East Wind Acupuncture

Long before acupuncture became familiar to many people, Laura Zaranski was already fascinated by the body’s ability to heal. She grew up athletic, experienced her share of injuries, and was struck by how consistently her body recovered. That curiosity stayed with her as she originally pursued aeronautical engineering, then eventually realized she wanted a career that involved people as much as problem-solving. That led her toward biology, anatomy and physiology, along with a growing interest in herbalism and natural forms of care.

Laura went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Anatomy and Physiology before completing a Master of Science of Oriental Medicine. She also completed a clinical internship and educational training at the University of Guangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in China. What drew her to Chinese medicine was not acupuncture alone, but the structure of the larger system and the way its different parts work together.

Laura opened East Wind Acupuncture in 1998 and built the practice around what she describes as restorative care. In her view, that means looking at what may be preventing the body from recovering as well as addressing the problem that brought someone in.

That broader view remains central to East Wind Acupuncture. Laura is quick to explain that acupuncture is only one part of Chinese medicine. Depending on the person and the situation, care may also involve herbal medicine, nutrition, massage, movement, stress management, and other parts of the system.

When someone first comes in, the focus is on understanding the whole picture rather than looking only at the symptom that brought them through the door. Laura reviews health history, listens closely to what the person has been experiencing, and uses traditional Chinese diagnostic methods such as tongue and pulse evaluation to help guide her assessment.

Education is an important part of the process as well. Laura takes time to explain what she is seeing and why she is recommending a particular direction, often using simple analogies to make unfamiliar ideas easier to understand. She is also straightforward when she believes something may not respond well to the care she provides.

While herbal medicine remains her strongest personal interest, the most meaningful part of the work is seeing people feel better, understand their bodies more clearly, and regain a sense of what they are capable of. Laura believes strongly in the body’s ability to recover when it has the support it needs, and much of her work centers on helping people address what may be getting in the way so they can become healthier and stronger, setting the stage for the body to heal.