April 17, 2017

Meet Jennifer Randolph of Jennifer Randolph Acupuncture in San Pedro

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Randolph.

Jennifer, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My interest for acupuncture was sparked in 2002 while living in Beijing as part of my undergraduate studies. It was there I was first exposed to the quick healing and art of acupuncture and traditional medicine as it was the main medicine used when any of us students came down with an illness; from the severe flu my brother had while visiting, to a terrible sinus infection I came down with in my first few weeks there. Coming from L.A. and being raised in a family who always ran to western medicine in times of illness, it absolutely blew my mind how effective acupuncture and herbs were and how great I felt after leaving the acupuncturists office- something I can say for sure never happened after leaving a doctor’s office back at home.

When I returned to California I finished my studies with a Bachelor of Science degree and moved back to Los Angeles. I began working in a well-known acupuncture center in West Los Angeles and it was here that confirmed my passion, love and admiration of this medicine. One of the employee perks was, I received weekly acupuncture treatments (Lucky me!!) Within a few short weeks, I had noticed something truly unbelievable; headaches that I had been dealing with on a daily basis since I was a teenager had vanished! They were just gone! But the best part was these results were not just limited to me; there would be patients in our office that were crying tears of joy because they were suddenly out of pain that they had been living with for years, or shouting from the rooftops with glee because they felt like a fog had lifted and they were back to themselves again, or my absolute favorite, women announcing that they were pregnant after years of trying. It was right then that I knew… THIS is what I wanted to do with my life! I wanted to help people feel their very best and live their fullest life! The very next quarter, I was enrolled in the Master’s program of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine at the #1 acupuncture school in California.

My passion for women’s health was born a few years later. My husband and I had moved to Nepal (this is where my husband is from) to do some humanitarian work. It was there that I was fortunate enough to become pregnant with our first child and this was the moment that changed the course of my practice forever. Being pregnant in a developing country, I was introduced to an entirely new culture I may never have been privy to otherwise. I was able to experience the yin and the yang of giving birth in this beautiful, yet hundreds of years behind the times, country. I could see firsthand the level of maternity care, the conditions of the hospitals, the lack of compassion from the medical staff, and the lack of amenities and comforts that I was accustomed to. But in the same scene, I was also able to witness the outpouring of love and support that was provided to these women from the community of women around them. I was able to observe the loving and compassionate after-birth rituals that took place. Women would travel from near and far to take care of the mother and child, making sure the birth mother didn’t have to lift a finger and could focus 100% on healing herself; they would cook her food, prepare her herbs, fetch her water, wash her clothes, take care of her baby so she could sleep, and take care of all her household duties so that her husband and other children were also taken care of. This type of love, support and compassion shown towards the birth mother by the other women in her life was overwhelmingly beautiful and unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was then that I decided I wanted to bring this type of support to my own practice and dedicate my life’s work to serving and helping other women in my community. I strive to bring this type of support to women who may otherwise not have it and to support all women’s health, not just through childbirth, but through all stages and changes of being a woman.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I would say the biggest struggle for me in opening my practice has been finding the ever-so-delicate balance between work and family. The workaholic in me wants to work 100 hours a week, while the mom inside of me only wants to work 10 hours a week and spend the rest of my time playing with my kids. The internal struggle is real and I think many moms can relate. Finding this balance still remains a work-in-progress, but I am continuously finding fun ways to incorporate my family into my practice and my practice into my family life. I think being a mom makes me a better practitioner and has opened a whole new area of specialization for me: pediatrics!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a truly integrative wellness clinic focusing on the holistic aspect of healing each individual while also working closely with our patients’ medical doctors to achieve the best results. Our services include acupuncture, herbal medicine, chiropractic, massage therapy, and nutritional counseling. We specialize in pain management and women’s health support; from fertility to menopause. Our staff is warm and welcoming and our goal is to make you feel a part of our family from the moment you walk in the doors. We are passionate about our patients and want each and every one of them to feel better and happier when they leave our office.

What were you like growing up?
Even as a young child, I always knew I wanted to have a career where I was making a difference in other people’s lives; helping people and making people happy. I was the kid who would go out of my way to include the quiet kid at school or the kid on the playground that everyone else was ignoring. I wanted everyone to be happy and enjoy the life that was theirs. Even at a very young age, I always felt very compassionate for other kids who were going through a difficult time. This characteristic still plays a huge role in my life today. Compassion is one of the main driving forces in my practice every day; it makes me push harder to get the best results for my patients. I am usually treating people who feel like they are at their last resort and have exhausted all other medical avenues, being compassionate to their situation makes me strive harder for their success and having a compassionate outlook is the first step in their healing process. I truly care about my patients and just as it was when I was a child, I want to see everyone living their BEST and happiest lives!

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