line right there and avoid traffic and parking nightmares!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be standing today without the help I received at Southern California Counseling Center after my youngest daughter Alice died unexpectedly. In addition to providing effective sliding-scale therapy to those in need, they also send counselors to schools in underserved communities, and a great deal of social justice work. They are entirely privately funded and are one of the only sliding-scale centers in California to provide EMDR and other trauma/resiliency modalities that saved me after Alice died. I was so impressed with the results and quality of care I received there, I continue to raise money for them to train more therapists in trauma therapy modalities. When they opened a new location in the Watts community, I was honored to learn that they named one of the treatment rooms after Alice. I pray that everyone who steps into that room to face their demons leaves as healed and empowered as I did.

Website: https://www.melissamariemonroe.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissammonroe/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-monroe-b0b1197/

Twitter: @tripleMMeaning

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.m.monroe/

Other: https://mmmonroe.substack.com/

Image Credits
Bio pic– Kimberly Metz

Photo of me and Alice — Jonathan Armstrong