We all find our own unique way into the practice of East Asian medicine.
It’s part luck, part dogged curiosity and persistence, and sometimes a bit of fate.
In this conversation with Holly Guzman, we wander through her circuitous route into the medicine—from knocking on the door of the Chinese embassy in Kabul, to hanging out at a bookstore in San Francisco, waiting to see who might pick up the one English book on acupuncture. Along the way she crossed paths with some remarkable teachers, witnessed extraordinary ways acupuncture was used in China, and learned lessons about herbs, storytelling, and clinical responsibility that shaped the practice she has today.
Listen into this discussion as we explore her early travels to China in the late 1970s, what it was like to practice before acupuncture was legal, and the powerful influence of teachers like Miriam Lee and Yat Kee Lai. Holly also reflects on herbal training that emphasized curiosity over categories, the role of storytelling in clinical work, and how imagination opens the door to new possibilities in medicine.
Holly reminds us that this medicine didn’t arrive fully formed—it grew through the curiosity, audacity, and persistence of practitioners who were willing to explore what was possible.
It’s hard to be great without great teachers, seek them! Pass on what you learn. We must surpass them for Chinese Medicine to grow upward.
Holly Guzman, OMD, L.Ac
Holly Guzman has consistently practiced in California and taught Chinese Medicine at schools and conferences since 1983. She began learning at age 13 in Afghanistan, with the help of the Chinese Embassy.
After an independent study in acupuncture at UCSC, her foundational teachers included Dr. Tin Yao So, who was the founder of the first school of acupuncture in the USA; Ted Kaptchuk, with whom she apprenticed in his clinic and assisted him in opening the first acupuncture clinic in a State Hospital; Kiiko Matsumoto, founder of KMS style Japanese acupuncture; an apprenticeship with Miriam Lee, who was pivotal in legalizing acupuncture in California; and Yat Ki Lai, a legendary herbalist and faculty at ACTCM.
Since 1984 she has been a member of the faculty at Five Branches University of Chinese Medicine. Holly received her doctorate in Chinese Medicine in 1988, following extensive study in Japan and China. Holly has been studying with Jeffrey Yuen since 1996. She and her son Jason Eagle have been producing and improving educational videos for practitioners since 2012.
You don't have access to purchase this item.
