Hidden Gems: Meet Rena Haley of Lotus Center for Integrative Medicine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rena Haley

Hi Rena, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
I’ve been interested in alternative medicine since I was a young child. My mom helped spark my curiosity when she exposed me to different modalities as a way to support my body through my years as a competitive gymnast. There were so many interesting types of practices that I was curious about. But life took me in a different direction. I ended up working in the entertainment industry. And this is ultimately what brought me to Los Angeles. But after 10 years, I decided entertainment was no longer for me. It was a pretty easy decision, and I quickly went back to school. While in school I met my colleagues, and they were who inspired and encouraged me to go to school to become a Chinese medicine practitioner. I was fortunate because while in school, I worked with them in their clinic. I loved being there. I knew I was exactly where I wanted to be. I eventually got the courage to ask them if I could join the practice once I was licensed, and they said yes! They took me under their wings and mentored me. I learned so much about Chinese medicine, acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, and functional medicine. Fast forward fifteen years, I’m still in the same practice, I’m a partner, and now I’m the mentor. I also taught for several years at Alhambra Medical University. It’s been an amazing experience, and the practice is remarkable. There’s such a respect for the medicine and each other. And because we all come from different backgrounds with different interests and areas of focus, we learn so much from one another and are able to support our patients in a way that we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise if we were all solo practitioners. 

Since joining the practice, I’ve moved into the neighborhood, truly becoming a part of the community we serve. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
All in all, I’ve been very lucky. Relatively speaking, my journey has been smooth. I’ve worked really hard; I joined an established practice, and I had really great mentoring that shortened learning curves. But even small bumps can feel big when you’re a small business. Covid was tough initially. Although the clinic was ahead of the curve in regards to protecting everyone who stepped foot in the office, the fear of even being around other people kept many patients from coming in to continue treatment. But we also have many patients that have been with us for years, many of which are immunocompromised for various reason, and know the type of action we take when it comes to maintaining a safe environment in the clinic. So many continued with treatment since doing so was imperative to maintaining their health. Also, a large portion of my practice is treating women trying to conceive, many of which go through IVF. I had several patients who were in the middle of IVF cycles as the lockdown was put in place. IVF is already a very stressful process. Adding covid and the lockdown to the equation only increased the worry. I was really honored to be able to have a safe place for my patients to enter and help them through this tough moment in time. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The practices focus is on figuring out the “why” and coming up with a plan to help resolve and stabilize an individual’s health. We’re not focused on the diagnosis or lack thereof (which happens more that you would think) but on why an individual is expressing their symptomatic picture. We look for the cause and for solutions to repair. 

The practice has both general practitioners and specialist in fertility and women’s health (infertility, hormonal irregularities, and menopause), pain and arthritic conditions (such as osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and migraines), dermatological conditions (such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis), autoimmune conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and MS), gastrointestinal diseases (such as IBS, GERD colitis), Anti-aging (such as microneedling and facial acupuncture) and cancer support. It’s definitely a collaborative practice. 

I have always described what we do as being part detectives and part scientists. 

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Being open is the characteristic I feel is the most important to my success. Being open to really listening to my patients. Being open to always learning more. And being open to change. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lotuscenter.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lotus_center
• Facebook: https:// facebook.com/lotusctr
• Yelp: https:// yelp.com/biz/lotus-center-for-integrative-medicine-los-angeles