Peter Van Arsdale, L.Ac. Licensed Acupuncturist, offers health services in OPEN EXCHANGE's Health & Healing category. Here, however, he chose to tell us not about what he does, but about the kind of person he is...

My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
—Robert Frost, "Two Tramps In Mud Time"

Finding the paths that resonate within each of us is not always easy. Life pressures tend to force us into choices that don't always feel right but rather satisfy financial, personal or family goals. I feel fortunate that my life work as an acupuncturist and natural healer has been fulfilling and rewarding for the past twenty years. There is great satisfaction in helping people to find health and balance.

In addition to my professional life as an acupuncturist, I am also a violin and cello maker, currently working on my18th violin. I have had the great fortune to study with some of the best-known violinmakers and have visited the birthplace of the father of the modern violin, Antonio Stradivari, in Cremona, Italy. Much like traditional Chinese Medicine, creating a violin is a fascinating combination of art and science. The concepts of harmony, vibration and balance are strong ingredients in both fields. In building a violin, it is important to feel and listen to the wood in much the same way I feel and listen to the pulse.

As part of my acupuncture practice, I have given lectures and talks at UCSF Medical School, Kaiser Permanente and other venues throughout the Bay area. I taught at the San Francisco College of Acupuncture and helped found the National Sports Acupuncture Association for which I served both on the board and was vice president for many years. In 1996, I was on the medical staff at the World Olympics in Atlanta and had a chance to treat many athletes from around the world. In 1998, I was on the medical staff for the National Senior Games in Tucson, Arizona and helped many older athletes with acupuncture. My mother, Susan Gittler, now in her eighties, raced in the 1500-meter race walk and placed fourth!

Musicians often suffer from many of the same types of injuries that we find with athletes. My contact with musicians, both as a player and a violin maker, has given me an opportunity to also help them as an acupuncturist. Musicians often suffer from tendonitis, arthritis and repetitive stress problems. Acupuncture can be very effective in treating these types of injuries.

The important thing is to find interesting and rewarding work both as an avocation and a vocation; thus, balance and harmony are created and health can flourish. The ancient Chinese philosophers and physicians knew this and incorporated it into their lives and the treatment of their patients. Although it is difficult to follow your own path in this modern world of deadlines and distractions it is worth it. Keep it simple and follow your own heart.