Following many personal and professional experiences with the shortcomings of the Western medical system, Jeff Pufnock and Jessica Youngs began their studies in Classical Chinese medicine. They both individually came to study Chinese medicine with a vision of learning a system of care that fully addressed healing the whole person. Jeff’s previous career as a Ph.D. cancer immunologist brought him to the realization that he wanted to approach healing from a different perspective and foster deeper personal connections with patients, while Jessica initially experienced acupuncture’s profound healing potential following treatment for a shoulder injury.
Jeff and Jessica are excited to bring their holistic practice of Chinese medicine to the Sandpoint community as Embodied Virtue: Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine. They offer the modalities of acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, moxibustion, Asian bodywork, craniosacral therapy, diet and lifestyle therapy, and women’s health, and together they are ready to help facilitate healing for those seeking a complementary approach.
“We are very fortunate to have extensive mentorship training in prescribing custom Chinese herbal formulas,” says Jeff. “To provide this service to our patients in Sandpoint, we have compiled an herbal medicinary featuring over 120 raw Chinese herbs. This service enables us to maintain our commitments to sustainability and minimizing plastic waste by providing the formulas to our patients in reusable glass jars.”
The care possible with Chinese medicine is comprehensive. “It is often assumed that acupuncture is only effective for pain management,” adds Jeff. “However, Chinese medicine is a time-tested empirical system of medicine that can be effective in treating the full spectrum of disease and illness and works by treating the root cause for each individual.” The intention of the clinic design was to create a space that can also be opened to the community for special intimate events, according to Jessica. “We envision these gatherings as an opportunity to sample our Chinese tea collection, relax in community and learn more about Chinese medicine,” she says.
Through the creation of Embodied Virtue, both Jessica and Jeff demonstrate their dedication and commitment to holistic medicine. “We both bring our own unique attributes, skills and embodiment of Chinese medicine that supports our collaboration,” says Jeff. “This business venture is the outward manifestation of our partnership and represents the caring and intentionality we both bring to this world.”
When it comes to what the pair finds most rewarding about the work they do, it is being able to witness their patients’ personal healing journeys and relief from chronic conditions that were unable to be addressed by other medical treatments.
Jeff and Jessica are excited to be part of the Sandpoint community, which they joined this past summer. The couple discovered the beauty of Sandpoint in the summer of 2018 during an “exploratory road trip” with the purpose of finding a small, vibrant mountain community to relocate to from the intensity of Portland. “Upon arriving in Sandpoint, we were amazed, even though the lake was surrounded by smoke. We immediately changed our plans to stay a few more days,” says Jeff. “From then on the dream of moving to Sandpoint began to take shape.”
They continued to visit the area throughout the following year and were delighted to finally see the mountains in person during their winter visit. “Sandpoint was our dream destination,” smiles Jessica, “and we feel so blessed to have such an amazing community to contribute to and to be a part of.”
Embodied Virtue: Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine 307 Church Street Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 208.254.1188 EmbodiedVirtue.com